title: Isolation and characterization of a novel podovirus which infects burkholderia pseudomallei.
abstract: Burkholderia pseudomallei is a saprophytic soil bacterium and the etiological agent that causes melioidosis. It is naturally resistant to many antibiotics and therefore is difficult to treat. Bacteriophages may provide an alternative source of treatment. We have isolated and characterised the bacteriophage ΦBp-AMP1. The phage is a member of the Podoviridae family and has a genome size of ~ 45 Kb. Molecular data based on the gene which encodes for the phage tail tubular protein suggests that the phage is distinct from known phages but related to phages which infect B. thailandensis and Ralstonia spp. The phage ΦBp-AMP1 is the first B. pseudomallei podovirus to be isolated from the environment rather than being induced from a bacterial culture. It has a broad host range within B. pseudomallei and can infect all 11 strains that we tested it on but not related Burkholderia species. It is heat stable for 8 h at 50°C but not stable at 60°C. It may potentially be a useful tool to treat or diagnose B. pseudomallei infections as it can lyse several strains of clinical relevance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand.
authors.forename: Jiraporn
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gatedee
authors.forename: Kanyanan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kritsiriwuthinan
authors.forename: Edouard E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Galyov
authors.forename: Jinyu
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shan
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dubinina
authors.forename: Narin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Intarak
authors.forename: Martha R J
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Clokie
authors.forename: Sunee
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Korbsrisate
mesh_terms: D001435:Bacteriophages / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000502:physiology; D016957:Burkholderia pseudomallei / Q000821:virology*; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D016679:Genome, Viral; D058507:Host Specificity; D010802:Phylogeny; D017902:Podoviridae / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000502:physiology; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D014771:Virion / Q000648:ultrastructure
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D014764:Viral Proteins