1
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Kolenda C, Jourdan J, Roussel-Gaillard T, Medina M, Laurent F. Phage susceptibility testing methods or 'phagograms': where do we stand and where should we go? J Antimicrob Chemother 2024:dkae325. [PMID: 39271114 DOI: 10.1093/jac/dkae325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Phage therapy is a highly promising approach to address the challenge that is presented by the global burden of antimicrobial resistance. Given the natural specificity of phages, phage susceptibility testing (PST) is a prerequisite for successful personalized therapy, allowing the selection of active phages from large and diverse collections. However, the issue of an easy-to-use and standardized technique remains. In this review, we describe the principles, advantages and drawbacks of two routinely used PST techniques: plaque and growth kinetic assays. These are labour-intensive and time-consuming methods that require automation of one or more steps, including preparation of test panels, incubation, reading and analysis of results. In addition to automation, there is an urgent need to establish a reference method to enable efficient of PST techniques selection of therapeutic phages. We discuss knowledge gaps and parameters that need to be investigated to work towards this goal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camille Kolenda
- Service de bactériologie, Institut des Agents Infectieux, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Lyon, France
- Team StaPath, CIRI-Centre International de Recherche en Infectiologie, Université de Lyon, Inserm, U1111, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR5308, ENS de Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Julie Jourdan
- Service de bactériologie, Institut des Agents Infectieux, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Lyon, France
| | | | - Mathieu Medina
- Service de bactériologie, Institut des Agents Infectieux, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Lyon, France
- Team StaPath, CIRI-Centre International de Recherche en Infectiologie, Université de Lyon, Inserm, U1111, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR5308, ENS de Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Frédéric Laurent
- Service de bactériologie, Institut des Agents Infectieux, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Lyon, France
- Team StaPath, CIRI-Centre International de Recherche en Infectiologie, Université de Lyon, Inserm, U1111, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR5308, ENS de Lyon, Lyon, France
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2
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Parmar K, Fackler JR, Rivas Z, Mandrekar J, Greenwood-Quaintance KE, Patel R. A comparison of phage susceptibility testing with two liquid high-throughput methods. Front Microbiol 2024; 15:1386245. [PMID: 39171268 PMCID: PMC11335653 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1386245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2024] [Accepted: 07/09/2024] [Indexed: 08/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Phage therapy is a promising antibacterial strategy, especially given that drug-resistant bacterial infections are escalating worldwide. Because phages are not active against all strains of a given species, phages being considered for therapeutic use would ideally be tested against bacterial isolates from individual patients prior to administration. Standardized, clinically validated phage susceptibility testing (PST) methods are needed for assessing in vitro phage activity. This study compared two high-throughput liquid-based PST assays. The first, using the Biolog Omnilog™, assessed changes in microbial respiration leading to color changes based on a tetrazolium dye. The second, Agilent BioTek Cytation 7, assessed changes in optical density. Both used 96-well microtiter plate formats. A total of 55 diverse phages with activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii, or Enterococcus faecalis were studied against their respective susceptible bacterial hosts and non-susceptible controls, with susceptibility defined based on plaque assay. PST was performed by both assays in replicates, with results compared in terms of hold times (time through which bacterial growth is inhibited by phage compared to controls). Coefficients of variance and interclass correlation coefficients were used to assess inter- and intra-assay reproducibility. Based on a ≤50% coefficient of variance cutpoint, 87% of Biolog and 84% of Agilent assays were considered valid for susceptible bacteria, with 100% considered valid for non-susceptible bacteria by both systems. Using a 8 h hold time cutpoint, 100% of the results matched between the two assays. The interclass correlation coefficient showed 26% excellent agreement, 35% good agreement, and 17% moderate agreement between the two assays for susceptible isolates and 100% excellent agreement for non-susceptible isolates. Overall, the assays compared provided good/fair statistical reproducibility for the assessment of phage susceptibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krupa Parmar
- Division of Clinical Microbiology, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States
| | - Joseph R. Fackler
- Adaptive Phage Therapeutics, Inc. (APT), Gaithersburg, MD, United States
