Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
5.5
4.8
Journals
Antibiotics
Special Issues
Bacteriophages: Biology, Therapy and Application
share announcement

Bacteriophages: Biology, Therapy and Application

A special issue of Antibiotics (ISSN 2079-6382). This special issue belongs to the section "Bacteriophages".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2023) | Viewed by 19968

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Magdalena Plotka

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Extremophiles Biology, Department of Microbiology, University of Gdansk, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland
Interests: bacteriophages; endolysins; virion-associated peptidoglycan hydrolases (VAPGH); polysaccharide depolymerases; phage therapy; bacteriophage resistance; jumbo bacteriophages

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Bacteriophages are viruses that can infect and destroy bacteria without any negative effect on human or animal cells. For this reason, it is supposed that they can be used, alone or in combination with other antibacterials, such as antibiotics, antimicrobial peptides or cationic multivalent dendrimers, to treat bacterial infections. Because bacteriophages are often highly selective in targeting bacteria, they are promising alternatives to antibiotics. In addition to intact bacteriophages, phage-encoded enzymes, such as virion-associated peptidoglycan hydrolases (VAPGH) that locally degrade the peptidoglycan of the bacterial cell wall during infection, endolysins produced by phages at the end of their lytic cycle or polysaccharide depolymerases that target polysaccharides within bacterial capsules, lipopolysaccharides or biofilms, have also gained tremendous interest.

I invite you to submit manuscripts to this Special Issue concerning bacteriophages, phage-derived proteins and the broadly understood biology of bacteriophages. In addition, manuscripts concerning other phage-related studies are welcome:

  1. Phage therapy: past, present and future;
  2. Bacterial phage resistance;
  3. Engineered bacteriophage therapeutics;
  4. Genetic analysis of novel bacteriophages;
  5. Characterization of phage–host interactions;
  6. Evolution of bacteriophages;
  7. Bacteriophages in food safety;
  8. Bacteriophage-based techniques for detection of foodborne pathogens.

This Special Issue of Antibiotics is devoted to publishing papers on studies of the biology, therapy and application of bacteriophages. It is expected that this Special Issue will collect research articles on novel phage components with antimicrobial activity, to be used alone or in combination with conventional antibiotics, and reports on the use of bacteriophages for phage therapy. It is my pleasure to invite you to submit research articles, reviews or short communications related to these topics.

Dr. Magdalena Plotka
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Antibiotics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • bacteriophages
  • endolysins
  • virion-associated peptidoglycan hydrolases (VAPGH)
  • polysaccharide depolymerases
  • phage therapy
  • bacteriophage resistance
  • jumbo bacteriophages

Published Papers (7 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review, Other

