Efficacious antibacterial potency of novel bacteriophages against ESBL-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated from burn wound infections

Ladan  Rahimzadeh Torabi; Nafiseh  Sadat Naghavi; Monir Doudi; Ramesh Monajemi

doi:10.18502/ijm.v13i5.7435

Ladan Rahimzadeh Torabi Department of Microbiology, Falavarjan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran
Nafiseh Sadat Naghavi Department of Microbiology, Falavarjan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran
Monir Doudi Department of Microbiology, Falavarjan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran
Ramesh Monajemi Department of Biology, Falavarjan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/ijm.v13i5.7435

Keywords: Bacteriophage therapy; Burn; Klebsiella pneumoniae; Extended spectrum beta-lactamase; Wound; Bacterial infections; Restriction endonuclease

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Prevalence of extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) leads to the development of antibi- otic resistance and mortality in burn patients. One of the alternative strategies for controlling ESBL bacterial infections is clinical trials of bacteriophage therapy. The aim of this study was to isolate and characterize specific bacteriophages against ESBL-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae in patients with burn ulcers.

Materials and Methods: Clinical samples were isolated from the hospitalized patient in burn medical centers, Iran. Bio- chemical screenings and 16S rRNA gene sequencing were determined. The phages were isolated from municipal sewerage treatment plants, Isfahan, Iran. TEM and FESEM, adsorption velocity, growth curve, host range, and the viability of the phage particles as well as proteomics and enzyme digestion patterns were examined.

Results: The results showed that Klebsiella pneumoniae Iaufa_lad2 (GenBank accession number: MW836954) was con- firmed as an ESBL-producing strain using combined disk method. This bacterium showed significant sensitivity to three phages including PɸBw-Kp1, PɸBw-Kp2, and PɸBw-Kp3. Morphological characterization demonstrated that the phage PɸBw-Kp3 to the Siphoviridae family (lambda-like phages) and both phages PɸBw-Kp1 and ɸBw-Kp2 to the Podoviridae family (T1-like phages). The isolated bacteriophages had a large burst size, thermal and pH viability and efficient adsorption rate to the host cells.

Conclusion: In present study, the efficacy of bacteriophages against ESBL pathogenic bacterium promises a remarkable achievement for phage therapy. It seems that, these isolated bacteriophages, in the form of phage cocktails, had a strong an- tibacterial impacts and a broad-spectrum strategy against ESBL-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated from burn ulcers.