| | - Zuriel Rivas
- Adaptive Phage Therapeutics, Inc. (APT), Gaithersburg, MD, United States
| | - Jay Mandrekar
- Division of Biomedical Statistics and Informatics, Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States
| | - Kerryl E. Greenwood-Quaintance
- Division of Clinical Microbiology, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States
| | - Robin Patel
- Division of Clinical Microbiology, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States
- Division of Public Health, Infectious Diseases, and Occupational Medicine, Department of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States
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3
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Fernández‐García L, Kirigo J, Huelgas‐Méndez D, Benedik MJ, Tomás M, García‐Contreras R, Wood TK. Phages produce persisters. Microb Biotechnol 2024; 17:e14543. [PMID: 39096350 PMCID: PMC11297538 DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.14543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2024] [Accepted: 07/22/2024] [Indexed: 08/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Arguably, the greatest threat to bacteria is phages. It is often assumed that those bacteria that escape phage infection have mutated or utilized phage-defence systems; however, another possibility is that a subpopulation forms the dormant persister state in a manner similar to that demonstrated for bacterial cells undergoing nutritive, oxidative, and antibiotic stress. Persister cells do not undergo mutation and survive lethal conditions by ceasing growth transiently. Slower growth and dormancy play a key physiological role as they allow host phage defence systems more time to clear the phage infection. Here, we investigated how bacteria survive lytic phage infection by isolating surviving cells from the plaques of T2, T4, and lambda (cI mutant) virulent phages and sequencing their genomes. We found that bacteria in plaques can escape phage attack both by mutation (i.e. become resistant) and without mutation (i.e. become persistent). Specifically, whereas T4-resistant and lambda-resistant bacteria with over a 100,000-fold less sensitivity were isolated from plaques with obvious genetic mutations (e.g. causing mucoidy), cells were also found after T2 infection that undergo no significant mutation, retain wild-type phage sensitivity, and survive lethal doses of antibiotics. Corroborating this, adding T2 phage to persister cells resulted in 137,000-fold more survival compared to that of addition to exponentially growing cells. Furthermore, our results seem general in that phage treatments with Klebsiella pneumonia and Pseudomonas aeruginosa also generated persister cells. Hence, along with resistant strains, bacteria also form persister cells during phage infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Fernández‐García
- Department of Chemical EngineeringPennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkPennsylvaniaUSA
- Microbiology Translational and Multidisciplinary (MicroTM)‐Research Institute Biomedical A Coruña (INIBIC) and Microbiology Department of Hospital A Coruña (CHUAC)University of A Coruña (UDC)A CoruñaSpain
| | - Joy Kirigo
- Department of Chemical EngineeringPennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Daniel Huelgas‐Méndez
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of MedicineNational Autonomous University of MexicoMexico CityMexico
| | | | - María Tomás
- Microbiology Translational and Multidisciplinary (MicroTM)‐Research Institute Biomedical A Coruña (INIBIC) and Microbiology Department of Hospital A Coruña (CHUAC)University of A Coruña (UDC)A CoruñaSpain
| | - Rodolfo García‐Contreras
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of MedicineNational Autonomous University of MexicoMexico CityMexico
| | - Thomas K. Wood
- Department of Chemical EngineeringPennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkPennsylvaniaUSA
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4
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Villa N, Tartari E, Glicenstein S, de Villiers de la Noue H, Picard E, Marcoux PR, Zelsmann M, Resch G, Hadji E, Houdré R. Optical Trapping and Fast Discrimination of Label-Free Bacteriophages at the Single Virion Level. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2024; 20:e2308814. [PMID: 38282203 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202308814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2023] [Revised: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/30/2024]
Abstract
There is a recent resurgence of interest in phage therapy (the therapeutic use of bacterial viruses) as an approach to eliminating difficult-to-treat infections. However, existing approaches for therapeutic phage selection and virulence testing are time-consuming, host-dependent, and facing reproducibility issues. Here, this study presents an innovative approach wherein integrated resonant photonic crystal (PhC) cavities in silicon are used as optical nanotweezers for probing and manipulating single bacteria and single virions with low optical power. This study demonstrates that these nanocavities differentiate between a bacterium and a phage without labeling or specific surface bioreceptors. Furthermore, by tailoring the spatial extent of the resonant optical mode in the low-index medium, phage distinction across phenotypically distinct phage families is demonstrated. The work paves the road to the implementation of optical nanotweezers in phage therapy protocols.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Villa
