Shigella Phages Isolated during a Dysentery Outbreak Reveal Uncommon Structures and Broad Species Diversity.

ABSTRACT: In 2016, Michigan experienced the largest outbreak of shigellosis, a type of bacillary dysentery caused by Shigella spp., since 1988. Following this outbreak, we isolated 16 novel Shigella-infecting bacteriophages (viruses that infect bacteria) from environmental water sources. Most well-known bacteriophages infect the common laboratory species Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica, and these phages have built the foundation of molecular and bacteriophage biology. Until now, comparatively few bacteriophages were known to infect Shigella spp., which are close relatives of E. coli We present a comprehensive analysis of these phages' host ranges, genomes, and structures, revealing genome sizes and capsid properties that are shared by very few previously described phages. After sequencing,

SUBMITTER: Doore SM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5874400 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature