title: Isolation, Characterization, and Antibacterial Activity of Bacteriophages Against Methicillin-ResistantStaphylococcus aureusin Pakistan.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In recent years, antibiotic resistance has been indicated as a paramount threat to public health. The use of bacteriophages appears to be a safer alternative for the control of bacterial infections.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The present study aims to explore sewage water for the presence of indigenous bacteriophages, and to investigate their antibacterial potential against Methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus(MRSA).
  
  
  METHODS
  Bacterial isolates were first collected and identified from pus samples taken from the surgical and burn units using standard microbiological procedures. A cefoxitin disk screen test was then used and interpreted according to the clinical laboratory standards institute (CLSI) guidelines for the detection of MRSA. The sewage samples were processed and the phages enriched usingS. aureusas a host organism. Turbid and clear plaques of different sizes were isolated using an overlay method, purified, and then enumerated by means of a dilution method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The phages exhibited good lytic activity against MRSA when tested in-vitro, and the highest activity was attained within three to six hours of phage infection. The isolated phage pq/48 was also found efficient in decreasing the bacterial count during an in-vivo trial in rabbits. A protein analysis using SDS-PAGE revealed 10 proteins of between 20 kDa and 155 kDa in size.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The overall results indicated that bacteriophages isolated from sewage exhibited excellent lytic activity against MRSA strains. In conclusion, bacteriophages can be further characterized and appear to be a promising candidate for phage therapy against MRSA in the future.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Government College University, Faisalabad, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Muhammad Hidayat
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Rasool
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Government College University, Faisalabad, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Rukhsana
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yousaf
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Government College University, Faisalabad, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Abu Baker
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Siddique
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Government College University, Faisalabad, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Muhammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saqalein
authors.affiliation: College of Allied Health Professionals, Directorate of Medical Sciences, Government College University, Faisalabad, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Mohsin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Khurshid
keywords: Bacteriophage; Clear Plaques; In-Vitro Efficacy; In-Vivo Model; MRSA; SDS-PAGE