Effectiveness of Shigella sp. lytic phage

Abstract

Shigella sp. is the causative agent of shigellosis transmitted through food and water. Bacteriophages are considered as an alternative agent to control this bacterial infection and contamination. The aim of this research is to analyze the effectiveness of lytic phage against Shigella sp. Lytic phages were isolated from household wastewaters of Sindang Barang, Cibeureum and Babakan Darmaga Kabupaten Bogor. One specific phage of Shigella sp. (phage FY51-X) isolated from household wastewaters performed plaque with rounded shape with 1.22 mm in diameter. Number of lytic phage infecting Shigella sp. cells was 1.84 x 108 PFU mL-1. This phage only infected Shigella sp. 51-X of 14 tested bacterial isolates. Phage FY51-X was stable after storage at 20 and 37 °C, but its lytic activity was lost after storage at 60 oC for 60 minutes. Additionaly activity of the phage was lost after incubation for 24 hours in acidic and alkaline conditions. Alkaline condition was more sensitive than acidic condition. Virion of the phage consisted of 8 proteins with molecular weight ranging from 19.65 to 86.18 kDa. Lytic activity of the phage against Shigella sp. 51-X was shown after 4 hours of incubation, however the number of bacterial cells was significantly decreased at 12 hours of incubation.