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Characterization of Bacteriophage Virulent against Pseudomonas aeruginosa for Future Treatment of Cystic Fibrosis Patients |
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Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is among the most common lethal genetic diseases in the U.S. today, affecting approximately 30,000 individuals with a further 10 million carriers. CF is a disorder in which a defect in the chloride transport system of cells leads to mucous buildup in the airways of the lungs; this provides an optimal environment for the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa to proliferate and cause lung disease. As it is the leading cause of death amongst CF sufferers the task of successfully controlling P. aeruginosa proliferation is of great concern in the medical community. One of the greatest challenges to such treatment is the fact that this bacterium is inherently resistant to most antibiotics including penicillin, ampicillin, cephalothin, tetracycline, chloramphenicol, sulfonamides, and a number of aminoglycosides. Most strains are susceptible to some of the newer aminoglycosides including gentamicin, tobramycin, and amikacin however resistant strains have been more frequently observed. The need for an alternative to antibiotics is evident. Research into the use of bacteriophage against P. aeruginosa is underway, using a collection of 20 bacteriophages. These were collected in 1998 from local sewage samples and have been tested against 19 P. aeruginosa clinical isolates from CF patients. Various morphologies were observed through electron microscopy showing phages from the myoviridae, podoviridae, and siphoviridae families, including several giant myoviridae phages from the FkZ family. Several were chosen, due to their broad host range, for further analysis. Analysis with restriction enzyme digests has shown that each of the purified phages is unique. Cross resistance studies indicate the presence of at least two distinct receptors. Data regarding infection cycles and family relationships of these phages is important for characterization and is currently being gathered. The research is funded by the PhageBiotics Foundation and the Evergreen Foundation Activity Grant. |
Bacteriophage |
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