Comparative Analysis of Felixounavirus Genomes Including Two New Members of the Genus That Infect Salmonella Infantis

Abstract

Salmonella spp. is one of the most common foodborne pathogens worldwide; therefore, its control is highly relevant for the food industry. Phages of the Felixounavirus genus have the characteristic that one phage can infect a large number of different Salmonella serovars and, thus, are proposed as an alternative to antimicrobials in food production. Here, we describe two new members of the Felixounavirus genus named vB_Si_35FD and vB_Si_DR94, which can infect Salmonella Infantis. These new members were isolated and sequenced, and a subsequent comparative genomic analysis was conducted including 23 publicly available genomes of Felixounaviruses that infect Salmonella. The genomes of vB_Si_35FD and vB_Si_DR94 are 85,818 and 85,730 bp large and contain 129 and 125 coding sequences, respectively. The genomes did not show genes associated with virulence or antimicrobial resistance, which could be useful for candidates to use as biocontrol agents. Comparative genomics revealed that closely related Felixounavirus are found in distinct geographical locations and that this genus has a conserved genomic structure despite its worldwide distribution. Our study revealed a highly conserved structure of the phage genomes, and the two newly described phages could represent promising biocontrol candidates against Salmonella spp. from a genomic viewpoint.

Isolation and Characterization of a Novel Phage Collection against Avian-Pathogenic Escherichia coli

“…Surprisingly, no phage, not even the Felixounavirus phages, had lysed the three Salmonella strains tested, even though the Felixounavirus type species, FelixO1, isolated from an S. paratyphi strain, is described to have a broad host range ( 21 – 23 ) that includes strains belonging to the serovars tested in the present study. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) has been described as the bacterial receptor of Felixounavirus phages ( 24 ).…”

In Vitro Effect on Piglet Gut Microbiota and In Vivo Assessment of Newly Isolated Bacteriophages against F18 Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC)

“…Nevertheless, according to Phage AI S.A. (V. 0.11.0), these four bacteriophages are considered as lytic phages with a percentage of predicted lifecycle of 93.27% for vB_EcoS_ULIM2, 99.30% for vB_EcoM_ULIM3, 98.77% for vB_EcoM_ULIM8 and 98.88% for vB_EcoM_ULIM9. The genomes of vB_EcoM_ULIM3, vB_EcoM_ULIM8 and vB_EcoM_ULIM9 were aligned and displayed with phage Felix01 (AF320576.1), using VIPtree in Figure 4 a [ 33 ]. Moreover, the alignment of these bacteriophages with JSpecies (v1.2.1.)…”