Isolation and characterization of Bacteriophages from waste water. Waste water Bacteriophages

The present work was conducted with an aim to explore the diversity of clinically important bacteriophages in the waste water, enrich them and to evaluate their efficacy, in vitro. Using standard microbiological techniques, from waste water, we isolated and characterized a multidrug-resistant (MDR) Pseudomonas aeruginosa, to serve as a model pathogen, which is known to cause serious infections. Subsequently, using a combination of classical plaque-assay and advanced next generation sequencing based metagenomics, we isolated, enriched and characterized bacteriophages from the same waste water source. Optimal growth of the phages under different conditions was evaluated and lytic potential of the isolated phages was determined against the isolated MDR Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The present study demonstrates the potential application of waste water bacteriophages against MDR bacteria, as an alternative to antibiotics.