- Institut de Physique, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, CH-1015, Switzerland
| | - Enrico Tartari
- Institut de Physique, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, CH-1015, Switzerland
| | - Simon Glicenstein
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CEA, Grenoble INP, IRIG, PHELIQS, Grenoble, 38000, France
| | - Hugues de Villiers de la Noue
- Laboratory of Bacteriophages and Phage Therapy, Center for Research and Innovation in Clinical Pharmaceutical Sciences (CRISP), Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), Lausanne, 1011, Switzerland
| | - Emmanuel Picard
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CEA, Grenoble INP, IRIG, PHELIQS, Grenoble, 38000, France
| | - Pierre R Marcoux
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CEA, LETI, DTIS, L4IV, Grenoble, 38000, France
| | - Marc Zelsmann
- Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, CEA/LETI Minatec, LTM, Grenoble, 38000, France
| | - Grégory Resch
- Laboratory of Bacteriophages and Phage Therapy, Center for Research and Innovation in Clinical Pharmaceutical Sciences (CRISP), Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), Lausanne, 1011, Switzerland
| | - Emmanuel Hadji
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CEA, Grenoble INP, IRIG, PHELIQS, Grenoble, 38000, France
| | - Romuald Houdré
- Institut de Physique, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, CH-1015, Switzerland
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5
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Sanchez-Torres V, Kirigo J, Wood TK. Implications of lytic phage infections inducing persistence. Curr Opin Microbiol 2024; 79:102482. [PMID: 38714140 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2024.102482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2023] [Revised: 04/03/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/09/2024]
Abstract
Phage therapy holds much promise as an alternative to antibiotics for fighting infection. However, this approach is no panacea as recent results show that a small fraction of cells survives lytic phage infection due to both dormancy (i.e. formation of persister cells) and resistance (genetic change). In this brief review, we summarize evidence suggesting phages induce the persister state. Therefore, it is predicted that phage cocktails should be combined with antipersister compounds to eradicate bacterial infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viviana Sanchez-Torres
- Escuela de Ingeniería Química, Universidad Industrial de Santander, Bucaramanga, Colombia
| | - Joy Kirigo
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Thomas K Wood
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
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6
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Dufour N, Delattre R, Debarbieux L. High-Throughput Bacteriophage Testing with Potency Determination: Validation of an Automated Pipetting and Phage Drop-Off Method. Biomedicines 2024; 12:466. [PMID: 38398068 PMCID: PMC10886619 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines12020466] [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: 01/25/2024] [Revised: 02/15/2024] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
The development of bacteriophages (phages) as active pharmaceutical ingredients for the treatment of patients is on its way and regulatory agencies are calling for reliable methods to assess phage potency. As the number of phage banks is increasing, so is the number of phages that need to be tested to identify therapeutic candidates. Currently, assessment of phage potency on a semi-solid medium to observe plaque-forming units is unavoidable and proves to be labor intensive when considering dozens of phage candidates. Here, we present a method based on automated pipetting and phage drop-off performed by a liquid-handling robot, allowing high-throughput testing and phage potency determination (based on phage titer and efficiency of plaquing). Ten phages were tested, individually and assembled into one cocktail, against 126 Escherichia coli strains. This automated method was compared to the reference one (manual assay) and validated in terms of reproducibility and concordance (ratio of results according to the Bland and Altman method: 0.99; Lin's concordance correlation coefficient: 0.86). We found that coefficients of variation were lower with automated pipetting (mean CV: 13.3% vs. 24.5%). Beyond speeding up the process of phage screening, this method could be used to standardize phage potency evaluation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Dufour
- Réanimation Médico-Chirurgicale, Hôpital NOVO—Site de Pontoise, 95300 Pontoise, France
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR6047, Bacteriophage Bacterium Host, 75015 Paris, France (L.D.)
- IAME, Université de Paris, INSERM U1137, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, 75018 Paris, France
| | - Raphaëlle Delattre
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR6047, Bacteriophage Bacterium Host, 75015 Paris, France (L.D.)
