%0 Journal Article
%T Fighting Fire with Fire: Phage Potential for the Treatment of E. coli O157 Infection
%A Adrian Howard-Varona
%A Anika A. Kinkhabwala
%A Aubrey E. Jensen
%A Cristina Howard-Varona
%A Dean R. Vik
%A Jennifer K. Samiec
%A Lauren Chittick
%A M. Consuelo Gazitua
%A Matthew B. Sullivan
%A Natalie E. Solonenko
%A Paige Anderson
%A Stephen T. Abedon
%A Yueh-Fen Li
%J Antibiotics | An Open Access Journal from MDPI
%D 2018
%R https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics7040101
%X Abstract Hemolytic¨Curemic syndrome is a life-threating disease most often associated with Shiga toxin-producing microorganisms like Escherichia coli (STEC), including E. coli O157:H7. Shiga toxin is encoded by resident prophages present within this bacterium, and both its production and release depend on the induction of Shiga toxin-encoding prophages. Consequently, treatment of STEC infections tend to be largely supportive rather than antibacterial, in part due to concerns about exacerbating such prophage induction. Here we explore STEC O157:H7 prophage induction in vitro as it pertains to phage therapy¡ªthe application of bacteriophages as antibacterial agents to treat bacterial infections¡ªto curtail prophage induction events, while also reducing STEC O157:H7 presence. We observed that cultures treated with strictly lytic phages, despite being lysed, produce substantially fewer Shiga toxin-encoding temperate-phage virions than untreated STEC controls. We therefore suggest that phage therapy could have utility as a prophylactic treatment of individuals suspected of having been recently exposed to STEC, especially if prophage induction and by extension Shiga toxin production is not exacerbated. View Full-Tex
%K Antibiotic-resistant bacteria
%K bacteriophage therapy
%K phage therapy
%K lysogenic conversion
%K prophage induction
%K read recruitment
%K shiga toxin
%U https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/7/4/101