Characterization of Virulent T4-Like Acinetobacter baumannii Bacteriophages DLP1 and DLP2

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.

Automated summary

The world is currently facing a global health crisis due to the rapid increase in antimicrobial-resistant bacterial infections. Acinetobacter baumannii, a Gram-negative bacterium with many intrinsic antibiotic resistance mechanisms and the ability to quickly acquire new resistance determinants, is one of the most concerning pathogens. Phage therapy, especially the myoviruses DLP1 and DLP2, shows potential as a treatment option against A. baumannii infections. These phages have a limited host range and exhibit different burst sizes, latency periods, and virulence indices.