Assessing the impacts of bacteriophage coinfection on phage infectivity, host specificity, and their competence using phage cocktail

Abstract

The MDR or Multi-drug resistant pathogens for example, Vibrio cholerae, represent an emerging serious health problem since these bacteria have natural capabilities for adaptation to environmental stresses and antibiotics. This adaptability arises through genetic evolution under the pressure of natural selection. Interactions with bacteriophages are among the most important factors influencing bacterial evolution in natural environments. These are nature's predators of bacteria; therefore, they also interact in complicated co-evolutionary dynamics with their hosts. Over time, this could lead to a phage that either infects or loses the ability to infect its original bacterial host. Besides, the co-infection phenomenon, whereby a single bacterium is invaded by multiple viruses, can give rise to new strains of viruses with wider host ranges or increase competency, some of which we have seen in this study. These events may be infrequent, but they do bear great relevance in regard to phage therapy as an approach for the treatment of bacterial diseases. Herein, we attempt to dissect what happens in co-infection with phages, particularly with the use of phage cocktails in infecting Vibrio cholerae hosts, with our focus being mainly on changes with respect to phage infectivity, host specificity, and competence.