Therapeutic potential of Shigella phage SSG23 against Shigella sonnei biofilms and in BALB/c mice.

ABSTRACT: Multidrug-resistant (MDR) Shigella spp. threaten global health, renewing interest in phage therapy. Here, we report the isolation and characterization of a novel lytic phage, SSG23, effective against four major Shigella serovars. Phage SSG23 possesses a prolate head and contractile tail, consistent with the Straboviridae family, and remains stable across a broad pH (4-11) and temperature range (-20 °C to 50 °C). It exhibits a latent period of 37 minutes, a burst size of 195 plaque-forming units per cell, and a 168,820 bp dsDNA genome with 40.8% GC content lacking resistance or toxin genes. SSG23 efficiently degrades biofilms, alone or with antibiotics, and is non-toxic to macrophages in vitro. In S. sonnei-infected BALB/c mice, oral administration reduced bacterial colonization and sheddin

SUBMITTER: Mondal P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12533011 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature