Isolation, genomic characterization, and evaluation of biocontrol efficacy of V. harveyi bacteriophages using a high-throughput screening method.

Project no. 32655 · Status: Kapanmış (Yayın bekleniyor) · 2024

Summary

<p>Aquaculture&nbsp;is&nbsp;a&nbsp;critical&nbsp;sector&nbsp;in&nbsp;meeting&nbsp;the&nbsp;need&nbsp;for&nbsp;quality&nbsp;protein&nbsp;for&nbsp;the&nbsp;rapidly&nbsp;growing&nbsp;world&nbsp;population.&nbsp;However,&nbsp;bacterial&nbsp;diseases&nbsp;encountered&nbsp;in&nbsp;this&nbsp;field&nbsp;lead&nbsp;to&nbsp;significant&nbsp;economic&nbsp;losses&nbsp;for&nbsp;producers.&nbsp;Uncontrolled&nbsp;and&nbsp;prolonged&nbsp;use&nbsp;of&nbsp;antibiotics&nbsp;creates&nbsp;a&nbsp;breeding&nbsp;ground&nbsp;for&nbsp;the&nbsp;development&nbsp;and&nbsp;spread&nbsp;of&nbsp;antibiotic&nbsp;resistance&nbsp;(AMR),&nbsp;thus&nbsp;significantly&nbsp;reducing&nbsp;the&nbsp;effectiveness&nbsp;of&nbsp;infection&nbsp;treatments.&nbsp;This&nbsp;situation&nbsp;has&nbsp;created&nbsp;a&nbsp;need&nbsp;to&nbsp;investigate&nbsp;alternative&nbsp;strategies&nbsp;for&nbsp;treatment.&nbsp;Bacteriophages&nbsp;(phages),&nbsp;which&nbsp;are&nbsp;viruses&nbsp;specific&nbsp;to&nbsp;bacteria,&nbsp;stand&nbsp;out&nbsp;as&nbsp;one&nbsp;of&nbsp;these&nbsp;strategies.&nbsp;Phages&nbsp;offer&nbsp;an&nbsp;environmentally&nbsp;friendly&nbsp;alternative&nbsp;for&nbsp;controlling&nbsp;and&nbsp;inhibiting&nbsp;pathogenic&nbsp;bacteria.&nbsp;Members&nbsp;of&nbsp;the&nbsp;Vibrionaceae&nbsp;family,&nbsp;belonging&nbsp;to&nbsp;the&nbsp;Gammaproteobacteria&nbsp;class,&nbsp;and&nbsp;Vibrio&nbsp;harveyi,&nbsp;one&nbsp;of&nbsp;these&nbsp;members,&nbsp;are&nbsp;among&nbsp;the&nbsp;most&nbsp;important&nbsp;bacterial&nbsp;agents&nbsp;that&nbsp;disrupt&nbsp;fish&nbsp;health&nbsp;in&nbsp;aquacultures.&nbsp;Rising&nbsp;sea&nbsp;water&nbsp;temperatures&nbsp;due&nbsp;to&nbsp;global&nbsp;climate&nbsp;change&nbsp;lead&nbsp;to&nbsp;high&nbsp;mortality&nbsp;rates&nbsp;and&nbsp;significant&nbsp;economic&nbsp;losses&nbsp;in&nbsp;cases&nbsp;of&nbsp;vibriosis&nbsp;caused&nbsp;by&nbsp;Vibrio&nbsp;species.&nbsp;This&nbsp;project&nbsp;aims&nbsp;to&nbsp;isolate&nbsp;and&nbsp;characterize&nbsp;novel&nbsp;phages&nbsp;for&nbsp;the&nbsp;biocontrol&nbsp;of&nbsp;V.&nbsp;harveyi-induced&nbsp;fish&nbsp;infections.&nbsp;Initially,&nbsp;bacteriophages&nbsp;will&nbsp;be&nbsp;isolated&nbsp;from&nbsp;aquaculture&nbsp;farm&nbsp;waters.&nbsp;During&nbsp;the&nbsp;characterization&nbsp;of&nbsp;each&nbsp;isolated&nbsp;phage,&nbsp;the&nbsp;host&nbsp;range&nbsp;and&nbsp;lytic&nbsp;activity,&nbsp;followed&nbsp;by&nbsp;optimal&nbsp;pH,&nbsp;temperature,&nbsp;and&nbsp;infection&nbsp;rates&nbsp;will&nbsp;be&nbsp;determined.&nbsp;Following&nbsp;these&nbsp;processes,&nbsp;morphological&nbsp;examinations&nbsp;of&nbsp;the&nbsp;phages&nbsp;will&nbsp;be&nbsp;performed&nbsp;using&nbsp;electron&nbsp;microscopy,&nbsp;and&nbsp;genome&nbsp;analyses&nbsp;will&nbsp;be&nbsp;conducted.&nbsp;The&nbsp;individual&nbsp;antibacterial&nbsp;and&nbsp;antibiofilm&nbsp;capacities&nbsp;of&nbsp;each&nbsp;phage&nbsp;will&nbsp;be&nbsp;determined,&nbsp;and&nbsp;various&nbsp;phage&nbsp;combinations&nbsp;will&nbsp;be&nbsp;created.&nbsp;Our&nbsp;project&nbsp;will&nbsp;contribute&nbsp;to&nbsp;phage&nbsp;therapy&nbsp;studies,&nbsp;a&nbsp;new&nbsp;treatment&nbsp;strategy&nbsp;in&nbsp;aquaculture,&nbsp;and&nbsp;will&nbsp;serve&nbsp;as&nbsp;an&nbsp;important&nbsp;model&nbsp;within&nbsp;the&nbsp;framework&nbsp;of&nbsp;a&nbsp;one-health&nbsp;approach&nbsp;to&nbsp;combating&nbsp;antimicrobial&nbsp;resistance.</p>

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