Genomic Profiling of Non-O157 Shiga Toxigenic Escherichia coli-Infecting Bacteriophages from South Africa

Background: Non-O157 Shiga toxigenic Escherichia coli (STEC) are one of the most important food and waterborne pathogens worldwide. Although bacteriophages (phages) have been used for the biocontrol of these pathogens, a comprehensive understanding of the genetic characteristics and lifestyle of potentially effective candidate phages is lacking.

Materials and methods: In this study, 10 non-O157-infecting phages previously isolated from feedlot cattle and dairy farms in the North-West province of South Africa were sequenced, and their genomes were analyzed.

Results: Comparative genomics and proteomics revealed that the phages were closely related to other E. coli-infecting Tunaviruses, Seuratviruses, Carltongylesviruses, Tequatroviruses, and Mosigviruses from the National Center for Biotechnology Information GenBank database. Phages lacked integrases associated with a lysogenic cycle and genes associated with antibiotic resistance and Shiga toxins.

Conclusions: Comparative genomic analysis identified a diversity of unique non-O157-infecting phages, which could be used to mitigate the abundance of various non-O157 STEC serogroups without safety concerns.