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Viruses
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Bacteriophages and Biofilms 2.0
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Bacteriophages and Biofilms 2.0

A special issue of Viruses (ISSN 1999-4915). This special issue belongs to the section "Bacterial Viruses".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2024 | Viewed by 12707

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Zuzanna Drulis-Kawa

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Guest Editor
Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, Institute of Genetics and Microbiology, University of Wroclaw, 51-148 Wroclaw, Poland
Interests: biofilm; phage-host interactions; phage-borne enzymes; alternative antibacterial therapies
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Tomasz Olszak

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, University of Wroclaw, 51-148 Wroclaw, Poland
Interests: pseudomonas aeruginosa; klebsiella pneumoniae; phage-host interactions; pseudolysogeny; prophages; lysogenic cycle; phage ecology bacterial evolution

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Biofilms are a community of surface-associated microorganisms embedded within a matrix of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS—extracellular polymeric substances) composed essentially of polysaccharides, eDNA, and proteins. These multicellular communities are characterised by the presence of different cell types in terms of physiology and phenotype.

Persister cells are much more abundant in biofilms compared to planktonic culture; therefore, it is important to understand persister cells interactions with domesticated phages (prophages) as well as with lytic ones. Phages are actively involved in biofilm formation, in two different ways: as promoting or degrading agents. Phages can be equipped with matrix-degrading enzymes and effectively infect biofilm-embedded cells. In this meaning, phages are a natural and helpful weapon against microbial biofilms. On the other hand, prophages regulate phage-mediated cell lysis and eDNA release, an important component of stabilizing the biofilm matrix.

The ability to form biofilms and to modify virulence in response to environmental changes is coordinated by complex bacterial signaling networks such as two-component systems (TCS), secondary messengers involved in quorum sensing (QS), and c-di-GMP networks (diguanylate cyclase systems, DGC). Signal cascades dynamically control the transition from free-living to the sessile mode of growth in response to external environment changes, including viral infection. Therefore, it is interesting to understand the interaction of phages with the bacterial signaling network.

In this Special Issue, we are looking for reports and reviews of the most current findings on the phage role in bacterial biofilms formation, maintenance, and degradation. We welcome the submission of original research, reviews, and mini-reviews covering but not limited to the following topics:

  1. The influence of phages in regulating biofilm initiation, development, function, and dispersal;
  2. Phage-mediated horizontal gene transfer within the sessile community;
  3. Phage-phage interactions and communication in multicellular bacterial communities;
  4. The role of phages in regulating the bacterial signaling network and intercellular interactions;
  5. Phage propagation regulation/preferences during the infection of biofilm-forming bacteria;
  6. Anti-viral infection mechanisms of sessile cells;
  7. Phage influence on the physiology and fitness of biofilm communities;
  8. The development of novel strategies for preventing or controlling biofilm formation based on phage products.

Prof. Dr. Zuzanna Drulis-Kawa
Dr. Tomasz Olszak
Guest Editors

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. Viruses 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 2600 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

  • biofilm
  • phages
  • phage-sessile cells interactions
  • persister cells
  • lysogeny/pseudolysogeny
  • anti-phage mechanisms of biofilm-living bacteria
  • anti-biofilm treatment
  • phage-based pro-biofilm activity

