Project: PRJEB53659
The emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has become a serious global health threat, requiring the development of novel treatments. Among them, Klebsiella pneumoniae is an encapsulated bacterium considered a major concern due to its high rate of resistance, prevalence and mortality rates. Phage therapy has been proposed as a very promising alternative for combating Klebsiella sp. Infections. However most Klebsiella phages described thus far exhibit high specificity, infecting one or a few capsular types due to the presence of depolymerases in their genomes, limiting their therapeutic potential. Here, we report three new Klebsiella phages isolated from the environment, vB_Kpn_K7PH164C4, vB_Kpn_K30λ2.2 and vB_Kpl_K32PH164C1, belonging to the Demerecviridae family and the Sugarlandvirus genus . The most important feature of these new Klebsiella phages is their wide host range, especially vB_Kpn_K7PH164C4 and vB_Kpn_K30λ2.2, infecting strains from over 20 different capsular types, representing the widest infection range observed for Klebsiella phages. Genomic analysis revealed the presence of three receptor binding proteins lacking depolymerase domains. Nevertheless, the expression of the capsule is suggested to be a major determinant in phage infectivity, despite the absence of depolymerase activity against capsular components. Our findings hold potential for the development of promising therapeutic phage-based products targeting K. pneumoniae.
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