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Xie O, Davies MR, Tong SYC. Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis infection and its intersection with Streptococcus pyogenes. Clin Microbiol Rev 2024:e0017523. [PMID: 38856686 DOI: 10.1128/cmr.00175-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2024] Open
Abstract
SUMMARYStreptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis (SDSE) is an increasingly recognized cause of disease in humans. Disease manifestations range from non-invasive superficial skin and soft tissue infections to life-threatening streptococcal toxic shock syndrome and necrotizing fasciitis. Invasive disease is usually associated with co-morbidities, immunosuppression, and advancing age. The crude incidence of invasive disease approaches that of the closely related pathogen, Streptococcus pyogenes. Genomic epidemiology using whole-genome sequencing has revealed important insights into global SDSE population dynamics including emerging lineages and spread of anti-microbial resistance. It has also complemented observations of overlapping pathobiology between SDSE and S. pyogenes, including shared virulence factors and mobile gene content, potentially underlying shared pathogen phenotypes. This review provides an overview of the clinical and genomic epidemiology, disease manifestations, treatment, and virulence determinants of human infections with SDSE with a particular focus on its overlap with S. pyogenes. In doing so, we highlight the importance of understanding the overlap of SDSE and S. pyogenes to inform surveillance and disease control strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ouli Xie
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Australia
- Monash Infectious Diseases, Monash Health, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Mark R Davies
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Steven Y C Tong
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Australia
- Victorian Infectious Disease Service, The Royal Melbourne Hospital at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Australia
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Asakereh I, Rutbeek NR, Singh M, Davidson D, Prehna G, Khajehpour M. The Streptococcus phage protein paratox is an intrinsically disordered protein. Protein Sci 2024; 33:e5037. [PMID: 38801244 PMCID: PMC11129628 DOI: 10.1002/pro.5037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2024] [Revised: 05/09/2024] [Accepted: 05/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
The bacteriophage protein paratox (Prx) blocks quorum sensing in its streptococcal host by directly binding the signal receptor and transcription factor ComR. This reduces the ability of Streptococcus to uptake environmental DNA and protects phage DNA from damage by recombination. Past work characterizing the Prx:ComR molecular interaction revealed that paratox adopts a well-ordered globular fold when bound to ComR. However, solution-state biophysical measurements suggested that Prx may be conformationally dynamic. To address this discrepancy, we investigated the stability and dynamic properties of Prx in solution using circular dichroism, nuclear magnetic resonance, and several fluorescence-based protein folding assays. Our work shows that under dilute buffer conditions Prx is intrinsically disordered. We also show that the addition of kosmotropic salts or protein stabilizing osmolytes induces Prx folding. However, the solute stabilized fold is different from the conformation Prx adopts when it is bound to ComR. Furthermore, we have characterized Prx folding thermodynamics and folding kinetics through steady-state fluorescence and stopped flow kinetic measurements. Our results show that Prx is a highly dynamic protein in dilute solution, folding and refolding within the 10 ms timescale. Overall, our results demonstrate that the streptococcal phage protein Prx is an intrinsically disordered protein in a two-state equilibrium with a solute-stabilized folded form. Furthermore, the solute-stabilized fold is likely the predominant form of Prx in a solute-crowded bacterial cell. Finally, our work suggests that Prx binds and inhibits ComR, and thus quorum sensing in Streptococcus, by a combination of conformational selection and induced-fit binding mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iman Asakereh
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of ManitobaWinnipegManitobaCanada
| | - Nicole R. Rutbeek
- Department of MicrobiologyUniversity of ManitobaWinnipegManitobaCanada
| | - Manvir Singh
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of ManitobaWinnipegManitobaCanada
| | - David Davidson
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of ManitobaWinnipegManitobaCanada
| | - Gerd Prehna
- Department of MicrobiologyUniversity of ManitobaWinnipegManitobaCanada
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Kobakhidze S, Koulouris S, Kakabadze N, Kotetishvili M. Genetic recombination-mediated evolutionary interactions between phages of potential industrial importance and prophages of their hosts within or across the domains of Escherichia, Listeria, Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Staphylococcus. BMC Microbiol 2024; 24:155. [PMID: 38704526 PMCID: PMC11069274 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-024-03312-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2023] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/06/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The in-depth understanding of the role of lateral genetic transfer (LGT) in phage-prophage interactions is essential to rationalizing phage applications for human and animal therapy, as well as for food and environmental safety. This in silico study aimed to detect LGT between phages of potential industrial importance and their hosts. METHODS A large array of genetic recombination detection algorithms, implemented in SplitsTree and RDP4, was applied to detect LGT between various Escherichia, Listeria, Salmonella, Campylobacter, Staphylococcus, Pseudomonas, and Vibrio phages and their hosts. PHASTER and RAST were employed respectively to identify prophages across the host genome and to annotate LGT-affected genes with unknown functions. PhageAI was used to gain deeper insights into the life cycle history of recombined phages. RESULTS The split decomposition inferences (bootstrap values: 91.3-100; fit: 91.433-100), coupled with the Phi (0.0-2.836E-12) and RDP4 (P being well below 0.05) statistics, provided strong evidence for LGT between certain Escherichia, Listeria, Salmonella, and Campylobacter virulent phages and prophages of their hosts. The LGT events entailed mainly the phage genes encoding for hypothetical proteins, while some of these genetic loci appeared to have been affected even by intergeneric recombination in specific E. coli and S. enterica virulent phages when interacting with their host prophages. Moreover, it is shown that certain L. monocytogenes virulent phages could serve at least as the donors of the gene loci, involved in encoding for the basal promoter specificity factor, for L. monocytogenes. In contrast, the large genetic clusters were determined to have been simultaneously exchanged by many S. aureus prophages and some Staphylococcus temperate phages proposed earlier as potential therapeutic candidates (in their native or modified state). The above genetic clusters were found to encompass multiple genes encoding for various proteins, such as e.g., phage tail proteins, the capsid and scaffold proteins, holins, and transcriptional terminator proteins. CONCLUSIONS It is suggested that phage-prophage interactions, mediated by LGT (including intergeneric recombination), can have a far-reaching impact on the co-evolutionary trajectories of industrial phages and their hosts especially when excessively present across microbially rich environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saba Kobakhidze
- Hygiene and Medical Ecology, G. Natadze Scientific-Research Institute of Sanitary, 78 D. Uznadze St. 0102, Tbilisi, Georgia
- Faculty of Medicine, Iv. Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, 1 Ilia Chavchavadze Ave. 0179, Tbilisi, Georgia
| | - Stylianos Koulouris
- Directorate General for Health and Food Safety (DG-SANTE), European Commission, 1049, Bruxelles/Brussel, Belgium
| | - Nata Kakabadze
- Hygiene and Medical Ecology, G. Natadze Scientific-Research Institute of Sanitary, 78 D. Uznadze St. 0102, Tbilisi, Georgia
| | - Mamuka Kotetishvili
- Hygiene and Medical Ecology, G. Natadze Scientific-Research Institute of Sanitary, 78 D. Uznadze St. 0102, Tbilisi, Georgia.
- Scientific Research Institute, School of Science and Technology, the University of Georgia, 77a M. Kostava St., 0171, Tbilisi, Georgia.
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4
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Xie O, Morris JM, Hayes AJ, Towers RJ, Jespersen MG, Lees JA, Ben Zakour NL, Berking O, Baines SL, Carter GP, Tonkin-Hill G, Schrieber L, McIntyre L, Lacey JA, James TB, Sriprakash KS, Beatson SA, Hasegawa T, Giffard P, Steer AC, Batzloff MR, Beall BW, Pinho MD, Ramirez M, Bessen DE, Dougan G, Bentley SD, Walker MJ, Currie BJ, Tong SYC, McMillan DJ, Davies MR. Inter-species gene flow drives ongoing evolution of Streptococcus pyogenes and Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2286. [PMID: 38480728 PMCID: PMC10937727 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46530-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2024] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis (SDSE) is an emerging cause of human infection with invasive disease incidence and clinical manifestations comparable to the closely related species, Streptococcus pyogenes. Through systematic genomic analyses of 501 disseminated SDSE strains, we demonstrate extensive overlap between the genomes of SDSE and S. pyogenes. More than 75% of core genes are shared between the two species with one third demonstrating evidence of cross-species recombination. Twenty-five percent of mobile genetic element (MGE) clusters and 16 of 55 SDSE MGE insertion regions were shared across species. Assessing potential cross-protection from leading S. pyogenes vaccine candidates on SDSE, 12/34 preclinical vaccine antigen genes were shown to be present in >99% of isolates of both species. Relevant to possible vaccine evasion, six vaccine candidate genes demonstrated evidence of inter-species recombination. These findings demonstrate previously unappreciated levels of genomic overlap between these closely related pathogens with implications for streptococcal pathobiology, disease surveillance and prevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ouli Xie
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Australia
- Monash Infectious Diseases, Monash Health, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Jacqueline M Morris
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Andrew J Hayes
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Rebecca J Towers
- Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia
| | - Magnus G Jespersen
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Australia
| | - John A Lees
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute EMBL-EBI, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, UK
| | - Nouri L Ben Zakour
- Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre and School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Olga Berking
- Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre and School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Sarah L Baines
- Doherty Applied Microbial Genomics, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Glen P Carter
- Doherty Applied Microbial Genomics, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Australia
| | | | - Layla Schrieber
- Faculty of Veterinary Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Liam McIntyre
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Jake A Lacey
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Taylah B James
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Kadaba S Sriprakash
- Infection and Inflammation Program, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia
- School of Science & Technology, University of New England, Armidale, Australia
| | - Scott A Beatson
- Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre and School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Tadao Hasegawa
- Department of Bacteriology, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Phil Giffard
- Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia
| | - Andrew C Steer
- Tropical Diseases, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Australia
| | - Michael R Batzloff
- Infection and Inflammation Program, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia
- Institute for Glycomics, Griffith University, Southport, Australia
| | - Bernard W Beall
- Respiratory Disease Branch, National Center for Immunizations and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Marcos D Pinho
- Instituto de Microbiologia, Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Mario Ramirez
- Instituto de Microbiologia, Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Debra E Bessen
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, USA
| | - Gordon Dougan
- Parasites and Microbes, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, UK
| | - Stephen D Bentley
- Parasites and Microbes, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, UK
| | - Mark J Walker
- Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre and School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Bart J Currie
- Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia
| | - Steven Y C Tong
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Australia
- Victorian Infectious Disease Service, The Royal Melbourne Hospital at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Australia
| | - David J McMillan
- School of Science, Technology and Engineering, and Centre for Bioinnovation, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, Australia
| | - Mark R Davies
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Australia.
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Cantelmi MC, Merola C, Averaimo D, Chiaverini A, Cito F, Cocco A, Di Teodoro G, De Angelis ME, Di Bernardo D, Auzino D, Petrini A. Identification of the Novel Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus Sequence Type 525 in Donkeys of Abruzzo Region, Italy. Pathogens 2023; 12:750. [PMID: 37375440 PMCID: PMC10305129 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12060750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Revised: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 05/21/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Streptococcus equi sub. zooepidemicus (SEZ) is described as a commensal bacterium of several animal species, including humans. Growing evidence supports the potential role of SEZ in the onset and progression of severe clinical manifestations of diseases in horses and other animals. In the present communication, we describe the diagnostic procedure applied to characterize the streptococcal infections caused by a novel SEZ sequence type (ST525) in donkeys raised on a farm in Abruzzo, Italy. The diagnostic process began with anamnesis and anatomopathological analysis, which revealed a severe bacterial suppurative bronchopneumonia associated with systemic vascular damage and haemorrhages. Then, SEZ infection was confirmed by applying an integrative diagnostic strategy that included standard bacterial isolation techniques, analytical tools for bacteria identification (MALDI-TOF MS), and molecular analysis (qPCR). Furthermore, the application of the whole-genome sequencing approach helped us to identify the bacterial strains and the virulence factors involved in animal diseases. The novel SEZ-ST525 was identified in two cases of the disease. This new sequence type was isolated from the lung, liver, and spleen in Case 1, and from retropharyngeal lymph nodes in Case 2. Moreover, the presence of the virulence gene mf2, a virulence factor carried by prophages in Streptococcus pyogenes, was also found for the first time in an SEZ strain. The results of the present study highlight the need to apply an integrated diagnostic approach for the identification and tracking of pathogenic strains of SEZ, shedding new light on the re-evaluation of these bacteria as a causative agent of disease in animals and humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Chiara Cantelmi
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e Molise “G. Caporale”, Campo Boario, 64100 Teramo, Italy; (M.C.C.); (D.A.); (A.C.); (F.C.); (A.C.); (G.D.T.); (M.E.D.A.); (A.P.)
- Department of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment, University of Teramo, 64100 Teramo, Italy
| | - Carmine Merola
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e Molise “G. Caporale”, Campo Boario, 64100 Teramo, Italy; (M.C.C.); (D.A.); (A.C.); (F.C.); (A.C.); (G.D.T.); (M.E.D.A.); (A.P.)
- Department of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment, University of Teramo, 64100 Teramo, Italy
| | - Daniela Averaimo
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e Molise “G. Caporale”, Campo Boario, 64100 Teramo, Italy; (M.C.C.); (D.A.); (A.C.); (F.C.); (A.C.); (G.D.T.); (M.E.D.A.); (A.P.)
| | - Alexandra Chiaverini
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e Molise “G. Caporale”, Campo Boario, 64100 Teramo, Italy; (M.C.C.); (D.A.); (A.C.); (F.C.); (A.C.); (G.D.T.); (M.E.D.A.); (A.P.)
| | - Francesca Cito
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e Molise “G. Caporale”, Campo Boario, 64100 Teramo, Italy; (M.C.C.); (D.A.); (A.C.); (F.C.); (A.C.); (G.D.T.); (M.E.D.A.); (A.P.)
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Teramo, 64100 Teramo, Italy
| | - Antonio Cocco
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e Molise “G. Caporale”, Campo Boario, 64100 Teramo, Italy; (M.C.C.); (D.A.); (A.C.); (F.C.); (A.C.); (G.D.T.); (M.E.D.A.); (A.P.)
| | - Giovanni Di Teodoro
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e Molise “G. Caporale”, Campo Boario, 64100 Teramo, Italy; (M.C.C.); (D.A.); (A.C.); (F.C.); (A.C.); (G.D.T.); (M.E.D.A.); (A.P.)
| | - Maria Elisabetta De Angelis
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e Molise “G. Caporale”, Campo Boario, 64100 Teramo, Italy; (M.C.C.); (D.A.); (A.C.); (F.C.); (A.C.); (G.D.T.); (M.E.D.A.); (A.P.)
| | | | - Davide Auzino
- Freelance Veterinary Practitioner, 65019 Pescara, Italy; (D.D.B.); (D.A.)
| | - Antonio Petrini
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e Molise “G. Caporale”, Campo Boario, 64100 Teramo, Italy; (M.C.C.); (D.A.); (A.C.); (F.C.); (A.C.); (G.D.T.); (M.E.D.A.); (A.P.)
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Megat Mazhar Khair MH, Tee AN, Wahab NF, Othman SS, Goh YM, Masarudin MJ, Chong CM, In LLA, Gan HM, Song AAL. Comprehensive Characterization of a Streptococcus agalactiae Phage Isolated from a Tilapia Farm in Selangor, Malaysia, and Its Potential for Phage Therapy. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2023; 16:ph16050698. [PMID: 37242481 DOI: 10.3390/ph16050698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Revised: 04/19/2023] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The Streptococcus agalactiae outbreak in tilapia has caused huge losses in the aquaculture industry worldwide. In Malaysia, several studies have reported the isolation of S. agalactiae, but no study has reported the isolation of S. agalactiae phages from tilapia or from the culture pond. Here, the isolation of the S. agalactiae phage from infected tilapia is reported and it is named as vB_Sags-UPM1. Transmission electron micrograph (TEM) revealed that this phage showed characteristics of a Siphoviridae and it was able to kill two local S. agalactiae isolates, which were S. agalactiae smyh01 and smyh02. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) of the phage DNA showed that it contained 42,999 base pairs with 36.80% GC content. Bioinformatics analysis predicted that this phage shared an identity with the S. agalactiae S73 chromosome as well as several other strains of S. agalactiae, presumably due to prophages carried by these hosts, and it encodes integrase, which suggests that it was a temperate phage. The endolysin of vB_Sags-UPM1 termed Lys60 showed killing activity on both S. agalactiae strains with varying efficacy. The discovery of the S. agalactiae temperate phage and its antimicrobial genes could open a new window for the development of antimicrobials to treat S. agalactiae infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megat Hamzah Megat Mazhar Khair
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - An Nie Tee
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Nurul Fazlin Wahab
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Siti Sarah Othman
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
- Institute of Bioscience, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Yong Meng Goh
- Department of Veterinary Preclinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Mas Jaffri Masarudin
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
- Nanomaterials Synthesis and Characterisation Laboratory, Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Chou Min Chong
- Department of Aquaculture, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Lionel Lian Aun In
- Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Applied Sciences, UCSI University, Kuala Lumpur 56000, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Han Ming Gan
- Patriot Biotech, Sunway Geo Avenue, Bandar Sunway, Subang Jaya 47500, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Adelene Ai-Lian Song
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
- Institute of Bioscience, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
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7
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Mehmood Khan F, Manohar P, Singh Gondil V, Mehra N, Kayode Oyejobi G, Odiwuor N, Ahmad T, Huang G. The applications of animal models in phage therapy: An update. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2023; 19:2175519. [PMID: 36935353 PMCID: PMC10072079 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2023.2175519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The rapid increase in antibiotic resistance presents a dire situation necessitating the need for alternative therapeutic agents. Among the current alternative therapies, phage therapy (PT) is promising. This review extensively summarizes preclinical PT approaches in various in-vivo models. PT has been evaluated in several recent clinical trials. However, there are still several unanswered concerns due to a lack of appropriate regulation and pharmacokinetic data regarding the application of phages in human therapeutic procedures. In this review, we also presented the current state of PT and considered how animal models can be used to adapt these therapies for humans. The development of realistic solutions to circumvent these constraints is critical for advancing this technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fazal Mehmood Khan
- College of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China.,Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China.,Institute for Innovative Development of Food Industry, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China.,Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Prasanth Manohar
- School of Biosciences and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, India
| | - Vijay Singh Gondil
- Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, China.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Nancy Mehra
- Department of Pediatrics, Advanced Pediatrics Centre, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
| | - Greater Kayode Oyejobi
- Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, China.,Department of Microbiology, Osun State University, Osogbo, Nigeria.,School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Nelson Odiwuor
- Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, China.,International College, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Microbiology, Sino-Africa Joint Research Centre, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Tauseef Ahmad
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Guangtao Huang
- Department of Burn and Plastic Surgery, Shenzhen Institute of Translational Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China.,Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China.,Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
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8
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Davies MR, Keller N, Brouwer S, Jespersen MG, Cork AJ, Hayes AJ, Pitt ME, De Oliveira DMP, Harbison-Price N, Bertolla OM, Mediati DG, Curren BF, Taiaroa G, Lacey JA, Smith HV, Fang NX, Coin LJM, Stevens K, Tong SYC, Sanderson-Smith M, Tree JJ, Irwin AD, Grimwood K, Howden BP, Jennison AV, Walker MJ. Detection of Streptococcus pyogenes M1 UK in Australia and characterization of the mutation driving enhanced expression of superantigen SpeA. Nat Commun 2023; 14:1051. [PMID: 36828918 PMCID: PMC9951164 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36717-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/26/2023] Open
Abstract
A new variant of Streptococcus pyogenes serotype M1 (designated 'M1UK') has been reported in the United Kingdom, linked with seasonal scarlet fever surges, marked increase in invasive infections, and exhibiting enhanced expression of the superantigen SpeA. The progenitor S. pyogenes 'M1global' and M1UK clones can be differentiated by 27 SNPs and 4 indels, yet the mechanism for speA upregulation is unknown. Here we investigate the previously unappreciated expansion of M1UK in Australia, now isolated from the majority of serious infections caused by serotype M1 S. pyogenes. M1UK sub-lineages circulating in Australia also contain a novel toxin repertoire associated with epidemic scarlet fever causing S. pyogenes in Asia. A single SNP in the 5' transcriptional leader sequence of the transfer-messenger RNA gene ssrA drives enhanced SpeA superantigen expression as a result of ssrA terminator read-through in the M1UK lineage. This represents a previously unappreciated mechanism of toxin expression and urges enhanced international surveillance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark R Davies
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne at The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
| | - Nadia Keller
- Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre and School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences and Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Stephan Brouwer
- Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre and School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences and Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Magnus G Jespersen
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne at The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Amanda J Cork
- Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre and School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences and Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Andrew J Hayes
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne at The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Miranda E Pitt
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne at The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - David M P De Oliveira
- Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre and School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences and Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Nichaela Harbison-Price
- Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre and School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences and Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Olivia M Bertolla
- Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre and School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences and Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Daniel G Mediati
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Bodie F Curren
- Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre and School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences and Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - George Taiaroa
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne at The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Jake A Lacey
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The University of Melbourne at The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Helen V Smith
- Public Health Microbiology, Queensland Health Forensic and Scientific Services, Queensland Health, Coopers Plains, QLD, Australia
| | - Ning-Xia Fang
- Public Health Microbiology, Queensland Health Forensic and Scientific Services, Queensland Health, Coopers Plains, QLD, Australia
| | - Lachlan J M Coin
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne at The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Kerrie Stevens
- Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory, The Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne at The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Steven Y C Tong
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The University of Melbourne at The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Victorian Infectious Diseases Service, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Martina Sanderson-Smith
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute and Molecular Horizons, School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Jai J Tree
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Adam D Irwin
- University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.,Queensland Children's Hospital, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Keith Grimwood
- School of Medicine and Dentistry and Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia.,Departments of Infectious Diseases and Paediatrics, Gold Coast Health, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia
| | - Benjamin P Howden
- Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory, The Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne at The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Amy V Jennison
- Public Health Microbiology, Queensland Health Forensic and Scientific Services, Queensland Health, Coopers Plains, QLD, Australia
| | - Mark J Walker
- Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre and School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences and Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
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9
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Beheshti R, Halstead ES, Cusack B, Hicks SD. Multi-Omic Factors Associated with Frequency of Upper Respiratory Infections in Developing Infants. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24020934. [PMID: 36674462 PMCID: PMC9860840 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24020934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2022] [Revised: 12/29/2022] [Accepted: 12/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Susceptibility to upper respiratory infections (URIs) may be influenced by host, microbial, and environmental factors. We hypothesized that multi-omic analyses of molecular factors in infant saliva would identify complex host-environment interactions associated with URI frequency. A cohort study involving 146 infants was used to assess URI frequency in the first year of life. Saliva was collected at 6 months for high-throughput multi-omic measurement of cytokines, microRNAs, transcripts, and microbial RNA. Regression analysis identified environmental (daycare attendance, atmospheric pollution, breastfeeding duration), microbial (Verrucomicrobia, Streptococcus phage), and host factors (miR-22-5p) associated with URI frequency (p < 0.05). These results provide pathophysiologic clues about molecular factors that influence URI susceptibility. Validation of these findings in a larger cohort could one day yield novel approaches to detecting and managing URI susceptibility in infants.
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10
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Tong Z, Zhou X, Chu Y, Zhang T, Zhang J, Zhao X, Wang Z, Ding R, Meng Q, Yu J, Wang J, Kang Y. Implications of oral streptococcal bacteriophages in autism spectrum disorder. NPJ Biofilms Microbiomes 2022; 8:91. [DOI: 10.1038/s41522-022-00355-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractGrowing evidence suggests altered oral and gut microbiota in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but little is known about the alterations and roles of phages, especially within the oral microbiota in ASD subjects. We enrolled ASD (n = 26) and neurotypical subjects (n = 26) with their oral hygiene controlled, and the metagenomes of both oral and fecal samples (n = 104) are shotgun-sequenced and compared. We observe extensive and diverse oral phageome comparable to that of the gut, and clear signals of mouth-to-gut phage strain transfer within individuals. However, the overall phageomes of the two sites are widely different and show even less similarity in the oral communities between ASD and control subjects. The ASD oral phageome exhibits significantly reduced abundance and alpha diversity, but the Streptococcal phages there are atypically enriched, often dominating the community. The over-representation of Streptococcal phages is accompanied by enriched oral Streptococcal virulence factors and Streptococcus bacteria, all exhibiting a positive correlation with the severity of ASD clinical manifestations. These changes are not observed in the parallel sampling of the gut flora, suggesting a previously unknown oral-specific association between the excessive Streptococcal phage enrichment and ASD pathogenesis. The findings provide new evidence for the independent microbiome-mouth-brain connection, deepen our understanding of how the growth dynamics of bacteriophages and oral microbiota contribute to ASD, and point to novel effective therapeutics.
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11
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Gauthier CH, Abad L, Venbakkam AK, Malnak J, Russell D, Hatfull G. OUP accepted manuscript. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 50:e75. [PMID: 35451479 PMCID: PMC9303363 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Revised: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Advances in genome sequencing have produced hundreds of thousands of bacterial genome sequences, many of which have integrated prophages derived from temperate bacteriophages. These prophages play key roles by influencing bacterial metabolism, pathogenicity, antibiotic resistance, and defense against viral attack. However, they vary considerably even among related bacterial strains, and they are challenging to identify computationally and to extract precisely for comparative genomic analyses. Here, we describe DEPhT, a multimodal tool for prophage discovery and extraction. It has three run modes that facilitate rapid screening of large numbers of bacterial genomes, precise extraction of prophage sequences, and prophage annotation. DEPhT uses genomic architectural features that discriminate between phage and bacterial sequences for efficient prophage discovery, and targeted homology searches for precise prophage extraction. DEPhT is designed for prophage discovery in Mycobacterium genomes but can be adapted broadly to other bacteria. We deploy DEPhT to demonstrate that prophages are prevalent in Mycobacterium strains but are absent not only from the few well-characterized Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains, but also are absent from all ∼30 000 sequenced M. tuberculosis strains.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Ananya K Venbakkam
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Julia Malnak
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Daniel A Russell
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Graham F Hatfull
- To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel: +1 412 624 6975;
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12
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Prophage integration into CRISPR loci enables evasion of antiviral immunity in Streptococcus pyogenes. Nat Microbiol 2021; 6:1516-1525. [PMID: 34819640 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-021-00996-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2021] [Accepted: 10/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
CRISPR loci are composed of short DNA repeats separated by sequences, known as spacers, that match the genomes of invaders such as phages and plasmids. Spacers are transcribed and processed to generate RNA guides used by CRISPR-associated nucleases to recognize and destroy the complementary nucleic acids of invaders. To counteract this defence, phages can produce small proteins that inhibit these nucleases, termed anti-CRISPRs (Acrs). Here we demonstrate that the ΦAP1.1 temperate phage utilizes an alternative approach to antagonize the type II-A CRISPR response in Streptococcus pyogenes. Immediately after infection, this phage expresses a small anti-CRISPR protein, AcrIIA23, that prevents Cas9 function, allowing ΦAP1.1 to integrate into the direct repeats of the CRISPR locus, neutralizing immunity. However, acrIIA23 is not transcribed during lysogeny and phage integration/excision cycles can result in the deletion and/or transduction of spacers, enabling a complex modulation of the type II-A CRISPR immune response. A bioinformatic search identified prophages integrated not only in the CRISPR repeats, but also the cas genes, of diverse bacterial species, suggesting that prophage disruption of the CRISPR-cas locus is a recurrent mechanism to counteract immunity.
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13
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Berbel D, Càmara J, González-Díaz A, Cubero M, López de Egea G, Martí S, Tubau F, Domínguez MA, Ardanuy C. Deciphering mobile genetic elements disseminating macrolide resistance in Streptococcus pyogenes over a 21 year period in Barcelona, Spain. J Antimicrob Chemother 2021; 76:1991-2003. [PMID: 34015100 DOI: 10.1093/jac/dkab130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To phenotypically and genetically characterize the antibiotic resistance determinants and associated mobile genetic elements (MGEs) among macrolide-resistant (MR) Streptococcus pyogenes [Group A streptococci (GAS)] clinical isolates collected in Barcelona, Spain. METHODS Antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed by microdilution. Isolates were emm and MLST typed and 55 were whole-genome sequenced to determine the nature of the macrolide resistance (MR) determinants and their larger MGE and chromosomal context. RESULTS Between 1998 and 2018, 142 of 1028 GAS (13.8%) were MR. Among 108 isolates available for molecular characterization, 41.7% had cMLSB, 30.5% iMLSB and 27.8% M phenotype. Eight erm(B)-containing strains were notable in having an MDR phenotype conferred by an MGE encoding several antibiotic resistance genes. MR isolates were comprised of several distinct genetic lineages as defined by the combination of emm and ST. Although most lineages were only transiently present, the emm11/ST403 clone persisted throughout the period. Two lineages, emm9/ST75 with erm(B) and emm77/ST63 with erm(TR), emerged in 2016-18. The erm(B) was predominantly encoded on the Tn916 family of transposons (21/31) with different genetic contexts, and in other MGEs (Tn6263, ICESpHKU372 and one harbouring an MDR cluster called ICESp1070HUB). The erm(TR) was found in ICESp2905 (8/17), ICESp1108-like (4/17), ICESpHKU165 (3/17) and two structures described in this study (IMESp316HUB and ICESp3729HUB). The M phenotype [mef(A)-msr(D)] was linked to phage φ1207.3. Eight integrative conjugative element/integrative mobilizable element (ICE/IME) cluster groups were classified on the basis of gene content within conjugation modules. These groups were found among MGEs, which corresponded with the MR-containing element or the site of integration. CONCLUSIONS We detected several different MGEs harbouring erm(B) or erm(TR). This is the first known description of Tn6263 in GAS and three MGEs [IMESp316HUB, ICESp3729HUB and ICESp1070HUB] associated with MR. Periods of high MR rates in our area were mainly associated with the expansion of certain predominant lineages, while in low MR periods different sporadic and low prevalence lineages were more frequent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dàmaris Berbel
- Microbiology Department, Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, IDIBELL, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.,CIBER de Enfermedades Respiratorias, ISCIII, Madrid, Spain
| | - Jordi Càmara
- Microbiology Department, Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, IDIBELL, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.,CIBER de Enfermedades Respiratorias, ISCIII, Madrid, Spain
| | - Aida González-Díaz
