Isolation of a Mycobacteriophage against Mycobacterium smegmatis

Abstract

The Mycobacterium genus has important pathogenic species, such as M. leprae and M. tuberculosis, with high incidence in the human population. The number of bacterial strains resistant to antibiotics is steadily increasing, and in particular no new antibiotics have been developed for Mycobacterium. Mycobacteriophages have been shown to be viable alternatives, mainly to counteract antibiotic-resistant bacteria. A new mycobacteriophage (Myms-1) was isolated from sewage in Manaus, Amazonas state, Brazil, with lytic activity against M. smegmatis. Morphological analysis of the Mysm-1 phage shows that it probably belongs to the genus Fromanvirus (family Siphoviridae). It has an icosahedral head with approximate diameter of 50 nm and a long non-contractile tail with approximate length of 200 nm. M. smegmatis is a fast-growing mycobacterium found in the environment that is normally non-pathogenic, so it is a promising bacterium for initial tests of this genus.