Genomic and phenotypic characterization of a lytic bacteriophage CF1 infecting the multi-drug resistant bacterium Citrobacter freundii

Abstract

Citrobacter freundiiis a facultative anaerobic and Gram-negative bacterium belonging to theEnterobacteriaceaefamily.Citrobacterspp. are opportunistic pathogens that are commonly found in water, soil, food, animals, or intestines in humans and warm-blooded animals and are a major concern for antibiotic resistance, especiallyC. freundiithat exists in the farms, medical environment, and is difficult to eradicate. In this study, genomic and phenotypic characterization of a newly isolated bacteriophage CF1 capable of specifically infectingC. freundiiis presented. The bacteriophage CF1 was isolated from sewage water sample near a livestock farm. The bacteriophage was morphologically and microbiologically characterized including one stage growth curve, and host range, on top of which the genome sequence of bacteriophage CF1 was determined. Microbiological characterization demonstrated that bacteriophage CF1 is stable in a range of pH4-9, and at the temperature below 70 degrees C for 60 min. Genomic analysis revealed that bacteriophage CF1 is a new one with a double-stranded DNA of 50,339 bp, GC content of 42.65% that encodes 89 predicted open reading frames. Comparative analysis showed that bacteriophage CF1 is similar toC. freundiibacteriophage Stevie. Thus, this study provides genomic and phenotypic characteristics of a newly isolated bacteriophage, which can serve as a knowledge-base to use bacteriophage CF1 in the treatment of pathogenicC. freundiiparticularly with antimicrobial resistance in livestock industry.