- Microbiology Department, Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, IDIBELL, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.,CIBER de Enfermedades Respiratorias, ISCIII, Madrid, Spain
| | - Meritxell Cubero
- Microbiology Department, Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, IDIBELL, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.,CIBER de Enfermedades Respiratorias, ISCIII, Madrid, Spain
| | - Guillem López de Egea
- Microbiology Department, Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, IDIBELL, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sara Martí
- Microbiology Department, Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, IDIBELL, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.,CIBER de Enfermedades Respiratorias, ISCIII, Madrid, Spain
| | - Fe Tubau
- Microbiology Department, Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, IDIBELL, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.,CIBER de Enfermedades Respiratorias, ISCIII, Madrid, Spain
| | - M Angeles Domínguez
- Microbiology Department, Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, IDIBELL, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.,Departament of Pathology and Experimental Therapeutics, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Carmen Ardanuy
- Microbiology Department, Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, IDIBELL, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.,CIBER de Enfermedades Respiratorias, ISCIII, Madrid, Spain.,Departament of Pathology and Experimental Therapeutics, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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14
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Łobocka M, Dąbrowska K, Górski A. Engineered Bacteriophage Therapeutics: Rationale, Challenges and Future. BioDrugs 2021; 35:255-280. [PMID: 33881767 PMCID: PMC8084836 DOI: 10.1007/s40259-021-00480-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The current problems with increasing bacterial resistance to antibacterial therapies, resulting in a growing frequency of incurable bacterial infections, necessitates the acceleration of studies on antibacterials of a new generation that could offer an alternative to antibiotics or support their action. Bacteriophages (phages) can kill antibiotic-sensitive as well as antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and thus are a major subject of such studies. Their efficacy in curing bacterial infections has been demonstrated in in vivo experiments and in the clinic. Unlike antibiotics, phages have a narrow range of specificity, which makes them safe for commensal microbiota. However, targeting even only the most clinically relevant strains of pathogenic bacteria requires large collections of well characterized phages, whose specificity would cover all such strains. The environment is a rich source of diverse phages, but due to their complex relationships with bacteria and safety concerns, only some naturally occurring phages can be considered for therapeutic applications. Still, their number and diversity make a detailed characterization of all potentially promising phages virtually impossible. Moreover, no single phage combines all the features required of an ideal therapeutic agent. Additionally, the rapid acquisition of phage resistance by bacteria may make phages already approved for therapy ineffective and turn the search for environmental phages of better efficacy and new specificity into an endless race. An alternative strategy for acquiring phages with desired properties in a short time with minimal cost regarding their acquisition, characterization, and approval for therapy could be based on targeted genome modifications of phage isolates with known properties. The first example demonstrating the potential of this strategy in curing bacterial diseases resistant to traditional therapy is the recent successful treatment of a progressing disseminated Mycobacterium abscessus infection in a teenage patient with the use of an engineered phage. In this review, we briefly present current methods of phage genetic engineering, highlighting their advantages and disadvantages, and provide examples of genetically engineered phages with a modified host range, improved safety or antibacterial activity, and proven therapeutic efficacy. We also summarize novel uses of engineered phages not only for killing pathogenic bacteria, but also for in situ modification of human microbiota to attenuate symptoms of certain bacterial diseases and metabolic, immune, or mental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Małgorzata Łobocka
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Krystyna Dąbrowska
- Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Wrocław, Poland
| | - Andrzej Górski
- Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Wrocław, Poland
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15
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Survival Strategies of Streptococcus pyogenes in Response to Phage Infection. Viruses 2021; 13:v13040612. [PMID: 33918348 PMCID: PMC8066415 DOI: 10.3390/v13040612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Revised: 03/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacteriophages exert strong evolutionary pressure on their microbial hosts. In their lytic lifecycle, complete bacterial subpopulations are utilized as hosts for bacteriophage replication. However, during their lysogenic lifecycle, bacteriophages can integrate into the host chromosome and alter the host’s genomic make-up, possibly resulting in evolutionary important adjustments. Not surprisingly, bacteria have evolved sophisticated immune systems to protect against phage infection. Streptococcus pyogenes isolates are frequently lysogenic and their prophages have been shown to be major contributors to the virulence of this pathogen. Most S. pyogenes phage research has focused on genomic prophages in relation to virulence, but little is known about the defensive arsenal of S. pyogenes against lytic phage infection. Here, we characterized Phage A1, an S. pyogenes bacteriophage, and investigated several mechanisms that S. pyogenes utilizes to protect itself against phage predation. We show that Phage A1 belongs to the Siphoviridae family and contains a circular double-stranded DNA genome that follows a modular organization described for other streptococcal phages. After infection, the Phage A1 genome can be detected in isolated S. pyogenes survivor strains, which enables the survival of the bacterial host and Phage A1 resistance. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the type II-A CRISPR-Cas system of S. pyogenes acquires new spacers upon phage infection, which are increasingly detectable in the absence of a capsule. Lastly, we show that S. pyogenes produces membrane vesicles that bind to phages, thereby limiting the pool of phages available for infection. Altogether, this work provides novel insight into survival strategies employed by S. pyogenes to combat phage predation.
