Bacteriophage resistance mechanisms in the fish pathogen Flavobacterium psychrophilum: linking genomic mutations to changes in bacterial virulence factors.

ABSTRACT: Flavobacterium psychrophilum is an important fish pathogen in salmonid aquaculture worldwide. Due to increased antibiotic resistance, pathogen control using bacteriophages has been explored as a possible alternative treatment. However, the effective use of bacteriophages in pathogen control requires overcoming the selection for phage resistance in the bacterial populations. Here, we analyzed resistance mechanisms in F. psychrophilum after phage exposure using whole-genome sequencing of the ancestral phage-sensitive strain 950106-1/1 and six phage-resistant isolates. The phage-resistant strains had all obtained unique insertions and/or deletions and point mutations distributed among intergenic and genic regions. Mutations in genes related to cell surface properties, gliding motility, and bi

SUBMITTER: Castillo D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4292493 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature