Functional and genomic analysis of Enterococcus phage A155: a potential agent for reducing VRE gut colonization.

Abstract

The high-level colonization of vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE) in the gastrointestinal tract could lead to systemic infections such as bacteremia, endocarditis, and urinary tract infections, particularly in hospitalized patients. Given the potent bactericidal activity and host specificity of bacteriophages, phage therapy represents a promising alternative strategy for controlling VRE infections. In this study, we isolated and characterized phage A155, which targets vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis (VR-Efs) V583. Genomic analyses revealed that it is a member of the Kochikohdavirus genus, while functional characterization defined its optimal multiplicity of infection (MOI), one-step growth kinetics, and stability under varying thermal (20-50 °C) and pH (3.0-11.0) conditions. The phage demonstrated a broad lytic spectrum and effective in vitro antibacterial activity. Furthermore, phage A155 could significantly reduce the VRE intestinal colonization loads by 1.13 orders of magnitude in a mouse model. These findings exhibit the characterization and genome analysis of a novel VR-Efs phage A155, highlighting its therapeutic potential against E. faecalis colonization.