PHAGE-BACTERIA INTERACTIONS UNDER METAL STRESS: A STUDY OF THE NOVEL STENOTROPHOMONAS MALTOPHILIA PHAGE VB_STM18.

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is a highly adaptable gram-negative bacteria, demonstrating resilience in metal-contaminated environment, which makes it a key subject for understanding microbial survival under heavy metal stress. This study investigates the effects of cadmium ions (Cd²⁺) on the growth dynamics, cadmium uptake, and bacteriophage vB_Stm18-host interactions, with implications for environmental microbiology and applied biotechnology. Growth analysis revealed that S.

Lysogeny destabilizes computationally simulated microbiomes.

Microbiomes are ecosystems, and their stability can impact the health of their hosts. Theory predicts that predators influence ecosystem stability. Phages are key predators of bacteria in microbiomes, but phages are unusual predators because many have lysogenic life cycles.

Relevance of the bacteriophage adherence to mucus model for phages.

infections are getting increasingly serious as antimicrobial resistance spreads. Phage therapy may be a solution to the problem, especially if improved by current advances on phage-host studies. As a mucosal pathogen, we hypothesize that and its phages are linked to the bacteriophage adherence to mucus (BAM) model.

Personalized bacteriophage therapy outcomes for 100 consecutive cases: a multicentre, multinational, retrospective observational study.

In contrast to the many reports of successful real-world cases of personalized bacteriophage therapy (BT), randomized controlled trials of non-personalized bacteriophage products have not produced the expected results. Here we present the outcomes of a retrospective observational analysis of the first 100 consecutive cases of personalized BT of difficult-to-treat infections facilitated by a Belgian consortium in 35 hospitals, 29 cities and 12 countries during the period from 1 January 2008 to 30 April 2022. We assessed how often personalized BT produced a positive clinical outcome (general efficacy) and performed a regression analysis to identify functional relationships.

New Bacteriophages with Podoviridal Morphotypes Active against : Characterization and Application Potential.

Phages of highly pathogenic bacteria represent an area of growing interest for bacterial detection and identification and subspecies typing, as well as for phage therapy and environmental decontamination. Eight new phages-YpEc56, YpEc56D, YpEc57, YpEe58, YpEc1, YpEc2, YpEc11, and YpYeO9-expressing lytic activity towards revealed a virion morphology consistent with the morphotype. These phages lyse all 68 strains from 2 different sets of isolates, thus limiting their potential application for subtyping of strains but making them rather promising in terms of infection control.

Characterization of a Bacteriophage GEC_vB_Bfr_UZM3 Active against .

is a commensal gut bacterium that is associated with a number of blood and tissue infections. It has not yet been recognized as one of the drug-resistant human pathogens, but cases of the refractory infections, caused by strains that are not susceptible to the common antibiotic regimes established for have been more frequently reported. Bacteriophages (phages) were found to be a successful antibacterial alternative to antibiotic therapy in many cases of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial infections.

Draft Genome Sequence of Agrobacterium radiobacter Strain MD22b, Isolated from a Grape Plant in Tajikistan.

Agrobacterium radiobacter strain MD22b was isolated from infected fruit from Vatan Farm, a dekhkan farm in Yangibog (Tursunzade, Tajikistan). The 5.7-Mbp draft genome sequence presented here shares homology with chromosomes 1 and 2, as well as with the Ti plasmid from agrobacteria.

Application of Phage Therapy in a Case of a Chronic Hip-Prosthetic Joint Infection due to : An Italian Real-Life Experience and Analysis.

Background: Prosthetic joint infection (PJI) caused by represents a severe complication in orthopedic surgery. We report the case of a patient with chronic PJI from successfully treated with personalized phage therapy (PT) in combination with meropenem.

Methods: A 62-year-old woman was affected by a chronic right hip prosthesis infection caused by since 2016 .

Development of an homeostasis model between airway epithelial cells, bacteria and bacteriophages: a time-lapsed observation of cell viability and inflammatory response.

