Characterization of two novel Salmonella phages having biocontrol potential against Salmonella spp. in gastrointestinal conditions.

Salmonella is a primary enteric pathogen related to the contamination of poultry and other food products in numerous foodborne outbreaks. The continuous emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria has become a serious issue due to the overuse of antibiotics. Hence, lytic phages are considered alternative biocontrol agents against these bacterial superbugs. Here, two Salmonella phages-S4lw and D5lw-were subjected to genomic and biological characterization and further encapsulated to improve the stability under acidic conditions mimicking gastrointestinal conditions. The two lytic phages, S4lw and D5lw, taxonomically belong to new species under the Guernseyvirinae and Ackermannviridae families, respectively. Each phage showed antimicrobial activities against diverse Salmonella spp., such as S. Enteritidis and S. Typhimurium, achieving 1.7-3.4 log reduction after 2-6 h of treatment. The phage cocktail at a multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 100 or 1000 completely inhibited these Salmonella strains for at least 14 h at 25 °C. Additionally, the bead-encapsulated phage cocktail could withstand low pH and different simulated gut environments for at least 1 h. Overall, the newly isolated phages can potentially mitigate Salmonella spp. under the gastrointestinal environments through encapsulation and may be further applied via oral administration to resolve common antimicrobial resistance issues in the poultry production chain.

Gut Phageome-An Insight into the Role and Impact of Gut Microbiome and Their Correlation with Mammal Health and Diseases.

The gut microbiota, including bacteria, archaea, fungi, and viruses, compose a diverse mammalian gut environment and are highly associated with host health. Bacteriophages, the viruses that infect bacteria, are the primary members of the gastrointestinal virome, known as the phageome. However, our knowledge regarding the gut phageome remains poorly understood. In this review, the critical role of the gut phageome and its correlation with mammalian health were summarized. First, an overall profile of phages across the gastrointestinal tract and their dynamic roles in shaping the surrounding microorganisms was elucidated. Further, the impacts of the gut phageome on gastrointestinal fitness and the bacterial community were highlighted, together with the influence of diets on the gut phageome composition. Additionally, new reports on the role of the gut phageome in the association of mammalian health and diseases were reviewed. Finally, a comprehensive update regarding the advanced phage benchwork and contributions of phage-based therapy to prevent/treat mammalian diseases was provided. This study provides insights into the role and impact of the gut phagenome in gut environments closely related to mammal health and diseases. The findings provoke the potential applications of phage-based diagnosis and therapy in clinical and agricultural fields. Future research is needed to uncover the underlying mechanism of phage-bacterial interactions in gut environments and explore the maintenance of mammalian health via phage-regulated gut microbiota.

Metagenomic investigation reveals bacteriophage-mediated horizontal transfer of antibiotic resistance genes in microbial communities of an organic agricultural ecosystem.

Agricultural microbiomes are major reservoirs of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), posing continuous risks to human health. To understand the role of bacteriophages as vehicles for the horizontal transfer of ARGs in the agricultural microbiome, we investigated the diversity of bacterial and viral microbiota from fecal and environmental samples on an organic farm. The profiles of the microbiome indicated the highest abundance of Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Proteobacteria phyla in animal feces, with varying Actinobacteria and Spirochaetes abundance across farm animals. The most predominant composition in environmental samples was the phylum Proteobacteria. Compared to the microbiome profiles, the trends in virome indicated much broader diversity with more specific signatures between the fecal and environmental samples. Overall, viruses belonging to the order Caudovirales were the most prevalent across the agricultural samples. Additionally, the similarities within and between fecal and environmental components of the agricultural environment based on ARG-associated bacteria alone were much lower than those of total microbiome composition. However, there were significant similarities in the profiles of ARG-associated viruses across the fecal and environmental components. Moreover, the predictive models of phage-bacterial interactions on bipartite ARG transfer networks indicated that phages belonging to the order Caudovirales, particularly in the Siphoviridae family, contained diverse ARG types in different samples. Their interaction with various bacterial hosts further implied the important role of bacteriophages in ARG transmission across bacterial populations. Our findings provided a novel insight into the potential mechanisms of phage-mediated ARG transmission and their correlation with resistome evolution in natural agricultural environments. IMPORTANCE Antibiotic resistance has become a serious health concern worldwide. The potential impact of viruses, bacteriophages in particular, on spreading antibiotic resistance genes is still controversial due to the complexity of bacteriophage-bacterial interactions within diverse environments. In this study, we determined the microbiome profiles and the potential antibiotic resistance gene (ARG) transfer between bacterial and viral populations in different agricultural samples using a high-resolution analysis of the metagenomes. The results of this study provide compelling genetic evidence for ARG transfer through bacteriophage-bacteria interactions, revealing the inherent risks associated with bacteriophage-mediated ARG transfer across the agricultural microbiome.

