title: Safety assessment of Staphylococcus phages of the family Myoviridae based on complete genome sequences.
abstract: Staphylococcus phages of the Myoviridae family have a wide host range and potential applications in phage therapy. In this report, safety assessments of these phages were conducted based on their complete genome sequences. The complete genomes of Staphylococcus phages of the Myoviridae family were analyzed, and the Open Reading Frame (ORFs) were compared with a pool of virulence and antibiotic resistance genes using the BLAST algorithm. In addition, the lifestyle of the phages (virulent or temperate) was also confirmed using PHACTS. The results showed that all phages were lytic and did not contain resistance or virulence genes based on bioinformatic analyses, excluding the possibility that they could be vectors for the dissemination of these undesirable genes. These findings suggest that the phages are safe at the genome level. The SceD-like transglycosylase, which is a biomarker for vancomycin-intermediate strains, was widely distributed in the phage genomes. Approximately 70% of the ORFs encoded in the phage genomes have unknown functions; therefore, their roles in the antibiotic resistance and virulence of Staphylococcus aureus are still unknown and require consideration before use in phage therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200080, China.
authors.forename: Zelin
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology and Microbiology, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200025, China.
authors.forename: Xiaokui
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology and Microbiology, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200025, China.
authors.forename: Ke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology and Microbiology, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200025, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China.
authors.forename: Qingtian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology and Microbiology, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200025, China.
authors.forename: Yongzhang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology and Microbiology, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200025, China.
authors.forename: Lingbing
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200080, China.
authors.forename: Rong
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200080, China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D016679:Genome, Viral; D017900:Myoviridae / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000502:physiology; D016366:Open Reading Frames / Q000235:genetics; D010802:Phylogeny; D013204:Staphylococcus Phages / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000502:physiology; D014774:Virulence / Q000235:genetics