Bacteriophages represent the most extensive group of viruses within the human virome and have a significant impact on general health and well-being by regulating bacterial population dynamics. , found in the anterior nostrils, throat and skin, is an opportunistic pathobiont that can cause a wide range of diseases, from chronic inflammation to severe and acute infections. In this study, we developed a human cell-based homeostasis model between a clinically isolated strain of 141 and active phages for this strain (PYO) isolated from the commercial Pyophage cocktail (PYO).

Bacteriophage therapy for human musculoskeletal and skin/soft tissue infections.

Background: Bacteriophage therapy has a long history in the treatment of musculoskeletal and skin/soft tissue infections, particularly in the former Soviet Union. Due to the global rise in antimicrobial resistance, phage application has experienced a resurgence of interest and expanded to many countries.

Objectives: This narrative review aims to provide clinical microbiologists, infectious disease specialists and surgeons a brief history of bacteriophage therapy for human musculoskeletal and soft tissue infections, as well as data on current practices and ongoing clinical studies.

Professor Giorgi Eliava and the Eliava Institute of Bacteriophage.

In the history of medicine little is known about Prof. Giorgi (George) Eliava, who must be recognized as one of the central figures in the story of bacteriophages. Today it may be said without any exaggeration that without the support that Eliava provided to Felix d'Herelle, much of our knowledge about phage therapy would never have been acquired.

Phenotypic and Genetic Characterization of Phage AhMtk13a and Evaluation of Its Therapeutic Potential on Simulated Infection in .

Phage therapy can be an effective alternative to standard antimicrobial chemotherapy for control of infections in aquaculture. -specific phages AhMtk13a and AhMtk13b were studied for basic biological properties and genome characteristics. Phage AhMtk13a (Myovirus, 163,879 bp genome, 41.

Combination of pre-adapted bacteriophage therapy and antibiotics for treatment of fracture-related infection due to pandrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae.

A 30-year-old bombing victim with a fracture-related pandrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae infection after long-term (>700 days) antibiotic therapy is treated with a pre-adapted bacteriophage along with meropenem and colistin, followed by ceftazidime/avibactam. This salvage therapy results in objective clinical, microbiological and radiological improvement of the patient's wounds and overall condition. In support, the bacteriophage and antibiotic combination is highly effective against the patient's K.

Phage Therapy Experience at the Eliava Phage Therapy Center: Three Cases of Bacterial Persistence.

In this retrospective descriptive study we focus on cases of three patients who underwent phage therapy procedures at Eliava Phage Therapy Center (EPTC) in Tbilisi, Georgia. Patients with chronic infectious diseases related to (two patients, lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI)) and (one patient, urinary tract infection (UTI)) are among those very few EPTC patients whose pathogens persisted through phage therapy. By looking at bacterial strains and personalized phages used against them we tried to point towards possible adaptation strategies that are employed by these pathogens.

Design of an autochthonous starter culture using strains isolated from traditional Matsoni.

Artisanal products support the conservation of the indigenous biodiversity of food microbiomes, although they do not always comply to quality and hygienic requirements for the dairy industry. This study describes the development of an autochthonous starter culture to produce Matsoni, a traditional Georgian fermented milk. To this end, strains of lactic acid bacteria isolated from artisanal Matsoni samples were used to design a starter formulation reproducing the dominant microbial diversity, also preserving quality characteristics and ensuring the safety of the product.

BIOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF BACTERIOPHAGES AGAINST STREPTOCOCCUS AGALACTIAE.

Streptococcus agalactiae, also known as group B streptococci, was first isolated from cow's milk with mastitis, and it was first identified in 1930 by Rebecca Lancefield. GBS or streptococcus agalacticae is a gram-positive cocci, beta-hemolytic, facultative anaerobic, which is a harmless inhabitant of the normal human microflora. About 30% of the population is an asymptomatic carrier of this microbe.

Significance of lysogeny for the metabolism of Desulfovibrio spp. strains isolated from aquatic environments of Georgia.

Aims: Sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB) are ecologically important group of anaerobic micro-organisms that can reduce sulphate to form hydrogen sulphide-a toxic gas causing iron corrosion on metal surfaces. In this work, SRB strains were isolated from aquatic environments in the country of Georgia to determine their lysogenicity and the role of temperate phages in host metabolism.

Methods And Results: SRB strains were isolated in samples from the Black Sea coast of Georgia.

Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamases in Human Isolates of Multidrug-Resistant Non-typhoidal .

A total of 291 non-duplicate isolates of non-typhoidal (NTS) were collected from the fecal samples of patients with salmonellosis in Armenia and Georgia during 1996-2016. The isolates were tested for resistance to antimicrobials, including extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBL). The high prevalence of multidrug-resistance (MDR) and ESBL-producer phenotypes was detected among subsp.

HYALURONIDASE OINTMENT IN TREATMENT OF HYPERTROPHIC SCARS.

We have studied efficiency of hyaluronidase ointment created on the base of microbial hyaluronidase preparation "Bilidase" in treatment of postoperative hypertrophic scars. A total number of 14 patients with postoperative hypertrophic scars on different part of face were enrolled in the study. All patients were treated with hyaluronidase ointment by help of iontophoresis for 10 days -1 procedure per day and than retreated 1 time with the same regimen at 4-week interval.

Microbial Diversity and Phage-Host Interactions in the Georgian Coastal Area of the Black Sea Revealed by Whole Genome Metagenomic Sequencing.

Viruses have the greatest abundance and highest genetic diversity in marine ecosystems. The interactions between viruses and their hosts is one of the hot spots of marine ecology. Besides their important role in various ecosystems, viruses, especially bacteriophages and their gene pool, are of enormous interest for the development of new gene products with high innovation value.

Virus recovery by tangential flow filtration: A model to guide the design of a sample concentration process.

A simple model is developed to describe the instantaneous (r ) and cumulative (R ) recovery of viruses from water during sample concentration by tangential flow filtration in the regime of constant water recovery, r. A figure of merit, M = r r, is proposed as an aggregate performance metric that captures both the efficiency of virus recovery and the speed of sample concentration. We derive an expression for virus concentration in the sample as a function of filtration time with the rate-normalized virus loss, , as a parameter.

Bacteriophage Therapy as a Potential Management Option for Surgical Wound Infections.

To investigate the potential role of bacteriophages in the treatment of surgical infections, we conducted a retrospective analysis of four surgical patients who have sought treatment at the Eliava Phage Therapy Center, Tbilisi, Georgia. Two patients had chronic osteomyelitis, one presented with a diabetic foot ulcer, and the fourth patient had developed a severe infectious complication after skin grafting surgery. Patients were treated with different combinations of bacteriophage preparations, based on the sensitivity of the isolated bacterial strain toward commercially available bacteriophages.

In vitro and in vivo assessment of phage therapy against Staphylococcus aureus causing bovine mastitis.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of lytic bacteriophages on Staphylococcus aureus causing bovine mastitis, by in vitro and in vivo assays using Galleria mellonella and murine mastitis models.

Methods: Between May and December 2016, ten S. aureus (five methicillin-resistant and five methicillin-sensitive) isolates were isolated from milk samples of cattle with mastitis in Belgium and Norway.

Taxonomy of prokaryotic viruses: 2018-2019 update from the ICTV Bacterial and Archaeal Viruses Subcommittee.

This article is a summary of the activities of the ICTV's Bacterial and Archaeal Viruses Subcommittee for the years 2018 and 2019. Highlights include the creation of a new order, 10 families, 22 subfamilies, 424 genera and 964 species. Some of our concerns about the ICTV's ability to adjust to and incorporate new DNA- and protein-based taxonomic tools are discussed.