Taxonomical Classification of 20 Newly Isolated &lt;i&gt;Listeria&lt;/i&gt; Bacteriophages by Electron Microscopy and Protein Analysis

Loessner, Martin J.; Estela, Luis A.; Zink, Ralf; Scherer, Siegfried

doi:10.1159/000150353

Cited by 19 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…In this study, the majority of the phage isolates from the environment of turkey processing plants were Listeria genus-specific, being able to infect L. monocytogenes strains of different serotypes and strains of other Listeria spp., except for L. grayi. The wide host range of the phages was similar to those of A511 and P100, both of which were previously isolated in Europe (5,23). Interestingly, 20422-1 and 805405-1 were isolated from processing plants located in two different (nonadjoining) states in the United States, but they featured exactly the same host-range spectrum.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 52%

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Host Ranges of Listeria -Specific Bacteriophages from the Turkey Processing Plant Environment in the United States

Kim

Siletzky

Kathariou

2008

Appl Environ Microbiol

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Even though at least 400 Listeria phages have been isolated from various sources, limited information is available on phages from the food processing plant environment. Phages in the processing plant environment may play critical roles in determining the Listeria population that becomes established in the plant. In this study, we pursued the isolation of Listeria-specific phages from environmental samples from four turkey processing plants in the United States. These environmental samples were also utilized to isolate Listeria spp. Twelve phages were isolated and classified into three groups in terms of their host range. Of these, nine ( Listeria monocytogenes is an important food-borne pathogen responsible for listeriosis, an illness with severe symptoms and relatively high mortality rates (20 to 30%). Individuals at risk are primarily pregnant women and their fetuses, immunocompromised patients, and the elderly. Most cases of human listeriosis involve bacteria of serotypes 1/2a, 1/2b, and 4b. The food processing plant environment is of key importance for the contamination of ready-to-eat foods by L. monocytogenes (15,16). However, attributes of the bacteria that determine their distribution, prevalence, and persistence in the processing plant environment remain poorly characterized.The ability of L. monocytogenes to form biofilms and to resist disinfectants commonly employed for processing plant sanitation has been postulated to be an important determinant of the organism's ecology in the processing plant environment (16). Differences in ability to form biofilms and to tolerate disinfectants used in processing plants may contribute to the higher relative prevalence of certain serotypes. In several studies, strains of serotype 1/2a were significantly more frequently isolated from environmental samples of processing plants than were strains of serotype 4b (17,27,30,31). There is evidence that serotype 1/2a strains were more likely to form biofilms and to be resistant to the disinfectant benzalkonium chloride (BC) than were strains of serotype 4b (4,24,25).Another potentially important determinant of Listeria's ecology in the processing plant (and other) environments would be expected to be the susceptibility of the organisms to Listeria-specific bacteriophage (listeriaphage). The first listeriaphage report was published in 1945 (28), and to date, at least 400 phages have been isolated from various sources, including foods, sewage, silage, and lysogenic strains (21). The differential susceptibility of Listeria strains to selected phages has been utilized extensively as a strain-typing tool in epidemiological studies (22). Recent studies suggest the potential of phages as biological control agents for Listeria in foods and in the processing plants (13,18,19), and in 2006, the U.S. FDA approved the application of a listeriaphage mixture on the surface of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products (11). GRAS (generally regarded as safe) status has been granted to listeriaphage P100, isolated from a sewage effluent sampl...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 52%

“…GRAS (generally regarded as safe) status has been granted to listeriaphage P100, isolated from a sewage effluent sample of a dairy processing plant in Germany (5). P100 is a virulent, wide-hostrange phage capable of infecting Listeria strains of various species and serotypes, similar to the previously characterized phage A511 (5,23).…”

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confidence: 99%

Host Ranges of Listeria -Specific Bacteriophages from the Turkey Processing Plant Environment in the United States

Kim

Siletzky

Kathariou

2008

Appl Environ Microbiol

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“…All phages in this orthocluster encode an integrase, suggesting a temperate life-style. Both B025 and PSA have previously been reported to be temperate phages (30,35). LP-030-2 was morphologically identified as belonging to morphospecies 2389 of the Siphoviridae (Fig.…”

Section: Genomes Of Newly Sequencedmentioning

confidence: 88%

Comparative Genomic and Morphological Analyses of Listeria Phages Isolated from Farm Environments

Denes

Vongkamjan

Ackermann

et al. 2014

Appl Environ Microbiol

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The genus Listeria is ubiquitous in the environment and includes the globally important food-borne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes. While the genomic diversity of Listeria has been well studied, considerably less is known about the genomic and morphological diversity of Listeria bacteriophages. In this study, we sequenced and analyzed the genomes of 14 Listeria phages isolated mostly from New York dairy farm environments as well as one related Enterococcus faecalis phage to obtain information on genome characteristics and diversity. We also examined 12 of the phages by electron microscopy to characterize their morphology. These Listeria phages, based on gene orthology and morphology, together with previously sequenced Listeria phages could be classified into five orthoclusters, including one novel orthocluster. One orthocluster (orthocluster I) consists of largegenome (ϳ135-kb) myoviruses belonging to the genus "Twort-like viruses," three orthoclusters (orthoclusters II to IV) contain small-genome (36-to 43-kb) siphoviruses with icosahedral heads, and the novel orthocluster V contains medium-sized-genome (ϳ66-kb) siphoviruses with elongated heads. A novel orthocluster (orthocluster VI) of E. faecalis phages, with medium-sized genomes (ϳ56 kb), was identified, which grouped together and shares morphological features with the novel Listeria phage orthocluster V. This new group of phages (i.e., orthoclusters V and VI) is composed of putative lytic phages that may prove to be useful in phage-based applications for biocontrol, detection, and therapeutic purposes.