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 1102 KiB  
Article
Isolation and Characterization of New Bacteriophages against Staphylococcal Clinical Isolates from Diabetic Foot Ulcers
by Lucile Plumet, Madjid Morsli, Nour Ahmad-Mansour, Fernando Clavijo-Coppens, Laurence Berry, Albert Sotto, Jean-Philippe Lavigne, Denis Costechareyre and Virginie Molle
Viruses 2023, 15(12), 2287; https://doi.org/10.3390/v15122287 - 22 Nov 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1189
Abstract
Staphylococcus sp. is the most common bacterial genus in infections related to diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs). The emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria places a serious burden on public health systems. Phage therapy is an alternative treatment to antibiotics, overcoming the issue of antibiotic resistance. [...] Read more.
Staphylococcus sp. is the most common bacterial genus in infections related to diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs). The emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria places a serious burden on public health systems. Phage therapy is an alternative treatment to antibiotics, overcoming the issue of antibiotic resistance. In this study, six phages (SAVM01 to SAVM06) were isolated from effluents and were used against a panel of staphylococcal clinical samples isolated from DFUs. A genomic analysis revealed that the phages belonged to the Herelleviridae family, with sequences similar to those of the Kayvirus genus. No lysogeny-associated genes, known virulence or drug resistance genes were identified in the phage genomes. The phages displayed a strong lytic and antibiofilm activity against DFU clinical isolates, as well as against opportunistic pathogenic coagulase-negative staphylococci. The results presented here suggest that these phages could be effective biocontrol agents against staphylococcal clinical isolates from DFUs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bacteriophages and Biofilms 2.0)
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14 pages, 4330 KiB  
Article
Characterisation of the Novel Filamentous Phage PMBT54 Infecting the Milk Spoilage Bacteria Pseudomonas carnis and Pseudomonas lactis
by Frank Hille, Stefanie Gieschler, Erik Brinks and Charles M. A. P. Franz
Viruses 2023, 15(9), 1781; https://doi.org/10.3390/v15091781 - 22 Aug 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 906
Abstract
Filamentous bacteriophages are lysogenic and pseudo-lysogenic viruses that do not lyse their host but are often continuously secreted from the infected cell. They belong to the order Tubulavirales, which encompasses three families, with the Inoviridae being the largest. While the number of [...] Read more.
Filamentous bacteriophages are lysogenic and pseudo-lysogenic viruses that do not lyse their host but are often continuously secreted from the infected cell. They belong to the order Tubulavirales, which encompasses three families, with the Inoviridae being the largest. While the number of identified inoviral sequences has greatly increased in recent years due to metagenomic studies, morphological and physiological characterisation is still restricted to only a few members of the filamentous phages. Here, we describe the novel filamentous phage PMBT54, which infects the spoilage-relevant Pseudomonas species P. carnis and P. lactis. Its genome is 7320 bp in size, has a mol% GC content of 48.37, and codes for 13 open-reading frames, two of which are located on the (−) strand. The virion exhibits a typical filamentous morphology and is secreted from the host cell at various lengths. The phage was shown to promote biofilm formation in both host strains and, therefore, has potential implications for milk spoilage, as biofilms are a major concern in the dairy industry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bacteriophages and Biofilms 2.0)
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14 pages, 7613 KiB  
Article
VP3 Phage Combined with High Salt Promotes the Lysis of Biofilm-Associated Vibrio cholerae
by Xu Li, Xiaorui Li, Huayao Zhang, Biao Kan and Fenxia Fan
Viruses 2023, 15(8), 1639; https://doi.org/10.3390/v15081639 - 27 Jul 2023
Viewed by 1056
Abstract
Cholera, caused by pathogenic Vibrio cholerae, poses a significant public health risk through water and food transmission. Biofilm-associated V. cholerae plays a crucial role in seasonal cholera outbreaks as both a reservoir in aquatic environments and a direct source of human infection. [...] Read more.