- IAME, Université de Paris, INSERM U1137, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, 75018 Paris, France
- Réanimation, Centre Hospitalier de Digne-les-Bains, 04000 Digne-les-Bains, France
| | - Laurent Debarbieux
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR6047, Bacteriophage Bacterium Host, 75015 Paris, France (L.D.)
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7
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Yerushalmy O, Braunstein R, Alkalay-Oren S, Rimon A, Coppenhagn-Glazer S, Onallah H, Nir-Paz R, Hazan R. Towards Standardization of Phage Susceptibility Testing: The Israeli Phage Therapy Center "Clinical Phage Microbiology"-A Pipeline Proposal. Clin Infect Dis 2023; 77:S337-S351. [PMID: 37932122 DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciad514] [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] [Indexed: 11/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Using phages as salvage therapy for nonhealing infections is gaining recognition as a viable solution for patients with such infections. The escalating issue of antibiotic resistance further emphasizes the significance of using phages in treating bacterial infections, encompassing compassionate-use scenarios and clinical trials. Given the high specificity of phages, selecting the suitable phage(s) targeting the causative bacteria becomes critical for achieving treatment success. However, in contrast to conventional antibiotics, where susceptibility-testing procedures were well established for phage therapy, there is a lack of standard frameworks for matching phages from a panel to target bacterial strains and assessing their interactions with antibiotics or other agents. This review discusses and compares published methods for clinical phage microbiology, also known as phage susceptibility testing, and proposes guidelines for establishing a standard pipeline based on our findings over the past 5 years of phage therapy at the Israeli Phage Therapy Center.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ortal Yerushalmy
- The Israeli Phage Therapy Center (IPTC) of Hadassah Medical Center and the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
- Faculty of Dental Medicine, Institute of Biomedical and Oral Research (IBOR), The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Ron Braunstein
- The Israeli Phage Therapy Center (IPTC) of Hadassah Medical Center and the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
- Faculty of Dental Medicine, Institute of Biomedical and Oral Research (IBOR), The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Sivan Alkalay-Oren
- The Israeli Phage Therapy Center (IPTC) of Hadassah Medical Center and the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
- Faculty of Dental Medicine, Institute of Biomedical and Oral Research (IBOR), The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- The Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Amit Rimon
- The Israeli Phage Therapy Center (IPTC) of Hadassah Medical Center and the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
- Faculty of Dental Medicine, Institute of Biomedical and Oral Research (IBOR), The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Shunit Coppenhagn-Glazer
- The Israeli Phage Therapy Center (IPTC) of Hadassah Medical Center and the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
- Faculty of Dental Medicine, Institute of Biomedical and Oral Research (IBOR), The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Hadil Onallah
- The Israeli Phage Therapy Center (IPTC) of Hadassah Medical Center and the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
- Department of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Ran Nir-Paz
- The Israeli Phage Therapy Center (IPTC) of Hadassah Medical Center and the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
- The Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- Department of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Ronen Hazan
- The Israeli Phage Therapy Center (IPTC) of Hadassah Medical Center and the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
- Faculty of Dental Medicine, Institute of Biomedical and Oral Research (IBOR), The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
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8
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Zhang B, Wang Y, Wang F, Zhang Y, Hao H, Lv X, Hao L, Shi Y. Microencapsulated phage composites with increased gastrointestinal stability for the oral treatment of Salmonella colonization in chicken. Front Vet Sci 2023; 9:1101872. [PMID: 36713855 PMCID: PMC9875011 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2022.1101872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 12/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Salmonella infection, one of the common epidemics in the livestock and poultry breeding industry, causes great economic losses worldwide. At present, antibiotics are the most commonly used treatment for Salmonella infection, but the widespread use of antibiotics has increased drug resistance to Salmonella. Phage therapy has gradually become an alternative method to control Salmonella infection. However, phage, a specific virus that can infect bacteria, has poor stability