title: Shigella dysenteriae type 1-specific bacteriophage from environmental waters in Bangladesh.
abstract: Shigella dysenteriae type 1 is the causative agent of the most severe form of bacillary dysentery, which occurs as epidemics in many developing countries. We isolated a bacteriophage from surface water samples from Bangladesh that specifically lyses strains of S. dysenteriae type 1. This phage, designated SF-9, belongs to the Podoviridae family and has a 41-kb double-stranded DNA genome. Further screening of water samples for the prevalence of the phage revealed 9 of 71 (12.6%) water samples which were positive for the phage. These water samples were also positive in PCR assays for one or more S. dysenteriae type 1-specific genes, including ipaBCD and stx1, and live S. dysenteriae type 1 was isolated from three phage-positive samples. The results of this study suggest that phage SF-9 may have epidemiological applications in tracing the presence of S. dysenteriae type 1 in environmental waters.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Genetics Laboratory, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh. faruque@icddrb.org
authors.forename: Shah M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Faruque
authors.forename: Nityananda
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Chowdhury
authors.forename: Rasel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.forename: M Rubayet
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Hasan
authors.forename: Jebun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nahar
authors.forename: M Johirul
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Islam
authors.forename: Shinji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamasaki
authors.forename: A N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Ghosh
authors.forename: G Balakrish
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Nair
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Sack
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D001435:Bacteriophages / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D001459:Bangladesh; D015252:Deoxyribonucleases, Type II Site-Specific / Q000378:metabolism; D004405:Dysentery, Bacillary / Q000821:virology; D005618:Fresh Water / Q000382:microbiology / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D017902:Podoviridae / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D012762:Shigella dysenteriae / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000821:virology*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; C035041:endodeoxyribonuclease MluI; D015252:Deoxyribonucleases, Type II Site-Specific