Cholera, caused by pathogenic Vibrio cholerae, poses a significant public health risk through water and food transmission. Biofilm-associated V. cholerae plays a crucial role in seasonal cholera outbreaks as both a reservoir in aquatic environments and a direct source of human infection. Although VP3, a lytic phage, shows promise in eliminating planktonic V. cholerae from the aquatic environment, its effectiveness against biofilm-associated V. cholerae is limited. To address this limitation, our proposed approach aims to enhance the efficacy of VP3 in eliminating biofilm-associated V. cholerae by augmenting the availability of phage receptors on the surface of Vibrio cholerae. TolC is a receptor of VP3 and a salt efflux pump present in many bacteria. In this study, we employed NaCl as an enhancer to stimulate TolC expression and observed a significant enhancement of TolC expression in both planktonic and biofilm cells of V. cholerae. This enhancement led to improved adsorption of VP3. Importantly, our findings provide strong evidence that high salt concentrations combined with VP3 significantly improve the elimination of biofilm-associated V. cholerae. This approach offers a potential strategy to eliminate biofilm-formation bacteria by enhancing phage–host interaction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bacteriophages and Biofilms 2.0)
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14 pages, 3306 KiB  
Article
Virulent Phage vB_EfaS_WH1 Removes Enterococcus faecalis Biofilm and Inhibits Its Growth on the Surface of Chicken Meat
by Xinxin Jin, Xiuxiu Sun, Zui Wang, Junfeng Dou, Zhengdan Lin, Qin Lu, Tengfei Zhang, Guoyuan Wen, Huabin Shao, Guofu Cheng and Qingping Luo
Viruses 2023, 15(5), 1208; https://doi.org/10.3390/v15051208 - 20 May 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1463
Abstract
Enterococcus faecalis is a potential animal and human pathogen. Improper use of antibiotics encourages resistance. Bacteriophages and their derivatives are promising for treating drug-resistant bacterial infections. In this study, phylogenetic and electron microscopy analyses of phage vB_EfaS_WH1 (WH1) isolated from chicken feces revealed [...] Read more.
Enterococcus faecalis is a potential animal and human pathogen. Improper use of antibiotics encourages resistance. Bacteriophages and their derivatives are promising for treating drug-resistant bacterial infections. In this study, phylogenetic and electron microscopy analyses of phage vB_EfaS_WH1 (WH1) isolated from chicken feces revealed it to be a novel phage in the family Siphoviridae. WH1 showed good pH stability (4–11), temperature tolerance (4–60 °C), and broad E. faecalis host range (60% of isolates). Genome sequencing revealed a 56,357 bp double-stranded DNA genome with a G+C content of 39.21%. WH1 effectively destroyed E. faecalis EF01 biofilms, even at low concentrations. When WH1 was applied at 1 × 105 to 1 × 109 PFU/g to chicken breast samples stored at 4 °C, surface growing E. faecalis were appreciably eradicated after 24 h. The phage WH1 showed good antibacterial activity, which could be used as a potential biocontrol agent to reduce the formation of E. faecalis biofilm, and could also be used as an alternative for the control of E. faecalis in chicken products. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bacteriophages and Biofilms 2.0)
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25 pages, 16579 KiB  
Article
Characterization of Virulent T4-Like Acinetobacter baumannii Bacteriophages DLP1 and DLP2
by Danielle L. Peters, Carly M. Davis, Greg Harris, Hongyan Zhou, Philip N. Rather, Sabahudin Hrapovic, Edmond Lam, Jonathan J. Dennis and Wangxue Chen
Viruses 2023, 15(3), 739; https://doi.org/10.3390/v15030739 - 13 Mar 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2004
Abstract
The world is currently facing a global health crisis due to the rapid increase in antimicrobial-resistant bacterial infections. One of the most concerning pathogens is Acinetobacter baumannii, which is listed as a Priority 1 pathogen by the World Health Organization. This Gram-negative bacterium [...] Read more.
The world is currently facing a global health crisis due to the rapid increase in antimicrobial-resistant bacterial infections. One of the most concerning pathogens is Acinetobacter baumannii, which is listed as a Priority 1 pathogen by the World Health Organization. This Gram-negative bacterium has many intrinsic antibiotic resistance mechanisms and the ability to quickly acquire new resistance determinants from its environment. A limited number of effective antibiotics against this pathogen complicates the treatment of A. baumannii infections. A potential treatment option that is rapidly gaining interest is “phage therapy”, or the clinical application of bacteriophages to selectively kill bacteria. The myoviruses DLP1 and DLP2 (vB_AbaM-DLP_1 and vB_AbaM-DLP_2, respectively) were isolated from sewage samples using a capsule minus variant of A. baumannii strain AB5075. Host range analysis of these phages against 107 A. baumannii strains shows a limited host range, infecting 15 and 21 for phages DLP1 and DLP2, respectively. Phage DLP1 has a large burst size of 239 PFU/cell, a latency period of 20 min, and virulence index of 0.93. In contrast, DLP2 has a smaller burst size of 24 PFU/cell, a latency period of 20 min, and virulence index of 0.86. Both phages show potential for use as therapeutics to combat A. baumannii infections. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bacteriophages and Biofilms 2.0)