The Role of Temperate Phages in Bacterial Pathogenicity.

Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria and archaea and are classified as virulent or temperate phages based on their life cycles. A temperate phage, also known as a lysogenic phage, integrates its genomes into host bacterial chromosomes as a prophage. Previous studies have indicated that temperate phages are beneficial to their susceptible bacterial hosts by introducing additional genes to bacterial chromosomes, creating a mutually beneficial relationship. This article reviewed three primary ways temperate phages contribute to the bacterial pathogenicity of foodborne pathogens, including phage-mediated virulence gene transfer, antibiotic resistance gene mobilization, and biofilm formation. This study provides insights into mechanisms of phage-bacterium interactions in the context of foodborne pathogens and provokes new considerations for further research to avoid the potential of phage-mediated harmful gene transfer in agricultural environments.

A new Rogue-like Escherichia phage UDF157lw to control Escherichia coli O157:H7.

Introduction: Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O157:H7 is one of the notorious foodborne pathogens causing high mortality through the consumption of contaminated food items. The food safety risk from STEC pathogens could escalate when a group of bacterial cells aggregates to form a biofilm. Bacterial biofilm can diminish the effects of various antimicrobial interventions and enhance the pathogenicity of the pathogens. Therefore, there is an urgent need to have effective control measurements. Bacteriophages can kill the target bacterial cells through lytic infection, and some enzymes produced during the infection have the capability to penetrate the biofilm for mitigation compared to traditional interventions. This study aimed to characterize a new Escherichia phage vB_EcoS-UDF157lw (or UDF157lw) and determine its antimicrobial efficacy against E. coli O157:H7. Methods: Phage characterization included biological approaches, including phage morphology, one-step growth curve, stability tests (pH and temperature), and genomic approaches (whole-genome sequencing). Later, antimicrobial activity tests, including productive infection against susceptible bacterial strains, in vitro antimicrobial activity, and anti-biofilm, were conducted. Results: UDF157lw is a new member of the phages belonging to the Rogunavirus genus, comprising a long and non-contractile tail, isolated from bovine feces and shares close genomic evolutionary similarities with Escherichia phages vB_EcoS-BECP10 and bV_EcoS_AKS96. When used against E. coli O157:H7 (ATCC35150), phage UDF157lw exhibited a latent period of 14 min and a burst size of 110 PFU per infected cell. The phage remained viable in a wide range of pH values (pH 4-11) and temperatures (4-60°C). No virulence genes, such as stx, lysogenic genes, and antibiotic resistance genes, were found. Phage UDF157lw demonstrated high infection efficiencies against different E. coli O157:H7 and generic E. coli strains. In addition, UDF157lw encoded a unique major tail protein (ORF_26) with prominent depolymerase enzyme activity against various E. coli O157:H7 strains, causing large plaque sizes. In contrast to the phage without encoding depolymerase gene, UDF157lw was able to reduce the 24-h and 48-h E. coli O157:H7 biofilm after 1-h phage treatment. Discussion: The findings of this study provide insights into a new member of the Rogunavirus phages and demonstrate its antimicrobial potential against E. coli O157:H7 in vitro.

Characterization of polyvalent Escherichia phage Sa157lw for the biocontrol potential of Salmonella Typhimurium and Escherichia coli O157:H7 on contaminated mung bean seeds.

Seeds are one of the primary sources of contamination with foodborne pathogens, such as pathogenic Escherichia coli, and various Salmonella serovars, for produce, particularly sprouts. Due to the susceptibility of sprout growth to chemical-based antimicrobials and the rising issue of antimicrobial resistance, developing innovative antimicrobial interventions is an urgent need. Therefore, the objective of this study was to characterize Escherichia phage Sa157lw (or Sa157lw) for the biocontrol potential of Salmonella Typhimurium and E. coli O157:H7 on contaminated mung bean seeds. Phage Sa157lw was subjected to whole-genome sequencing and biological characterization, including morphology, one-step growth curve, and stress stability tests. Later, antimicrobial activity was determined in vitro and upon application on the mung bean seeds artificially contaminated with E. coli O157:H7 or Salmonella Typhimurium. Sa157lw possessed a contractile tail and belonged to the Kuttervirus genus under the Ackermannviridae family, sharing a close evolutionary relationship with E. coli phage ECML-4 and Kuttervirus ViI; however, tail spike genes (ORF_102 and ORF_104) were the primary region of difference. Comparative genomics showed that Sa157lw encoded a cluster of tail spike genes-including ORF_101, ORF_102, and ORF_104-sharing high amino acid similarity with the counterfeits of various Salmonella phages. Additionally, Sa157lw harbored a unique tail fiber (ORF_103), possibly related to the receptors binding of O157 strains. The genomic evidence accounted for the polyvalent effects of Sa157lw against E. coli O157:H7 and various Salmonella serovars (Typhimurium, Enteritidis, Agona, Saintpaul, and Heidelberg). Furthermore, the phage did not contain any virulence, antibiotic-resistant, or lysogenic genes. Sa157lw had a 30-min latent period on both E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella Typhimurium, with an estimated burst size of 130 and 220 PFU/CFU, respectively, and was stable at a wide range of temperatures (4-60°C) and pH (pH4 to pH10). The phage application demonstrated a strong anti-E. coli O157:H7 and anti-Salmonella Typhimurium effects in 1.1 and 1.8 log reduction on the contaminated mung bean seeds after overnight storage at 22°C. These findings provide valuable insights into the polyvalent Sa157lw as a potential biocontrol agent of Salmonella Typhimurium and E. coli O157:H7 on sprout seeds.

Whole-Genome Analysis of Escherichia Phage vB_EcoM-S1P5QW, Isolated from Manures Collected from Cattle Farms in Maine.

Here, we report a complete genome sequence of Escherichia phage vB_EcoM-S1P5QW, a T4-like bacteriophage that was isolated from manures collected from cattle farms in Maine. Escherichia phage vB_EcoM-S1P5QW can infect Escherichia coli O26:H11 strains and is devoid of virulence, antibiotic resistance, and lysogeny-associated genes, which may be meaningful for further biocontrol studies.

Characterization of a T4-like Bacteriophage vB_EcoM-Sa45lw as a Potential Biocontrol Agent for Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli O45 Contaminated on Mung Bean Seeds.

Application of lytic bacteriophages is a promising and alternative intervention technology to relieve antibiotic resistance pressure and control bacterial pathogens in the food industry. Despite the increase of produce-associated outbreaks caused by non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) serogroups, the information of phage application on sprouts to mitigate these pathogens is lacking. Therefore, the objective of this study was to characterize a T4-like Escherichia phage vB_EcoM-Sa45lw (or Sa45lw) for the biocontrol potential of STEC O45 on mung bean seeds. Phage Sa45lw belongs to the Tequatrovirus genus under the Myoviridae family and displays a close evolutionary relationship with a STEC O157-infecting phage AR1. Sa45lw contains a long-tail fiber gene (gp37), sharing high genetic similarity with the counterpart of Escherichia phage KIT03, and a unique tail lysozyme (gp5) to distinguish its host range (STEC O157, O45, ATCC 13706, and Salmonella Montevideo and Thompson) from phage KIT03 (O157 and Salmonella enterica). No stx, antibiotic resistance, and lysogenic genes were found in the Sa45lw genome. The phage has a latent period of 27 min with an estimated burst size of 80 PFU/CFU and is stable at a wide range of pH (pH 3 to pH 10.5) and temperatures (-80°C to 50°C). Phage Sa45lw is particularly effective in reducing E. coli O45:H16 both in vitro (MOI = 10) by 5 log and upon application (MOI = 1,000) on the contaminated mung bean seeds for 15 min by 2 log at 25°C. These findings highlight the potential of phage application against non-O157 STEC on sprout seeds. IMPORTANCE Seeds contaminated with foodborne pathogens, such as Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, are the primary sources of contamination in produce and have contributed to numerous foodborne outbreaks. Antibiotic resistance has been a long-lasting issue that poses a threat to human health and the food industry. Therefore, developing novel antimicrobial interventions, such as bacteriophage application, is pivotal to combat these pathogens. This study characterized a lytic bacteriophage Sa45lw as an alternative antimicrobial agent to control pathogenic E. coli on the contaminated mung bean seeds. The phage exhibited antimicrobial effects against both pathogenic E. coli and Salmonella without containing virulent or lysogenic genes that could compromise the safety of phage application. In addition, after 15 min of phage treatment, Sa45lw mitigated E. coli O45:H16 on the contaminated mung bean seeds by a 2-log reduction at room temperature, demonstrating the biocontrol potential of non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli on sprout seeds.

A New Kayfunavirus-like Escherichia Phage vB_EcoP-Ro45lw with Antimicrobial Potential of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli O45 Strain.

Lytic bacteriophages are re-considered as a solution to resolve antibiotic-resistant rampage. Despite frequent foodborne outbreaks caused by the top six non-O157 Shiga-toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), the current interventions are not sufficiently effective against each serogroup, particularly O45. Therefore, this study aimed to characterize a new short-tailed phage, vB_EcoP-Ro45lw (or Ro45lw), as an alternative antimicrobial agent for STEC O45 strains. Phage Ro45lw belongs to the Kayfunavirus genus within the Autographiviridae family and shares no close evolutionary relationship with any reference phages. Ro45lw contains a tail structure composed of a unique tail fiber and tail tubular proteins A and B, likely to produce enzymatic activity against the target bacterial cells besides structural function. Additionally, the phage genome does not contain virulent, antibiotic-resistant, or lysogenic genes. The phage has a latent period of 15 min with an estimated burst size of 55 PFU/CFU and is stable at a wide range of pH (pH4 to pH11) and temperatures (30 °C to 60 °C). Regardless of the MOIs (MOI = 0.1, 1, and 10) used, Ro45lw has a strong antimicrobial activity against both environmental (E. coli O45:H-) and clinical (E. coli O45:H2) strains at 25 °C. These findings indicate that phage Ro45lw has antimicrobial potential in mitigating pathogenic STEC O45 strains.

Characterization of Two New Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli O103-Infecting Phages Isolated from an Organic Farm.

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O103 strains have been recently attributed to various foodborne outbreaks in the United States. Due to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains, lytic phages are considered as alternative biocontrol agents. This study was to biologically and genomically characterize two STEC O103-infecting bacteriophages, vB_EcoP-Ro103C3lw (or Ro103C3lw) and vB_EcoM-Pr103Blw (or Pr103Blw), isolated from an organic farm. Based on genomic and morphological analyses, phages Ro103C3lw and Pr103Blw belonged to Autographiviridae and Myoviridae families, respectively. Ro103C3lw contained a 39,389-bp double-stranded DNA and encoded a unique tail fiber with depolymerase activity, resulting in huge plaques. Pr103Blw had an 88,421-bp double-stranded DNA with 26 predicted tRNAs associated with the enhancement of the phage fitness. Within each phage genome, no virulence, antibiotic-resistant, and lysogenic genes were detected. Additionally, Ro103C3lw had a short latent period (2 min) and a narrow host range, infecting only STEC O103 strains. By contrast, Pr103Blw had a large burst size (152 PFU/CFU) and a broad host range against STEC O103, O26, O111, O157:H7, and Salmonella Javiana strains. Furthermore, both phages showed strong antimicrobial activities against STEC O103:H2 strains. The findings provide valuable insight into these two phages' genomic features with the potential antimicrobial activities against STEC O103.

Genomic Characterization of Two Shiga Toxin-Converting Bacteriophages Induced From Environmental Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli.

