Isolation and partial characterization of lytic phage against Salmonella Abortusequi

Aim: To use partially characterized phages for generation of phage lysates having potential to be developed as vaccines against Salmonella Abortusequi. Material and Methods: Phage/s isolation from several sewage samples was attempted against Salmonella Abortusequi strains procured from the National Salmonella Reference Centre, IVRI using enrichment and agar overlay technique. A concentrated stock of the phage was prepared after its purification. The lytic range, morphology and DNA size were determined. Results: Two lytic phages could be isolated and purified. The phage with wider lytic range was found to possess a hexagonal head with a very short tail. The DNA size was found to be 21kb. Conclusion: The investigation reports first isolation of a lytic phage against Salmonella Abortusequi. The phage can be used in future for development of phage lysate based immune therapeutic agent against equine abortions. [Vet World 2013; 6(2.000): 72-75]