12 pages, 1556 KiB  
Communication
The Use of Phage Cocktail and Various Antibacterial Agents in Combination to Prevent the Emergence of Phage Resistance
by Hoang Minh Duc, Yu Zhang, Son Minh Hoang, Yoshimitsu Masuda, Ken-Ichi Honjoh and Takahisa Miyamoto
Antibiotics 2023, 12(6), 1077; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics12061077 - 20 Jun 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1785
Abstract
Bacterial food poisoning cases due to Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 have been linked with the consumption of a variety of food products, threatening public health around the world. This study describes the combined effects of a phage cocktail (STG2, SEG5, and PS5), [...] Read more.
Bacterial food poisoning cases due to Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 have been linked with the consumption of a variety of food products, threatening public health around the world. This study describes the combined effects of a phage cocktail (STG2, SEG5, and PS5), EDTA, nisin, and polylysine against the bacterial cocktail consisting of S. typhimurium, S. enteritidis, and E. coli O157:H7. Overall, phage cocktail (alone or in combination with nisin or/and polylysine) not only showed great antibacterial effects against bacterial cocktail at different temperatures (4 °C, 24 °C, and 37 °C), but also totally inhibited the emergence of phage resistance during the incubation period. These results suggest that the combination of phages with nisin or/and polylysine has great potential to simultaneously control S. typhimurium, S. enteritidis, and E. coli O157:H7. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bacteriophages: Biology, Therapy and Application)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 6927 KiB  
Article
Lytic Bacteriophage Is a Promising Adjunct to Common Antibiotics across Cystic Fibrosis Clinical Strains and Culture Models of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Infection
by Isaac Martin, Sandra Morales, Eric W. F. W. Alton and Jane C. Davies
Antibiotics 2023, 12(3), 593; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics12030593 - 16 Mar 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1588
Abstract
Bacteriophages (phages) are antimicrobials with resurgent interest that are being investigated for the treatment of antibiotic refractory infection, including for Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Pa) lung infection in cystic fibrosis (CF). In vitro work supports the use of this therapy in planktonic and biofilm culture [...] Read more.
Bacteriophages (phages) are antimicrobials with resurgent interest that are being investigated for the treatment of antibiotic refractory infection, including for Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Pa) lung infection in cystic fibrosis (CF). In vitro work supports the use of this therapy in planktonic and biofilm culture models; however, consistent data are lacking for efficacy across different clinical Pa strains, culture models, and in combination with antibiotics in clinical use. We first examined the efficacy of a 4-phage cocktail as an adjunct to our CF centre’s first-line systemic combination antibiotic therapy (ceftazidime + tobramycin) for 16 different clinical Pa strains and then determined subinhibitory interactions for a subset of these strains with each antibiotic in planktonic and biofilm culture. When a 4-phage cocktail (4 × 108 PFU/mL) was added to a ceftazidime-tobramycin combination (ceftazidime 16 mg/mL + tobramycin 8 mg/mL), we observed a 1.7-fold and 1.3-fold reduction in biofilm biomass and cell viability, respectively. The four most antibiotic resistant strains in biofilm were very susceptible to phage treatment. When subinhibitory concentrations of antibiotics and phages were investigated, we observed additivity/synergy as well as antagonism/inhibition of effect that varied across the clinical strains and culture model. In general, more additivity was seen with the phage-ceftazidime combination than with phage-tobramycin, particularly in biofilm culture, where no instances of additivity were seen when phages were combined with tobramycin. The fact that different bacterial strains were susceptible to phage treatment when compared to standard antibiotics is promising and these results may be relevant to ongoing clinical trials exploring the use of phages, in particular in the selection of subjects for clinical trials. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bacteriophages: Biology, Therapy and Application)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 1841 KiB  
Article
Detection and Level Evaluation of Antibodies Specific to Environmental Bacteriophage I11mO19 and Related Coliphages in Non-Immunized Human Sera
by Ewa Brzozowska, Tomasz Lipiński, Agnieszka Korzeniowska-Kowal, Karolina Filik, Andrzej Górski and Andrzej Gamian
Antibiotics 2023, 12(3), 586; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics12030586 - 15 Mar 2023
Viewed by 1238
Abstract
Bacteriophages (phages) are viruses infecting bacteria. They are widely present in the environment, food, and normal microflora. The human microbiome is a mutually interdependent network of bacteria, bacteriophages, and human cells. The stability of these tri-kingdom interactions may be essential for maintaining immunologic [...] Read more.
Bacteriophages (phages) are viruses infecting bacteria. They are widely present in the environment, food, and normal microflora. The human microbiome is a mutually interdependent network of bacteria, bacteriophages, and human cells. The stability of these tri-kingdom interactions may be essential for maintaining immunologic and metabolic health. Phages, as with each other’s antigens, may evoke an immune response during a human’s lifetime and induce specific antibody generation. In this manuscript, we labeled these antibodies as naturally generated. Naturally generated antibodies may be one of the most important factors limiting the efficacy of phage therapy. Herein, we attempted to determine the physiological level of these antibodies specific to a population bacteriophage named I11mO19 in human sera, using an ELISA-based assay. First, we purified the phage particles and assessed the immunoreactivity of phage proteins. Then, affinity chromatography was performed on columns with immobilized phage proteins to obtain a fraction of human polyclonal anti-phage antibodies. These antibodies were used as a reference to elaborate an immunoenzymatic test that was used to determine the level of natural anti-phage antibodies. We estimated the average level of anti-I11mO19 phage antibodies at 190 µg per one milliliter of human serum. However, immunoblotting revealed that cross-reactivity occurs between some proteins of I11mO19 and two other coliphages: T4 and ΦK1E. The antigens probably share common epitopes, suggesting that the determined level of anti-I11mO19 phage might be overestimated and reflects a group of antibodies reactive to a broad range of other E. coli phages. Anti-I11mO19 antibodies did not react with Pseudomonas bacteriophage F8, confirming specificity to the coliphage group. In this work, we wanted to show whether it is possible to determine the presence and level of anti-phage antibodies in nontargeted-immunized sera, using an immunoenzymatic assay. The conclusion is that it is possible, and specific antibodies can be determined. However, the specificity refers to a broader coliphage group of phages, not only the single phage strain. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bacteriophages: Biology, Therapy and Application)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 1909 KiB  
Article
Genomic and Phenotypic Characterization of Cutibacterium acnes Bacteriophages Isolated from Acne Patients
by Shukho Kim, Hyesoon Song, Jong Sook Jin, Weon Ju Lee and Jungmin Kim
Antibiotics 2022, 11(8), 1041; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics11081041 - 02 Aug 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2399
Abstract
Cutibacterium acnes is a pathogen that can cause acne vulgaris, sarcoidosis, endodontic lesions, eye infections, prosthetic joint infections, and prostate cancer. Recently, bacteriophage (phage) therapy has been developed as an alternative to antibiotics. In this study, we attempted to isolate 15 phages [...] Read more.
Cutibacterium acnes is a pathogen that can cause acne vulgaris, sarcoidosis, endodontic lesions, eye infections, prosthetic joint infections, and prostate cancer. Recently, bacteriophage (phage) therapy has been developed as an alternative to antibiotics. In this study, we attempted to isolate 15 phages specific to C. acnes from 64 clinical samples obtained from patients with acne vulgaris. Furthermore, we sequenced the genomes of these three phages. Bioinformatic analysis revealed that the capsid and tape measure proteins are strongly hydrophobic. To efficiently solubilize the phage particles, we measured the adsorption rate, one-step growth curve, and phage stability using an SMT2 buffer containing Tween 20. Here, we report the genotypic and phenotypic characteristics of the novel C. acnes-specific phages. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bacteriophages: Biology, Therapy and Application)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research, Other