Shiga toxin (Stx), encoded by stx genes located in prophage sequences, is the major agent responsible for the pathogenicity of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) and is closely associated with the development of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). Although numerous Stx prophage sequences have been reported as part of STEC bacterial genomes, the information about the genomic characterization of Stx-converting bacteriophages induced from STEC strains is relatively scarce. The objectives of this study were to genomically characterize two Stx-converting phages induced from environmental STEC strains and to evaluate their correlations with published Stx-converting phages and STEC strains of different origins. The Stx1-converting phage Lys8385Vzw and the Stx2-converting phage Lys19259Vzw were induced from E. coli O103:H11 (RM8385) and E. coli O157:H7 (RM19259), respectively. Whole-genome sequencing of these phages was conducted on a MiSeq sequencer for genomic characterization. Phylogenetic analysis and comparative genomics were performed to determine the correlations between these two Stx-converting phages, 13 reference Stx-converting phages, and 10 reference STEC genomes carrying closely related Stx prophages. Both Stx-converting phages Lys8385Vzw and Lys19259Vzw had double-stranded DNA, with genome sizes of 50,953 and 61,072 bp, respectively. Approximately 40% of the annotated coding DNA sequences with the predicted functions were likely associated with the fitness for both phages and their bacterial hosts. The whole-genome-based phylogenetic analysis of these two Stx-converting phages and 13 reference Stx-converting phages revealed that the 15 Stx-converting phages were divided into three distinct clusters, and those from E. coli O157:H7, in particular, were distributed in each cluster, demonstrating the high genomic diversity of these Stx-converting phages. The genomes of Stx-converting phage Lys8385Vzw and Lys19259Vzw shared a high-nucleotide similarity with the prophage sequences of the selected STEC isolates from the clinical and environmental origin. The findings demonstrate the genomic diversity of Stx-converting phages induced from different STEC strains and provide valuable insights into the dissemination of stx genes among E. coli population via the lysogenization of Stx-converting phages.

Food safety lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has ushered in a new era of food safety. To date, there is no evidence to suggest that consuming food is associated with COVID-19. Nevertheless, COVID-19's impact on food safety and security has been grave. The world is currently experiencing several supply chain issues as a direct result of extensive lockdowns and impacts on essential workers' safety. However, disruption in the food supply, while catastrophic in nature, has created opportunities for the advancement of medical science, data processing, security monitoring, foodborne pathogen detection, and food safety technology. This article will discuss the key components for food safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. The discussion will draw from lessons learned early in the outbreak and will analyze the etiology of the disease through a food safety perspective. From there, we will discuss personal protective equipment, detection of SARS-CoV-2, useful surrogates to study SARS-CoV-2, and the expanding field of data science, from the food safety point of view. In the future, scientists can apply the knowledge to the containment of COVID-19 and eventually to future pandemics.

Whole-Genome Analysis of a Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli O103:H2 Strain Isolated from Cattle Feces.

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) serotype O103 is one of the primary pathogenic contaminants of beef products, contributing to several foodborne outbreaks in recent years. Here, we report the whole-genome sequence of a STEC O103:H2 strain isolated from cattle feces that contains a locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE) pathogenicity island.

Effects of lyophilization on the stability of bacteriophages against different serogroups of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli.

Lyophilization is commonly used to effectively preserve the stability of bacteriophages (phages) in long-term storage. However, information regarding the lyophilization of phages specific to Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) strains is scarce. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of lyophilization with different cryoprotectants (sucrose and trehalose) and concentrations (0.1 M and 0.5 M) on the stability of seven lytic phages specific to STEC O157 and top 6 non-O157 strains during 6-month storage at -80 °C. The titers of lyophilized phages specific to STEC O26 (S1 O26) and STEC O121 (Pr121lvw) did not exhibit significant reduction after 6-month storage regardless of the use of cryoprotectants. Phages lytic against STEC O103 (Ro103C3lw) and STEC O145 (Ro145clw) with 0.1 M sucrose retained similar titers after lyophilization and frozen storage for 6 months (P > 0.05). Despite subtle differences, these results indicated that most of the selected phages had similar titer retention with the same cryoprotectants. Additionally, lytic activities of the phages against their primary hosts were not affected after lyophilization and 6-month frozen storage. Moreover, no detectable damage was observed on the lyophilized phage structures. These findings provide valuable insight into the use of lyophilization to preserve phages lytic against STEC strains.

Bacteriophages specific to Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli exist in goat feces and associated environments on an organic produce farm in Northern California, USA.

