Temperate phages enhance pathogen fitness in chronic lung infection

Davies, Emily V; James, Chloe E; Kukavica-Ibrulj, Irena; Levesque, Roger C; Brockhurst, Michael A; Winstanley, Craig

Abstract

The Liverpool Epidemic Strain (LES) is a polylysogenic, transmissible strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, capable of superinfecting existing P. aeruginosa respiratory infections in individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF). The LES phages are highly active in the CF lung and may have a role in the competitiveness of the LES in vivo. In this study, we tested this by competing isogenic PAO1 strains that differed only by the presence or absence of LES prophages in a rat model of chronic lung infection. Lysogens invaded phage-susceptible populations, both in head-to-head competition and when invading from rare, in the spatially structured, heterogeneous lung environment. Appreciable densities of free phages in lung tissue confirmed active phage lysis in vivo. Moreover, we observed lysogenic conversion of the phage-susceptible competitor. These results suggest that temperate phages may have an important role in the competitiveness of the LES in chronic lung infection by acting as anti-competitor weapons.

Citation

Davies, E. V., James, C. E., Kukavica-Ibrulj, I., Levesque, R. C., Brockhurst, M. A., & Winstanley, C. (2016). Temperate phages enhance pathogen fitness in chronic lung infection. ISME Journal, 10(10), 2553-2555. https://doi.org/10.1038/ismej.2016.51

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Mar 4, 2016
• Online Publication Date: Apr 12, 2016
• Publication Date: Apr 12, 2016
• Deposit Date: Apr 19, 2016
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 19, 2016
• Journal: The ISME Journal
• Print ISSN: 1751-7362
• Electronic ISSN: 1751-7370
• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
• Volume: 10
• Issue: 10
• Pages: 2553-2555
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ismej.2016.51
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ismej.2016.51
• Related Public URLs: http://www.nature.com/ismej/index.html
• Additional Information: Funders : Wellcome Trust;Cystic Fibrosis Canada;Canadian Institute for Health Research;Medical Research Council (MRC);The University of Liverpool;Microbiology Society; Grant Number: 089215/Z/09/Z; Grant Number: 2610; Grant Number: 86644