T7 bacteriophages (phages) have been genetically engineered to carry the lacZ operon, enabling the overexpression of beta-galactosidase (β-gal) during phage infection and allowing for the enhanced colorimetric detection of Escherichia coli (E. coli). Following the phage infection of E. coli, the enzymatic activity of the released β-gal was monitored using a colorimetric substrate. Compared with a control T7 phage, our T7 phage generated significantly higher levels of β-gal expression following phage infection, enabling a lower limit of detection for E. coli cells. Using this engineered T7 phage, we were able to detect E. coli cells at 10 CFU·mL within 7 h. Furthermore, we demonstrated the potential for phage-based sensing of bacteria antibiotic resistance profiling using our T7 phage, and subsequent β-gal expression to detect antibiotic resistant profile of E. coli strains.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acssensors.7b00021 | DOI Listing |
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