AUTHOR=Tian Xun , Liu Xiang , Zhou Jianhong , Wang Li , Wang Qinrong , Qi Xiaolan , Liu Jiayu , Zhao Dailin , Hsiang Tom , Jiang Yinhui 

TITLE=Isolation, characterization and therapeutic evaluation of a new Acinetobacter virus Abgy202141 lysing Acinetobacter baumannii

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=15

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2024.1379400

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2024.1379400

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p><italic>Acinetobacter baumannii</italic> is an opportunistic pathogen that easily resists currently available antibiotics. Phages are considered alternative therapeutic agents to conventional antibiotics for the treatment of multidrug-resistant bacteria. We isolated an Acinetobacter virus Abgy202141 from underground sewage in a residential area of Guiyang City in China. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis showed that Acinetobacter virus Abgy202141 has an icosahedral head attached to a tail. This phage infects <italic>A. baumannii</italic> strain GY-4, and was found to have a short latent period of 5 min and with a burst size of 189 particles per infected host cell. Additionally, Acinetobacter virus Abgy202141 remained stable at different concentrations of chloroform and varying pH levels and temperatures. Based on SDS-PAGE analysis, it contained 14 proteins with molecular weights ranging from 12 to 125 kDa. The double-strand (ds) DNA genome of Acinetobacter virus Abgy202141 consisted of 41,242 bp with a GC content of 39.4%. It contained 50 open reading frames (ORFs), of which 29 ORFs had identified functions, but no virulence-related genes, antibiotic-resistance genes, or tRNAs were found. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that Acinetobacter virus Abgy202141 was a new phage in the <italic>Friunavirus</italic> genus. Acinetobacter virus Abgy202141 also showed the ability to prevent <italic>A. baumannii</italic> infections in the <italic>Galleria mellonella in vivo</italic> model.</p>