Open AccessNovel Drexlerviridae bacteriophage KMI8 with specific lytic activity against Klebsiella michiganensis and its biofilms
Author(s) -
Heng Ku,
Mwila Kabwe,
Hiu Tat Chan,
Cassandra R. Stanton,
Slavé Petrovski,
Steven Batinovic,
Joseph Tucci
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0257102
Subject(s) - lytic cycle , microbiology and biotechnology , bacteriophage , klebsiella , biology , klebsiella pneumoniae , klebsiella oxytoca , biofilm , bacteria , virology , genetics , escherichia coli , gene , virus
The bacterial genus Klebsiella includes the closely related species K . michiganensis , K . oxytoca and K . pneumoniae , which are capable of causing severe disease in humans. In this report we describe the isolation, genomic and functional characterisation of the lytic bacteriophage KMI8 specific for K . michiganensis . KMI8 belongs to the family Drexlerviridae , and has a novel genome which shares very little homology (71.89% identity over a query cover of only 8%) with that of its closest related bacteriophages (Klebsiella bacteriophage LF20 (MW417503.1); Klebsiella bacteriophage 066039 (MW042802.1). KMI8, which possess a putative endosialidase (depolymerase) enzyme, was shown to be capable of degrading mono-biofilms of a strain of K . michiganensis that carried the polysaccharide capsule KL70 locus. This is the first report of a lytic bacteriophage for K . michiganensis , which is capable of breaking down a biofilm of this species.