AUTHOR=Huang Lingqiong , Guo Wenqiong , Lu Jiahui , Pan Wuliang , Song Fuqiang , Wang Peng 

TITLE=Enterococcus faecalis Bacteriophage vB_EfaS_efap05-1 Targets the Surface Polysaccharide and ComEA Protein as the Receptors

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=13

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2022.866382

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2022.866382

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p><italic>Enterococcus faecalis</italic> is a Gram-positive opportunistic pathogen that causes nosocomial infections in humans. Due to the growing threat of antibiotic resistance of <italic>E. faecalis</italic>, bacteriophage therapy is a promising option for treating of <italic>E. faecalis</italic> infection. Here, we characterized a lytic <italic>E. faecalis</italic> bacteriophage vB_EfaS_efap05-1 with a dsDNA genome of 56,563 bp. Phage vB_EfaS_efap05-1 had a prolate head and a tail, and belongs to Saphexavirus which is a member of <italic>Siphoviridae</italic>. Efap05-1 uses either surface polysaccharide or membrane protein ComEA as the receptor because the mutation of both genes (<italic>ComEA</italic> and UDP-glucose 4-epimerase <italic>galE</italic>) prevents phage adsorption and leads to phage resistance, and complementation of <italic>ComEA</italic> or <italic>galE</italic> could recover its phage sensitivity. Our results provided a comprehensive analysis of a new <italic>E. faecalis</italic> phage and suggest efap05-1 as a potential antimicrobial agent.</p>