Aim: To use partially
characterized phages for generation of phage lysates having potential to be
developed as vaccines against S. Abortusequi.
Materials and Methods:
Phage/s isolation from several sewage samples was attempted against
Salmonella Abortusequi strains procured from the National Salmonella
Reference Centre, IVRI using enrichment and agar overlay technique. A
concentrated stock of the phage was prepared after its purification. The lytic
range, morphology and DNA size were determined.
Results: Two lytic phages
could be isolated and purified. The phage with wider lytic range was found to
possess a hexagonal head with a very short tail. The DNA size was found to be
21kb.
Conclusion: The investigation reports first isolation of a lytic
phage against Salmonella Abortusequi. The phage can be used in future for
development of phage lysate based immune therapeutic agent against equine
abortions.
Keywords: bacteriophage, lytic phage, Salmonella
Abortusequi