and is prone to inactivation during treatment. Microencapsulated phage microspheres can effectively solve this problem. Accordingly, in this study, Salmonella phages were microencapsulated, using the xanthan gum/sodium alginate/CaCl2/chitooligosaccharides method, to improve their gastrointestinal stability. Furthermore, microencapsulated phages were evaluated for in vitro temperature and storage stability and in vivo therapeutic effect. Phage microspheres prepared with 1 g/100 mL xanthan gum, 2 g/100 mL sodium alginate, 2 g/100 mL CaCl2, and 0.6 g/100 mL chitooligosaccharides were regular in shape and stable in the temperature range of 10-30°C. Also, microencapsulated phages showed significantly improved stability in the simulated gastric juice environment than the free phages (p < 0.05). In the simulated intestinal fluid, microencapsulated phages were completely released after 4 h. Moreover, microencapsulated phages showed good storage stability at 4°C. In the in vivo experiments detecting Salmonella colonization in the intestinal tract of chicks, microencapsulated phages showed a better therapeutic effect than the free phages. In conclusion, microencapsulated phages exhibited significantly improved stability, gastric acid resistance, and thereby efficacy than the free phages. Microencapsulated phages can be potentially used as biological control agents against bacterial infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Zhang
- College of Life Science and Food Engineering, Hebei University of Engineering, Handan, Hebei, China
| | - Yongxia Wang
- College of Life Science and Food Engineering, Hebei University of Engineering, Handan, Hebei, China
| | - Fangfang Wang
- College of Life Science and Food Engineering, Hebei University of Engineering, Handan, Hebei, China
| | - Yongying Zhang
- College of Life Science and Food Engineering, Hebei University of Engineering, Handan, Hebei, China
| | - He Hao
- College of Life Science and Food Engineering, Hebei University of Engineering, Handan, Hebei, China
| | - Xingbang Lv
- College of Life Science and Food Engineering, Hebei University of Engineering, Handan, Hebei, China
| | - Liuhang Hao
- College of Life Science and Food Engineering, Hebei University of Engineering, Handan, Hebei, China
| | - Yuxiang Shi
- College of Life Science and Food Engineering, Hebei University of Engineering, Handan, Hebei, China,Engineering Research Center for Poultry Diseases of Hebei Province, Handan, Hebei, China,*Correspondence: Yuxiang Shi ✉
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9
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Patpatia S, Schaedig E, Dirks A, Paasonen L, Skurnik M, Kiljunen S. Rapid hydrogel-based phage susceptibility test for pathogenic bacteria. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:1032052. [PMID: 36569196 PMCID: PMC9771388 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.1032052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Phage therapy is one alternative to cure infections caused by antibiotic resistant bacteria. Due to the narrow host range of phages, hundreds to thousands of phages are required to cover the diversity of bacterial pathogens. In personalized phage therapy, fast selection of the phages for individual patients is essential for successful therapy. The aims of this study were to set up a rapid hydrogel-based liquid phage susceptibility assay (PST) for the selection of phages for therapeutic use and to establish a "ready-to-screen" plate concept, where phages are readily stored in hydrogel as small droplets in microtiter plate wells. We first tested four commercially available hydrogels (GrowDex, Askina, Purilon, and Intrasite) for their suitability as phage matrices in PSTs with four phages, two of which infecting Escherichia coli and two Staphylococcus aureus. Of these four hydrogels, GrowDex was the best matrix for PST, as it did not inhibit bacterial growth, released phages quickly when mixed with bacterial culture, and maintained phage viability well. We then optimized the assay for both optical density and microscopy readers using GrowDex as matrix with 23 bacterial strains representing 10 different species and 23 phages possessing different morphologies and genome sizes. When the bacterial growth was monitored by microscopy reader, the PST was executed in just 3 hours, and there was no need for overnight culturing bacterial cells prior to the assay, whereas using optical density reader, bacteria had to be pre-cultured overnight, and the assay time was five hours. Finally, we evaluated the effect of three different chemical stabilizers (trehalose, hyaluronic acid, and gelatin) in a six-month stability assay with six model phages. These phages assay behaved very differently in respect to the chemical stabilizers, and there was not a single stabilizer suitable for all phages. However, when gelatin (0.01%) or hyaluronic acid (0.2 mg/ml) was used as stabilizer, all tested phages were still considered as positives in PST after a six-month storage in 1 ml volume. In "ready-to-screen" plates, the differences in phage stabilities were even more profound, varying from two to six months for the most and least stable phages, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheetal Patpatia
