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Romeyer Dherbey J, Bertels F. The untapped potential of phage model systems as therapeutic agents. Virus Evol 2024; 10:veae007. [PMID: 38361821 PMCID: PMC10868562 DOI: 10.1093/ve/veae007] [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: 07/27/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024] Open
Abstract
With the emergence of widespread antibiotic resistance, phages are an appealing alternative to antibiotics in the fight against multidrug-resistant bacteria. Over the past few years, many phages have been isolated from various environments to treat bacterial pathogens. While isolating novel phages for treatment has had some success for compassionate use, developing novel phages into a general therapeutic will require considerable time and financial resource investments. These investments may be less significant for well-established phage model systems. The knowledge acquired from decades of research on their structure, life cycle, and evolution ensures safe application and efficient handling. However, one major downside of the established phage model systems is their inability to infect pathogenic bacteria. This problem is not insurmountable; phage host range can be extended through genetic engineering or evolution experiments. In the future, breeding model phages to infect pathogens could provide a new avenue to develop phage therapeutic agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan Romeyer Dherbey
- Microbial Population Biology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, August-Thienemann-Straße 2, Plön, Schleswig-Holstein 24306, Germany
| | - Frederic Bertels
- Microbial Population Biology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, August-Thienemann-Straße 2, Plön, Schleswig-Holstein 24306, Germany
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Vu TN, Clark JR, Jang E, D'Souza R, Nguyen LP, Pinto NA, Yoo S, Abadie R, Maresso AW, Yong D. Appelmans protocol - A directed in vitro evolution enables induction and recombination of prophages with expanded host range. Virus Res 2024; 339:199272. [PMID: 37981215 PMCID: PMC10730860 DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2023.199272] [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: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/21/2023]
Abstract
Infections caused by carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) present significant healthcare challenges due to limited treatment options. Bacteriophage (phage) therapy offers potential as an alternative treatment. However, the high host specificity of phages poses challenges for their therapeutic application. To broaden the phage spectrum, laboratory-based phage training using the Appelmans protocol was employed in this study. As a result, the protocol successfully expanded the host range of a phage cocktail targeting CRAB. Further analysis revealed that the expanded host range phages isolated from the output cocktail were identified as recombinant derivatives originating from prophages induced from encountered bacterial strains. These findings provide valuable genetic insights into the protocol's mechanism when applied to phages infecting A. baumannii strains that have never been investigated before. However, it is noteworthy that the expanded host range phages obtained from this protocol exhibited limited stability, raising concerns about their suitability for therapeutic purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thao Nguyen Vu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Research Institute of Bacterial Resistance, Graduate School of Medical Science, Brain Korea 21 Project, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Justin Ryan Clark
- Tailored Antibacterials and Innovative Laboratories for Phage Research, Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, US
| | - Eris Jang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Research Institute of Bacterial Resistance, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea; University of Georgia Terry College of Business, Athens, GA, US
| | - Roshan D'Souza
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Research Institute of Bacterial Resistance, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Le Phuong Nguyen
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Research Institute of Bacterial Resistance, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea; Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, US
| | - Naina Adren Pinto
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Research Institute of Bacterial Resistance, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Seongjun Yoo
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Research Institute of Bacterial Resistance, Graduate School of Medical Science, Brain Korea 21 Project, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Ricardo Abadie
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Research Institute of Bacterial Resistance, Graduate School of Medical Science, Brain Korea 21 Project, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Anthony William Maresso
- Tailored Antibacterials and Innovative Laboratories for Phage Research, Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, US
| | - Dongeun Yong
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Research Institute of Bacterial Resistance, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
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Correction to: In Vitro Evolution to Increase the Titers of Difficult Bacteriophages: RAMP-UP Protocol by Kok et al. Phage (New Rochelle) 2023;4(2):68-81. DOI: 10.1089/phage.2023.0005. PHAGE (NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y.) 2023; 4:150. [PMID: 37841388 PMCID: PMC10574524 DOI: 10.1089/phage.2023.0005.correx] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2023]
Abstract
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1089/phage.2023.0005.].
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Kok DN, Zhou D, Tsourkas PK, Hendrickson HL. Paenibacillus larvae and their phages; a community science approach to discovery and initial testing of prophylactic phage cocktails against American Foulbrood in New Zealand. MICROBIOME RESEARCH REPORTS 2023; 2:30. [PMID: 38045927 PMCID: PMC10688787 DOI: 10.20517/mrr.2023.16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 07/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023]
Abstract
Background: American foulbrood (AFB) is a devastating disease of the European honey bee (Apis mellifera) and is found throughout the world. AFB is caused by the bacterium Paenibacillus larvae (P. larvae). Treatment with antibiotics is strictly forbidden in many regions, including New Zealand. Safe and natural prophylactic solutions to protect honey bees from AFB are needed. Bacteriophages are a well-studied alternative to antibiotics and have been shown to be effective against P. larvae in other countries. Methods: We employed a community science approach to obtaining samples from around New Zealand to discover novel bacteriophages. Standard isolation approaches were employed for both bacteria and bacteriophages. Host range testing was performed by agar overlay spot tests, and cocktail formulation and in vitro testing were performed in 96-well plate assays, followed by sub-sampling and CFU visualization on agar plates. Results: Herein, we describe the discovery and isolation of eight P. larvae bacterial isolates and 26 P. larvae bacteriophages that are novel and native to New Zealand. The phage genomes were sequenced and annotated, and their genomes were compared to extant sequenced P. larvae phage genomes. We test the host ranges of the bacteriophages and formulate cocktails to undertake in vitro testing on a set of representative bacterial strains. These results form the basis of a promising solution for protecting honey bees in New Zealand from AFB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle N. Kok
- School of Natural Sciences, Massey University, Auckland 0632, New Zealand
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
| | - Diana Zhou
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
| | - Philippos K. Tsourkas
- Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53792, USA
| | - Heather L. Hendrickson
- School of Natural Sciences, Massey University, Auckland 0632, New Zealand
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
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