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“…In the case of Listeria, however, the potential influence of prophages on their host strains, such as phenotypic variation or provision of selective benefits, has not been investigated. To gain more insight in bacteriophage-host interactions and the molecular biology and characteristics of Listeria phages, more information on the structure, information content, and variability of different Listeria phage genomes is required.Although a number of Listeria phages have been isolated and described (25,27,42), only limited information was available at the sequence level for phages PSA, A118, A511, and P100 (9,19,26,41). As the result of a comprehensive study to determine the diversity of this group of bacterial viruses, we here report the complete nucleotide sequences of a representative set of six different Listeria phages from the Siphoviridae…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Although a number of Listeria phages have been isolated and described (25,27,42), only limited information was available at the sequence level for phages PSA, A118, A511, and P100 (9,19,26,41). As the result of a comprehensive study to determine the diversity of this group of bacterial viruses, we here report the complete nucleotide sequences of a representative set of six different Listeria phages from the Siphoviridae (A006, A500, B025, P35, and P40) and Myoviridae (B054) families in the order Caudovirales.…”

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confidence: 99%

Comparative Genome Analysis ofListeriaBacteriophages Reveals Extensive Mosaicism, Programmed Translational Frameshifting, and a Novel Prophage Insertion Site

et al. 2009

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The genomes of six Listeria bacteriophages were sequenced and analyzed. Phages A006, A500, B025, P35, and P40 are members of the Siphoviridae and contain double-stranded DNA genomes of between 35.6 kb and 42.7 kb. Phage B054 is a unique myovirus and features a 48.2-kb genome. Phage B025 features 3 overlapping single-stranded genome ends, whereas the other viruses contain collections of terminally redundant, circularly permuted DNA molecules. Phages P35 and P40 have a broad host range and lack lysogeny functions, correlating with their virulent lifestyle. Phages A500, A006, and B025 integrate into bacterial tRNA genes, whereas B054 targets the 3 end of translation elongation factor gene tsf. This is the first reported case of phage integration into such an evolutionarily conserved genetic element. Peptide fingerprinting of viral proteins revealed that both A118 and A500 utilize ؉1 and ؊1 programmed translational frameshifting for generating major capsid and tail shaft proteins with C termini of different lengths. In both cases, the unusual ؉1 frameshift at the 3 ends of the tsh coding sequences is induced by overlapping proline codons and cis-acting shifty stops. Although Listeria phage genomes feature a conserved organization, they also show extensive mosaicism within the genome building blocks. Of particular interest is B025, which harbors a collection of modules and sequences with relatedness not only to other Listeria phages but also to viruses infecting other members of the Firmicutes. In conclusion, our results yield insights into the composition and diversity of Listeria phages and provide new information on their function, genome adaptation, and evolution.The opportunistic pathogen Listeria monocytogenes is ubiquitous in nature and can become endemic in food processing environments, causing contamination of dairy products, meats, vegetables, and processed ready-to-eat food (14). L. monocytogenes is the causative agent of epidemic and sporadic listeriosis. The risk of infection is markedly increased among immunocompromised patients, newborns, pregnant women, and the elderly and is associated with a mortality rate of about 20 to 30% (37).Although all strains of L. monocytogenes are considered potentially pathogenic, epidemiological evidence has shown that certain serovars are more frequently associated with both sporadic cases and larger food-borne outbreaks. However, genetic variation within the virulence genes of wild-type strains appears to be limited and could not be directly linked to differences in pathogenicity (30) or environmental distribution.It is becoming increasingly clear that bacteriophages have an important role in bacterial biology, diversity, and evolution, as indicated by the advances in genome sequencing which revealed a high incidence of phage-related sequences in bacterial genomes. Many phages have been described for the genus Listeria, and lysogeny appears to be widespread (28). Availability of the genome sequences of different L. monocytogenes and L. innocua strains also revealed the...

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Taxonomical Classification of 20 Newly Isolated <i>Listeria</i> Bacteriophages by Electron Microscopy and Protein Analysis

Cited by 19 publications

References 13 publications

Host Ranges of Listeria -Specific Bacteriophages from the Turkey Processing Plant Environment in the United States

Host Ranges of Listeria -Specific Bacteriophages from the Turkey Processing Plant Environment in the United States

Comparative Genomic and Morphological Analyses of Listeria Phages Isolated from Farm Environments

Comparative Genome Analysis ofListeriaBacteriophages Reveals Extensive Mosaicism, Programmed Translational Frameshifting, and a Novel Prophage Insertion Site

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