Isolation and characterisation of lytic bacteriophages against Vibrio alginolyticus

Abstract

Bacteriophage is a virus that specifically recognises and infects bacteria. During the life cycle, bacteriophage destroys the host cell, so it is an attractive agent for researchers in developing biological solutions to specifically kill bacteria. In this study, two main objectives were addressed: isolating Vibrio alginolyticus bacteria and specific bacteriophages. The V. alginolyticus M1 strain was isolated from shrimp pond water, and some morphological and biochemical 
characteristics were determined. This strain was identified by 16S rDNA sequencing. Using the host strain V. alginolyticus M1, four bacteriophage strains showing strong host cell lytic activity were isolated from shrimp tank water and seafood market wastewater. The host specificity of the selected phage isolates was tested, showing that none of the four phage isolates lysed V. parahaemolyticus ATCC17802, V. parahaemolyticus BL, V. cholerae ATCC 14733, V. vulnificus ATCC 27562 strains, and probiotic strains such as Bacillus licheniformis and Bacillus subtilis. Among the four selected strains, bacteriophage NT1 exhibited the strongest lytic activity, thermal stability up to 60oC across a pH range of 3-10, and is a promising candidate for developing biological control solutions against
diseases caused by V. alginolyticus.