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21 pages, 5573 KiB  
Article
Isolation, Characterization, Genome Analysis and Host Resistance Development of Two Novel Lastavirus Phages Active against Pandrug-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae
by Mina Obradović, Milka Malešević, Mariagrazia Di Luca, Dušan Kekić, Ina Gajić, Olivia McAuliffe, Horst Neve, Nemanja Stanisavljević, Goran Vukotić and Milan Kojić
Viruses 2023, 15(3), 628; https://doi.org/10.3390/v15030628 - 25 Feb 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2605
Abstract
Klebsiella pneumoniae is a global health threat and bacteriophages are a potential solution in combating pandrug-resistant K. pneumoniae infections. Two lytic phages, LASTA and SJM3, active against several pandrug-resistant, nosocomial strains of K. pneumoniae were isolated and characterized. Their host range is narrow [...] Read more.
Klebsiella pneumoniae is a global health threat and bacteriophages are a potential solution in combating pandrug-resistant K. pneumoniae infections. Two lytic phages, LASTA and SJM3, active against several pandrug-resistant, nosocomial strains of K. pneumoniae were isolated and characterized. Their host range is narrow and latent period is particularly long; however, their lysogenic nature was refuted using both bioinformatic and experimental approaches. Genome sequence analysis clustered them with only two other phages into the new genus Lastavirus. Genomes of LASTA and SJM3 differ in only 13 base pairs, mainly located in tail fiber genes. Individual phages, as well as their cocktail, demonstrated significant bacterial reduction capacity in a time-dependent manner, yielding up to 4 log reduction against planktonic, and up to 2.59 log on biofilm-embedded, cells. Bacteria emerging from the contact with the phages developed resistance and achieved numbers comparable to the growth control after 24 h. The resistance to the phage seems to be of a transient nature and varies significantly between the two phages, as resistance to LASTA remained constant while resensitization to SJM3 was more prominent. Albeit with very few differences, SJM3 performed better than LASTA overall; however, more investigation is needed in order to consider them for therapeutic application. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bacteriophages and Biofilms 2.0)
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14 pages, 2082 KiB  
Article
Phage and Antibiotic Combinations Reduce Staphylococcus aureus in Static and Dynamic Biofilms Grown on an Implant Material
by Hyonoo Joo, Sijia M. Wu, Isha Soni, Caroline Wang-Crocker, Tyson Matern, James Peter Beck and Catherine Loc-Carrillo
Viruses 2023, 15(2), 460; https://doi.org/10.3390/v15020460 - 07 Feb 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2361
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus causes the majority of implant-related infections. These infections present as biofilms, in which bacteria adhere to the surface of foreign materials and form robust communities that are resilient to the human immune system and antibiotic drugs. The heavy use of broad-spectrum [...] Read more.
Staphylococcus aureus causes the majority of implant-related infections. These infections present as biofilms, in which bacteria adhere to the surface of foreign materials and form robust communities that are resilient to the human immune system and antibiotic drugs. The heavy use of broad-spectrum antibiotics against these pathogens disturbs the host’s microbiome and contributes to the growing problem of antibiotic-resistant infections. The use of bacteriophages as antibacterial agents is a potential alternative therapy. In this study, bioluminescent strains of S. aureus were grown to form 48-h biofilms on polyether ether ketone (PEEK), a material used to manufacture orthopaedic implants, in either static or dynamic growth conditions. Biofilms were treated with vancomycin, staphylococcal phage, or a combination of the two. We showed that vancomycin and staph phages were able to independently reduce the total bacterial load. Most phage-antibiotic combinations produced greater log reductions in surviving bacteria compared to single-agent treatments, suggesting antimicrobial synergism. In addition to demonstrating the efficacy of combining vancomycin and staph phage, our results demonstrate the importance of growth conditions in phage-antibiotic combination studies. Dynamic biofilms were found to have a substantial impact on apparent treatment efficacy, as they were more resilient to combination treatments than static biofilms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bacteriophages and Biofilms 2.0)
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