The ability of two different Vibrio spp. bacteriophages to infect Vibrio harveyi, Vibrio cholerae and Vibrio mimicus

Abstract

Aims: To determine the host range of the Vibrio harveyi myovirus‐like bacteriophage (VHML) and the cholera toxin conversion bacteriophage (CTX Φ) within a range of Vibrio cholerae and V. mimicus and V. harveyi, V. cholerae and V. mimicus isolates respectively.

Methods and Results: Three V. harveyi, eight V. cholerae and five V. mimicus isolates were incubated with VHML and CTX Φ. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to determine the presence of VHML and CTX Φ in infected isolates. We demonstrated that it was possible to infect one isolate of V. cholerae (isolate ACM #2773/ATCC #14035) with VHML. This isolate successfully incorporated VHML into its genome as evident by positive PCR amplification of the sequence coding part of the tail sheath of VHML. Attempts to infect all other V. cholerae and V. mimicus isolates with VHML were unsuccessful. Attempts to infect V. cholerae non‐01, V. harveyi andV. mimicus isolates with CTX Φ were unsuccessful.

Conclusions: Bacteriophage infection is limited by bacteriophage‐exclusion systems operating within bacterial strains and these systems appear to be highly selective. One system may allow the co‐existence of one bacteriophage while excluding another. VHML appears to have a narrow host range which may be related to a common receptor protein in such strains. The lack of the vibrio pathogenicity island bacteriophage (VPI Φ) in the isolates used in this study may explain why infections with CTX Φ were unsuccessful.

Significance and Impact of the Study: The current study has demonstrated that Vibrio spp. bacteriophages may infect other Vibrio spp.