Characterization and genome analysis of two Aeromonas phages isolated from various sources related to chilled chicken

Abstract

Aeromonas is a primary spoilage bacterium found in chilled meat and serves as a significant pathogenic and spoilage agent in fish culture. Bacteriophages present a viable alternative to antibiotics for the targeted elimination of Aeromonas, minimizing environmental stress. In this study, two Aeromonas phages, P36 and P40, were isolated from samples collected in the slaughtering environment and from chilled chicken products. Both P36 and P40 exhibit the identical host range. They have optimal multiplicities of infection (MOI) of 0.001, with lysis times of 120 min and 180 min, respectively. These phages demonstrate stable survival within a temperature range of 4–40 °C and a pH range of 5–11. Morphological and genomic analyses indicate that the two Aeromonas phages belong to the order Caudovirales, family Podoviridae, subfamily Autographivirinae. The genomes of the two phages were composed of linear double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) with lengths of 41,454 bp and 41,484 bp, respectively. Notably, there were no coding genes associated with safety factors such as virulence, antibiotic resistance, or lysogenicity present in the genomes. This finding indicates that the two phages possess potential applications in food safety and therapeutic contexts.