Promising viruses
New bacteriophage viruses will help in the fight against nosocomial infections
NCMU employees "The Center for Personalized Medicine" FGBNU "IEM" described new types of bacteriophages capable of suppressing the development of nosocomial infections.
Nosocomial infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria occur on average in 8% of patients treated in hospitals. One of the most widespread pathogens of nosocomial infections are vancomycin-resistant enterococci. For the treatment and prevention of enterococcal infections, as an alternative to antibiotics, it is proposed to use bacteriophages — viruses capable of destroying bacterial cells in a specific way. However, the variability of the population structure of pathogens requires constant updating of the composition of phage preparations and the inclusion of new varieties of bacteriophages in them.
In the study of the staff of the NCMU "Center for Personalized Medicine" FGBNU "IEM", the structure and genetic features of two new bacteriophages that can be used to treat enterococcal nosocomial infections were studied in detail. It was found that the isolated bacteriophages, named GVEsP-1 and SSsP-1, represent new species of the genera Shiekvirus and Saphexavirus. In experiments on laboratory mice, these phages have shown high efficacy in the treatment of systemic enterococcal infection. It has been established that the genomes of the described bacteriophages contain sites encoding factors of counteraction to the bacterial system of antiviral immunity CRISPR-CAS, which explains their high virulence in relation to host bacteria.
Morphology of viral particles according to the results of transmission electron microscopy: A — enterococcal phage GVEsP-1; B — phage SSsP-1. The scale corresponds to 100 nm.
The researchers believe that the isolated bacteriophages, along with closely related viruses of the Herelleviridae and Siphoviridae families, are optimal candidates for inclusion in the composition of therapeutic and preventive preparations of bacteriophages to combat enterococcal infections.
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