- Human Microbiome Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Eric Schaedig
- Human Microbiome Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Anna Dirks
- Human Microbiome Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | | | - Mikael Skurnik
- Human Microbiome Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland,Division of Clinical Microbiology, HUSLAB, Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Saija Kiljunen
- Human Microbiome Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland,Division of Clinical Microbiology, HUSLAB, Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland,*Correspondence: Saija Kiljunen,
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10
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Daubie V, Chalhoub H, Blasdel B, Dahma H, Merabishvili M, Glonti T, De Vos N, Quintens J, Pirnay JP, Hallin M, Vandenberg O. Determination of phage susceptibility as a clinical diagnostic tool: A routine perspective. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:1000721. [PMID: 36211951 PMCID: PMC9532704 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.1000721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
As the global burden of disease caused by multidrug resistant bacteria is a major source of concern, credible clinical alternatives to antibiotic therapy, such as personalized phage therapy, are actively explored. Although phage therapy has been used for more than a century, the issue of an easy to implement diagnostic tool for determining phage susceptibility that meets current routine clinical needs is still open. In this Review, we summarize the existing methods used for determining phage activity on bacteria, including the three reference methods: the spot test, the double agar overlay plaque assay, and the Appelmans method. The first two methods rely on the principle of challenging the overnight growth of a lawn of bacteria in an agar matrix to a known relative phage to bacteria concentration and represent good screening tools to determine if the tested phage can be used for a “passive” and or “active” treatment. Beside these methods, several techniques, based on “real-time” growth kinetics assays (GKA) have been developed or are under development. They all monitor the growth of clinical isolates in the presence of phages, but use various detection methods, from classical optical density to more sophisticated techniques such as computer-assisted imagery, flow-cytometry, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) or metabolic indicators. Practical considerations as well as information provided about phage activity are reviewed for each technique. Finally, we also discuss the analytical and interpretative requirements for the implementation of a phage susceptibility testing tool in routine clinical microbiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valéry Daubie
- Innovation and Business Development Unit, LHUB-ULB, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
- Department of Microbiology, LHUB-ULB, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Houssein Chalhoub
- Innovation and Business Development Unit, LHUB-ULB, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
- Centre for Environmental Health and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Bob Blasdel
- R&D department, Vesale Bioscience, Noville-sur-Mehaigne, Belgium
| | - Hafid Dahma
- Department of Microbiology, LHUB-ULB, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Maya Merabishvili
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Technology, Queen Astrid Military Hospital, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Tea Glonti
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Technology, Queen Astrid Military Hospital, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Nathalie De Vos
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, LHUB-ULB, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Johan Quintens
- R&D department, Vesale Bioscience, Noville-sur-Mehaigne, Belgium
| | - Jean-Paul Pirnay
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Technology, Queen Astrid Military Hospital, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Marie Hallin
- Centre for Environmental Health and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Olivier Vandenberg
- Innovation and Business Development Unit, LHUB-ULB, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
- Centre for Environmental Health and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- *Correspondence: Olivier Vandenberg,
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Chaïb A, Philippe C, Jaomanjaka F, Barchi Y, Oviedo-Hernandez F, Claisse O, Le Marrec C. Phage-host interactions as a driver of population dynamics during wine fermentation: Betting on underdogs. Int J Food Microbiol 2022; 383:109936. [PMID: 36179497 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2022.109936] [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: 02/16/2022] [Revised: 09/03/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
