Isolation and characterisation of a novel Stenotrophomonas maltophilia phage vB_SmaS_BCU-1 with evaluation of mammalian cell safety

Haq, Kashif and Figgitt, Martin and Lee, David J. and Spencer, Jack and Choudhry, Anisa (2026) Isolation and characterisation of a novel Stenotrophomonas maltophilia phage vB_SmaS_BCU-1 with evaluation of mammalian cell safety. European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases. ISSN 0934-9723

Preview

Text s10096-025-05395-z.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (1MB)

Abstract

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia ( S. maltophilia) , is a low virulence opportunistic pathogen intrinsically resistant to a wide range of antibiotics with several virulence factors and is increasingly found in hospital and community settings, the organism is increasingly associated with biofilm infections in diabetic foot ulcers. With limited options, a novel treatment strategy is required, and the use of lytic phages presents a promising alternative. In this study, lytic phage vB_SmaS_BCU-1 was isolated from soil and propagated with a clinical S. maltophilia strain, isolated from a diabetic foot ulcer. Morphology characterisation and genomic analysis revealed it is a siphophage belonging to the family Casjenviridae , genus Sanovirus . Phage vB_SmaS_BCU-1 is a dsDNA virus consisting of 57,752 bp containing 75 open reading frames, with no virulence or antibiotic resistance genes found. vB_SmaS_BCU-1 was stable at a range of temperatures (4–55 °C) & pH values (4–12), has a short latent period (30 min), a large burst size (150 PFU/cell) and efficient adsorption. The phage demonstrated lysis of planktonic cells and can significantly reduce biofilm biomass. In a human fibroblast co-culture model, the phage exhibited no cytotoxicity, protected cells from bacterial-induced damage and significantly reduced the bacterial load.

Item Type:	Article
Identification Number:	10.1007/s10096-025-05395-z
Dates:	Date Event 17 December 2025 Accepted 30 January 2026 Published Online
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Antibiotic resistance, Biofilm, Bacteriophage, Cell toxicity
Subjects:	CAH03 - biological and sport sciences > CAH03-01 - biosciences > CAH03-01-02 - biology (non-specific)
Divisions:	Life and Health Sciences > Life and Sports Sciences
Depositing User:	Gemma Tonks
Date Deposited:	06 Feb 2026 13:51
Last Modified:	06 Feb 2026 13:51
URI:	https://www.open-access.bcu.ac.uk/id/eprint/16838

Actions (login required)

View Item