23 pages, 2379 KiB  
Review
Phage Therapy as an Alternative Treatment Modality for Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Infections
by Salman Sahab Atshan, Rukman Awang Hamat, Musheer A. Aljaberi, Jung-Sheng Chen, Shih-Wei Huang, Chung-Ying Lin, Benjamin J. Mullins and Anthony Kicic
Antibiotics 2023, 12(2), 286; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics12020286 - 01 Feb 2023
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4253
Abstract
The production and use of antibiotics increased significantly after the Second World War due to their effectiveness against bacterial infections. However, bacterial resistance also emerged and has now become an important global issue. Those most in need are typically high-risk and include individuals [...] Read more.
The production and use of antibiotics increased significantly after the Second World War due to their effectiveness against bacterial infections. However, bacterial resistance also emerged and has now become an important global issue. Those most in need are typically high-risk and include individuals who experience burns and other wounds, as well as those with pulmonary infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter sp, and Staphylococci. With investment to develop new antibiotics waning, finding and developing alternative therapeutic strategies to tackle this issue is imperative. One option remerging in popularity is bacteriophage (phage) therapy. This review focuses on Staphylococcus aureus and how it has developed resistance to antibiotics. It also discusses the potential of phage therapy in this setting and its appropriateness in high-risk people, such as those with cystic fibrosis, where it typically forms a biofilm. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bacteriophages: Biology, Therapy and Application)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 347 KiB  
Review
Bacteriophages and Food Production: Biocontrol and Bio-Preservation Options for Food Safety
by Mary Garvey
Antibiotics 2022, 11(10), 1324; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics11101324 - 28 Sep 2022
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 3402
Abstract
Food safety and sustainable food production is an important part of the Sustainable Development goals aiming to safeguard the health and wellbeing of humans, animals and the environment. Foodborne illness is a major cause of morbidity and mortality, particularly as the global crisis [...] Read more.
Food safety and sustainable food production is an important part of the Sustainable Development goals aiming to safeguard the health and wellbeing of humans, animals and the environment. Foodborne illness is a major cause of morbidity and mortality, particularly as the global crisis of antimicrobial resistance proliferates. In order to actively move towards sustainable food production, it is imperative that green biocontrol options are implemented to prevent and mitigate infectious disease in food production. Replacing current chemical pesticides, antimicrobials and disinfectants with green, organic options such as biopesticides is a step towards a sustainable future. Bacteriophages, virus which infect and kill bacteria are an area of great potential as biocontrol agents in agriculture and aquaculture. Lytic bacteriophages offer many advantages over traditional chemical-based solutions to control microbiological contamination in the food industry. The innate specificity for target bacterial species, their natural presence in the environment and biocompatibility with animal and humans means phages are a practical biocontrol candidate at all stages of food production, from farm-to-fork. Phages have demonstrated efficacy as bio-sanitisation and bio-preservation agents against many foodborne pathogens, with activity against biofilm communities also evident. Additionally, phages have long been recognised for their potential as therapeutics, prophylactically and metaphylactically. Further investigation is warranted however, to overcome their limitations such as formulation and stability issues, phage resistance mechanisms and transmission of bacterial virulence factors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bacteriophages: Biology, Therapy and Application)

Other

Jump to: Research, Review

10 pages, 265 KiB  
Opinion
Can Bacteriophages Replace Antibiotics?
by Mikael Skurnik
Antibiotics 2022, 11(5), 575; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics11050575 - 26 Apr 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4344
Abstract
Increasing antibiotic resistance numbers force both scientists and politicians to tackle the problem, and preferably without any delay. The application of bacteriophages as precision therapy to treat bacterial infections, phage therapy, has received increasing attention during the last two decades. While it looks [...] Read more.
Increasing antibiotic resistance numbers force both scientists and politicians to tackle the problem, and preferably without any delay. The application of bacteriophages as precision therapy to treat bacterial infections, phage therapy, has received increasing attention during the last two decades. While it looks like phage therapy is here to stay, there is still a lot to do. Medicine regulatory authorities are working to deliver clear instructions to carry out phage therapy. Physicians need to get more practical experience on treatments with phages. In this opinion article I try to place phage therapy in the context of the health care system and state that the use phages for precision treatments will require a seamless chain of events from the patient to the phage therapy laboratory to allow for the immediate application of phages therapeutically. It is not likely that phages will replace antibiotics, however, they will be valuable in the treatment of infections caused by multidrug resistant bacteria. Antibiotics will nevertheless remain the main treatment for a majority of infections. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bacteriophages: Biology, Therapy and Application)
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-7
Back to TopTop