Expansion of the Enterobacteriaceae Kuravirus phage group to 36 members

Bacteriophages, viruses that infect bacteria, are currently receiving high attention amid an ever-growing global antibiotic resistance crisis. In tandem, a surge in the availability and affordability of next-generation and third-generation sequencing technologies has driven the deposition of a wealth of phage sequence data. Here we have isolated a novel Escherichia phage, YF01, from a wastewater treatment plant in Yokohama, Japan. We demonstrate that YF01 phage shares high similarity to a collection of 35 Escherichia and Shigella phages found in public databases, six of which have been previously classified into the Kuravirus genus by the ICTV. Using modern phylogenetic approaches, we demonstrate that an expansion and reshaping of the current six-membered Kuravirus genus is required to accommodate all 36 member phages. Ultimately, we expand and clarify the current taxonomic landscape surrounding current Kuravirus phages which will allow a more organized approach to the addition of future Kuraviruses.