Winemaking is a complex process in which numerous microorganisms, mainly yeasts and lactic acid bacteria (LAB), play important roles. After alcoholic fermentation (AF), most wines undergo malolactic fermentation (MLF) to improve their organoleptic properties and microbiological stability. Oenococcus oeni is mainly responsible for this crucial process where L-malic acid (MA) in wine converts to softer L-lactic acid. The bacterium is better adapted to the limiting conditions imposed by the wine matrix and performs MLF under regular winemaking conditions, especially in wines with a pH below 3.5. Traditionally, this process has been conducted by the natural microbiota present within the winery. However, the start, duration and qualitative impact of spontaneous MLF are unpredictable, which prompts winemakers to use pure starter cultures of selected bacteria to promote a more reliable, simple, fast and efficient fermentation. Yet, their use does not always ensure a problem-free fermentation. Spontaneous initiation of the process may prove very difficult or does not occur at all. Such difficulties arise from a combination of factors found in some wines upon the completion of AF (high ethanol concentration, low temperature and pH, low nutrient concentrations, presence of free and bound SO2). Alongside these well documented facts, research has also provided evidence that negative interactions between O. oeni and other biological entities such as yeasts may also impact MLF. Another insufficiently described, but highly significant factor inhibiting bacterial growth is connected to the presence of bacteriophages of O. oeni which are frequently associated to musts and wines. The purpose of this review is to summarize the current knowledge about the phage life cycles and possible impacts on the trajectory of the microbiota during winemaking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amel Chaïb
- UMR 1366 OENOLOGIE, Univ. Bordeaux, INRAE, Bordeaux INP, Bordeaux Sciences Agro, Institut des Sciences de la Vigne et du Vin, Villenave d'Ornon, France
| | - Cécile Philippe
- UMR 1366 OENOLOGIE, Univ. Bordeaux, INRAE, Bordeaux INP, Bordeaux Sciences Agro, Institut des Sciences de la Vigne et du Vin, Villenave d'Ornon, France
| | - Féty Jaomanjaka
- UMR 1366 OENOLOGIE, Univ. Bordeaux, INRAE, Bordeaux INP, Bordeaux Sciences Agro, Institut des Sciences de la Vigne et du Vin, Villenave d'Ornon, France
| | - Yasma Barchi
- UMR 1366 OENOLOGIE, Univ. Bordeaux, INRAE, Bordeaux INP, Bordeaux Sciences Agro, Institut des Sciences de la Vigne et du Vin, Villenave d'Ornon, France
| | - Florencia Oviedo-Hernandez
- UMR 1366 OENOLOGIE, Univ. Bordeaux, INRAE, Bordeaux INP, Bordeaux Sciences Agro, Institut des Sciences de la Vigne et du Vin, Villenave d'Ornon, France
| | - Olivier Claisse
- UMR 1366 OENOLOGIE, Univ. Bordeaux, INRAE, Bordeaux INP, Bordeaux Sciences Agro, Institut des Sciences de la Vigne et du Vin, Villenave d'Ornon, France
| | - Claire Le Marrec
- UMR 1366 OENOLOGIE, Univ. Bordeaux, INRAE, Bordeaux INP, Bordeaux Sciences Agro, Institut des Sciences de la Vigne et du Vin, Villenave d'Ornon, France.
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Ultrafast and Multiplexed Bacteriophage Susceptibility Testing by Surface Plasmon Resonance and Phase Imaging of Immobilized Phage Microarrays. CHEMOSENSORS 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/chemosensors10050192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
In the context of bacteriophage (phage) therapy, there is an urgent need for a method permitting multiplexed, parallel phage susceptibility testing (PST) prior to the formulation of personalized phage cocktails for administration to patients suffering from antimicrobial-resistant bacterial infections. Methods based on surface plasmon resonance imaging (SPRi) and phase imaging were demonstrated as candidates for very rapid (<2 h) PST in the broth phase. Biosensing layers composed of arrays of phages 44AHJD, P68, and gh-1 were covalently immobilized on the surface of an SPRi prism and exposed to liquid culture of either Pseudomonas putida or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (i.e., either the phages’ host or non-host bacteria). Monitoring of reflectivity reveals susceptibility of the challenge bacteria to the immobilized phage strains. Investigation of phase imaging of lytic replication of gh-1 demonstrates PST at the single-cell scale, without requiring phage immobilization. SPRi sensorgrams show that on-target regions increase in reflectivity more slowly, stabilizing later and to a lower level compared to off-target regions. Phage susceptibility can be revealed in as little as 30 min in both the SPRi and phase imaging methods.
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O’Connell L, Roupioz Y, Marcoux PR. Container Material Dictates Stability of Bacteriophage Suspensions: Light Scattering & Infectivity Measurements Reveal Mechanisms of Infectious Titer Decay. J Appl Microbiol 2022; 133:529-543. [DOI: 10.1111/jam.15581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2022] [Revised: 04/08/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Larry O’Connell
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CEA, LETI, F‐38054 Grenoble France
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, CEA, IRIG, SyMMES, F‐38000 Grenoble France
| | - Yoann Roupioz
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, CEA, IRIG, SyMMES, F‐38000 Grenoble France
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