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Cui X, Du B, Feng J, Feng Y, Fan Z, Chen J, Cui J, Gan L, Fu T, Tian Z, Zhang R, Yan C, Zhao H, Xu W, Xu Z, Yu Z, Ding Z, Li Z, Chen Y, Xue G, Yuan J. A novel phage carrying capsule depolymerase effectively relieves pneumonia caused by multidrug-resistant Klebsiella aerogenes. J Biomed Sci 2023; 30:75. [PMID: 37653407 PMCID: PMC10470133 DOI: 10.1186/s12929-023-00946-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Klebsiella aerogenes can cause ventilator-associated pneumonia by forming biofilms, and it is frequently associated with multidrug resistance. Phages are good antibiotic alternatives with unique advantages. There has been a lack of phage therapeutic explorations, kinetic studies, and interaction mechanism research targeting K. aerogenes. METHODS Plaque assay, transmission electron microscopy and whole-genome sequencing were used to determine the biology, morphology, and genomic characteristics of the phage. A mouse pneumonia model was constructed by intratracheal/endobronchial delivery of K. aerogenes to assess the therapeutic effect of phage in vivo. Bioinformatics analysis and a prokaryotic protein expression system were used to predict and identify a novel capsule depolymerase. Confocal laser scanning microscopy, Galleria mellonella larvae infection models and other experiments were performed to clarify the function of the capsule depolymerase. RESULTS A novel lytic phage (pK4-26) was isolated from hospital sewage. It was typical of the Podoviridae family and exhibited serotype specificity, high lytic activity, and high environmental adaptability. The whole genome is 40,234 bp in length and contains 49 coding domain sequences. Genomic data show that the phage does not carry antibiotic resistance, virulence, or lysogenic genes. The phage effectively lysed K. aerogenes in vivo, reducing mortality and alleviating pneumonia without promoting obvious side effects. A novel phage-derived depolymerase was predicted and proven to be able to digest the capsule, remove biofilms, reduce bacterial virulence, and sensitize the bacteria to serum killing. CONCLUSIONS The phage pK4-26 is a good antibiotic alternative and can effectively relieve pneumonia caused by multidrug-resistant K. aerogenes. It carries a depolymerase that removes biofilms, reduces virulence, and improves intrinsic immune sensitivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaohu Cui
- Department of Bacteriology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, 100020, China
| | - Bing Du
- Department of Bacteriology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, 100020, China
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Junxia Feng
- Department of Bacteriology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, 100020, China
| | - Yanling Feng
- Department of Bacteriology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, 100020, China
| | - Zheng Fan
- Department of Bacteriology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, 100020, China
| | - Jinfeng Chen
- Department of Bacteriology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, 100020, China
| | - Jinghua Cui
- Department of Bacteriology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, 100020, China
| | - Lin Gan
- Department of Bacteriology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, 100020, China
| | - Tongtong Fu
- Department of Bacteriology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, 100020, China
| | - Ziyan Tian
- Department of Bacteriology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, 100020, China
| | - Rui Zhang
- Department of Bacteriology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, 100020, China
| | - Chao Yan
- Department of Bacteriology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, 100020, China
| | - Hanqing Zhao
- Department of Bacteriology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, 100020, China
| | - Wenjian Xu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Children's Hospital Affiliated to Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, China
| | - Ziying Xu
- Department of Bacteriology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, 100020, China
| | - Zihui Yu
- Department of Bacteriology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, 100020, China
| | - Zanbo Ding
- Department of Bacteriology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, 100020, China
| | - Zhoufei Li
- Department of Bacteriology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, 100020, China
| | - Yujie Chen
- Department of Bacteriology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, 100020, China
| | - Guanhua Xue
- Department of Bacteriology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, 100020, China.
| | - Jing Yuan
- Department of Bacteriology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, 100020, China.
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