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STECs) contamination of produce, as a result of contact with ruminant fecal material, has been associated with serious foodborne illness. Bacteriophages (phages) that infect STECs have primarily been reported to be of cattle origin. However, they likely exist in other environments or in animals that share habitats with cattle, such as goats. To explore the presence and diversity of phages specific to STEC O157 and the top six non-O157 STECs in goat-associated environments, environmental samples consisting of feces (goat and cattle) and soil samples were collected monthly for six months from an organic produce farm. A variety of phages belonging to the Myoviridae, Siphoviridae, and Podoviridae families were isolated from all goat fecal and half of the soil samples. The most commonly isolated phages belonged to Myoviridae and were lytic against STEC O103. The isolated phages had different host ranges, but collectively, showed lytic activity against O157 and the top six non-O157 STEC strains excluding O121. Two non-O157 STECs (O174: H21 and O-antigen-negative: H18) were isolated from soil and cattle feces, respectively. Although prior studies have reported that goats shed STEC into the environment, the findings of the current study suggest that goat feces may also contain lytic STEC-specific phages. The phages of goat origin have the capacity to infect STECs implicated in causing foodborne outbreaks, making them potential candidates for biocontrol pending additional characterization steps. Further work is needed to determine if the addition of goats to the farm environment could potentially reduce the presence of STECs.

Is Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli O45 No Longer a Food Safety Threat? The Danger is Still Out There.

Many Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) strains, including the serogroups of O157 and most of the top six non-O157 serotypes, are frequently associated with foodborne outbreaks. Therefore, they have been extensively studied using next-generation sequencing technology. However, related information regarding STEC O45 strains is scarce. In this study, three environmental E. coli O45:H16 strains (RM11911, RM13745, and RM13752) and one clinical E. coli O45:H2 strain (SJ7) were sequenced and used to characterize virulence factors using two reference E. coli O45:H2 strains of clinical origin. Subsequently, whole-genome-based phylogenetic analysis was conducted for the six STEC O45 strains and nine other reference STEC genomes, in order to evaluate their evolutionary relationship. The results show that one locus of enterocyte effacement pathogenicity island was found in all three STEC O45:H2 strains, but not in the STEC O45:H16 strains. Additionally, E. coli O45:H2 strains were evolutionarily close to E. coli O103:H2 strains, sharing high homology in terms of virulence factors, such as Stx prophages, but were distinct from E. coli O45:H16 strains. The findings show that E. coli O45:H2 may be as virulent as E. coli O103:H2, which is frequently associated with severe illness and can provide genomic evidence to facilitate STEC surveillance.

Investigating the Whole-Genome Sequence of a New Locus of Enterocyte Effacement-Positive Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 Strain Isolated from River Water.

Diverse Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) strains have been isolated from several environmental samples. Rivers are associated with the distribution of STEC pathogens in the environment. Thus, we report the complete genome sequence of a locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE)-positive STEC O157:H7 strain isolated from the Mississippi River.

Complete Genome Sequence of a Shiga Toxin-Converting Bacteriophage, Escherichia Phage Lys12581Vzw, Induced from an Outbreak Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli Strain.

Although numerous Shiga toxin (Stx)-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) strains have been sequenced, genomic information on Stx-converting phages, highly related to the primary virulence factors of STEC, is scarce. Here, we report the complete genome sequence of a Stx-converting phage induced from an outbreak STEC O145 strain.

Genome Sequence of a T4-like Phage, Escherichia Phage vB_EcoM-Sa45lw, Infecting Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli Strains.

Escherichia phage vB_EcoM-Sa45lw, a new member of the T4-like phages, was isolated from surface water in a produce-growing area. The phage, containing double-stranded DNA with a genome size of 167,353 bp and 282 predicted open reading frames (ORFs), is able to infect generic Escherichia coli and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O45 and O157 strains.

Complete Genome Sequence of Escherichia coli Phage vB_EcoM Sa157lw, Isolated from Surface Water Collected in Salinas, California.

Here, we report the complete genome sequence of a new member of Vi1-like phages, Escherichia coli phage vB_EcoM Sa157lw, isolated from surface water collected near a produce-growing area in California. This phage does not harbor stx or other lysogeny-associated genes and therefore may have biocontrol application potential.