Vet World Vol.17 September-2024 Article - 7
Research Article
Veterinary World, 17(9): 2008-2016
https://doi.org/10.14202/vetworld.2024.2008-2016
Characterizing the bacteriophage PKp-V1 as a potential treatment for ESBL-producing hypervirulent K1 Klebsiella pneumoniae ST258 isolated from veterinary specimens
2. Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan.
3. Institute of Microbiology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan.
4. Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Jouf University, Sakaka 72388, Saudi Arabia.
5. Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University-Al-Kharj, 11942 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
6. Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Jouf University, Qurayyat 75911, Saudi Arabia.
7. Biology Department, Turabah University College, Taif University 21995, Saudi Arabia.
Background and Aim: The dearth of new antibiotics necessitates alternative approaches for managing infections caused by resistant superbugs. This study aimed to evaluate the lytic potential of the purified bacteriophage PKp-V1 against extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) harboring hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (hvKp)-K1 recovered from veterinary specimens.
Materials and Methods: A total of 50 samples were collected from various veterinary specimens to isolate K. pneumoniae, followed by antimicrobial susceptibility testing and molecular detection of various virulence and ESBL genes. Multilocus sequence typing of the isolates was performed to identify prevalent sequence types. The bacteriophages were isolated using the double-agar overlay method and characterized using transmission electron microscopy, spot tests, plaque assays, stability tests, and one-step growth curve assays.
Results: Among 17 (34%) confirmed K. pneumoniae isolates, 6 (35%) were hvKp, whereas 13 (76%) isolates belonging to the K1 type were positive for the wzy (K1) virulence gene. All (100%) hvKp isolates exhibited the allelic profile of ST258. Overall, PKp-V1 exhibited an 88 % (15/17; (p ≤ 0.05) host range, among which all (100 %; p ≤ 0.01) hvKp isolates were susceptible to PKp-V1. PKp-V1 exhibited a lytic phage titer of 2.4 × 108 plaque forming unit (PFU)/mL at temperatures ranging from 25°C to 37°C. The lytic phage titers of PKp-V1 at pH = 8 and 0.5% chloroform were 2.1 × 108 PFU/mL and 7.2 × 109 PFU/mL, respectively.
Conclusion: Although the incidence of ESBL-infected K. pneumoniae in veterinary settings is worrisome, PKp-V1 phages showed considerable lytic action against the host bacterium, indicating the potential of PKp-V1 as a possible alternative therapeutic option against MDR K. pneumoniae.
Keywords: antibiotic resistance, bacteriophage, Klebsiella pneumoniae, veterinary.
How to cite this article: Tariq MU, Muzammil S, Ashfaq UA, Arshad MI, Shafique M, Ejaz H, Khurshid M, Eltayeb LB, Mazhari BBZ, Elamir MYM, Al-Harthi HF, Rasool MH, and Aslam B (2024) Characterizing the bacteriophage PKp-V1 as a potential treatment for ESBL-producing hypervirulent K1 Klebsiella pneumoniae ST258 isolated from veterinary specimens, Veterinary World, 17(9): 2008-2016.
Received: 2024-04-30 Accepted: 2024-08-05 Published online: 2024-09-08
Corresponding author: E-mail:
DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2024.2008-2016
Copyright: Tariq, et al. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/ publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.
