Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1959.3/147876

Title

Bacteriophage biocontrol has the potential to reduce enterococci on hospital fabrics, plastic and glass

Author(s)

McLean, Sarah;  Dunn, Louise A.;  Palombo, Enzo

Abstract

Enterococci, particularly vancomycin resistant enterococci (VRE), are a cause of continuing concern in hospitals due to their intrinsic resistance to many antibiotics and the increasing prevalence of acquired resistance to vancomycin. Furthermore, enterococci are able to survive for prolonged periods on surfaces making disinfection more difficult. This study investigated bacteriophage biocontrol as a novel means of disinfecting hard and porous surfaces contaminated with enterococci. Four enterococcal bacteriophages, designated ΦSUT1, ΦSUT2, ΦSUT3 and ΦSUT4, were isolated from sewage and landfill leachate, characterised and used as biocontrol agents in studies investigating the efficacy of phage in the disinfection of vancomycin susceptible enterococci (VSE) and VRE on glass and fabrics commonly found in hospitals. Sterile glass slides and swatches of fabrics were inoculated with 105 cfu enterococci and 109 pfu/ml phage. Inoculated surfaces were incubated at ambient temperature for 2 h and bacterial populations were recovered by plating onto KF streptococcus agar. ΦSUT1 produced significant reductions in growth of Enterococcus faecalis on all surfaces tested, while ΦSUT4 produced significant reductions in growth of VRE (M168600) on all surfaces except for polyester. Phage cocktails containing ΦSUT1 and ΦSUT6 produced greater reductions in growth of VRE (M252807) on all surfaces compared to treatments using either phage alone. Although the results from this study varied considerably, the promising findings from ΦSUT1 studies indicated that phage biocontrol of enterococci should be further explored using broader host range phages.

Publication type

Journal article

Research centre

Swinburne University of Technology. Faculty of Life and Social Sciences

Source

World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology, Vol. 27, no. 7 (Jul 2011), pp. 1713-1717

Publication year

2011

FOR Code(s)

06 Biological Sciences;  10 Technology

Keyword(s)

Bacteriophage;  Biocontrol;  Enterococci;  Vancomycin resistant enterococci;  VRE

Publisher

Springer

ISSN

0959-3993

Publisher URL

http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11274-010-0604-3

Copyright

Copyright © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2010.

Peer reviewed