Temperate phages enhance pathogen fitness in chronic lung infection

Davies, Emily V, James, Chloe E, Kukavica-Ibrulj, Irena, Levesque, Roger C, Brockhurst, Michael A and Winstanley, Craig ORCID: 0000-0002-2662-8053 (2016) Temperate phages enhance pathogen fitness in chronic lung infection. ISME JOURNAL, 10 (10). pp. 2553-2555.

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ismej.2016.51

Abstract

The Liverpool Epidemic Strain (LES) is a polylysogenic, transmissible strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, capable of superinfecting existing P. aeruginosa respiratory infections in individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF). The LES phages are highly active in the CF lung and may have a role in the competitiveness of the LES in vivo. In this study, we tested this by competing isogenic PAO1 strains that differed only by the presence or absence of LES prophages in a rat model of chronic lung infection. Lysogens invaded phage-susceptible populations, both in head-to-head competition and when invading from rare, in the spatially structured, heterogeneous lung environment. Appreciable densities of free phages in lung tissue confirmed active phage lysis in vivo. Moreover, we observed lysogenic conversion of the phage-susceptible competitor. These results suggest that temperate phages may have an important role in the competitiveness of the LES in chronic lung infection by acting as anti-competitor weapons.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Lung, Animals, Humans, Rats, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacteriophages, Pseudomonas Infections, Respiratory Tract Infections, Chronic Disease, Lysogeny
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	06 May 2016 10:47
Last Modified:	08 Jan 2024 10:06
DOI:	10.1038/ismej.2016.51
Open Access URL:	http://www.nature.com/ismej/journal/vaop/ncurrent/...
Related URLs:	Author Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3001116