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16
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Remmington A, Haywood S, Edgar J, Green LR, de Silva T, Turner CE. Cryptic prophages within a Streptococcus pyogenes genotype emm4 lineage. Microb Genom 2021; 7:mgen000482. [PMID: 33245690 PMCID: PMC8115907 DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.000482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2020] [Accepted: 11/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The major human pathogen Streptococcus pyogenes shares an intimate evolutionary history with mobile genetic elements, which in many cases carry genes encoding bacterial virulence factors. During recent whole-genome sequencing of a longitudinal sample of S. pyogenes isolates in England, we identified a lineage within emm4 that clustered with the reference genome MEW427. Like MEW427, this lineage was characterized by substantial gene loss within all three prophage regions, compared to MGAS10750 and isolates outside of the MEW427-like lineage. Gene loss primarily affected lysogeny, replicative and regulatory modules, and to a lesser and more variable extent, structural genes. Importantly, prophage-encoded superantigen and DNase genes were retained in all isolates. In isolates where the prophage elements were complete, like MGAS10750, they could be induced experimentally, but not in MEW427-like isolates with degraded prophages. We also found gene loss within the chromosomal island SpyCIM4 of MEW427-like isolates, although surprisingly, the SpyCIM4 element could not be experimentally induced in either MGAS10750-like or MEW427-like isolates. This did not, however, appear to abolish expression of the mismatch repair operon, within which this element resides. The inclusion of further emm4 genomes in our analyses ratified our observations and revealed an international emm4 lineage characterized by prophage degradation. Intriguingly, the USA population of emm4 S. pyogenes appeared to constitute predominantly MEW427-like isolates, whereas the UK population comprised both MEW427-like and MGAS10750-like isolates. The degraded and cryptic nature of these elements may have important phenotypic and fitness ramifications for emm4 S. pyogenes, and the geographical distribution of this lineage raises interesting questions on the population dynamics of the genotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Remmington
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Florey Institute, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Samuel Haywood
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Florey Institute, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Julia Edgar
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Florey Institute, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Luke R. Green
- Department of Infection, Immunity and Cardiovascular Disease, Florey Institute, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Thushan de Silva
- Department of Infection, Immunity and Cardiovascular Disease, Florey Institute, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Claire E. Turner
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Florey Institute, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
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17
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Changes in emm types and superantigen gene content of Streptococcus pyogenes causing invasive infections in Portugal. Sci Rep 2019; 9:18051. [PMID: 31792274 PMCID: PMC6888849 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-54409-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2019] [Accepted: 11/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Fluctuations in the clonal composition of Group A Streptococcus (GAS) have been associated with the emergence of successful lineages and with upsurges of invasive infections (iGAS). This study aimed at identifying changes in the clones causing iGAS in Portugal. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing, emm typing and superantigen (SAg) gene profiling were performed for 381 iGAS isolates from 2010-2015. Macrolide resistance decreased to 4%, accompanied by the disappearance of the M phenotype and an increase of the iMLSB phenotype. The dominant emm types were: emm1 (28%), emm89 (11%), emm3 (9%), emm12 (8%), and emm6 (7%). There were no significant changes in the prevalence of individual emm types, emm clusters, or SAg profiles when comparing to 2006-2009, although an overall increasing trend was recorded during 2000-2015 for emm1, emm75, and emm87. Short-term increases in the prevalence of emm3, emm6, and emm75 may have been driven by concomitant SAg profile changes observed within these emm types, or reflect the emergence of novel genomic variants of the same emm types carrying different SAgs.
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