| Many Salmonella species can cause food borne illness and several are developing resistances to bactericidal agents. Bacteriophage applications exhibit boundless potential to specifically target and eradicate pathogens with minimal interference to the microbial environment. This study describes the extraction and characterization of several lytic bacteriophage (SEPS1, SEPS2, SEPS3, SEPS4, SEPS5, SEPS6, and SEPS7) against Salmonella enterica from a bovine fecal sample. Absorbance assays of culture turbidity S. enterica subsp. arizonae treated with the bacteriophage isolates resulted in a reduction of growth further verifying the lytic activity of the phage samples. Nucleic acid digestion revealed the bacteriophage isolates as double stranded DNA viruses. Metagenomic analysis provided functional gene characteristics for each virus sample as well genera and familial gene identities. Additional genomic analysis indicated four of the bacteriophage samples contained genes encoding lysozymes. Further identification of the phage isolates will determine the possibly for use as biocontrol agents.
Key Words: Salmonella enterica, bacteriophage, bacteriophage therapy, bacteriophage biocontrol, lysozymes |