Characterization of anti-bacterial effect of the two new phages against uropathogenic Escherichia coli. Characterization of anti-bacterial effect of the two new phages against uropathogenic Escherichia coli

Urinary tract infections (UTI) belong to the most frequent events that need medical in-tervention. Uropathogenic Escherichia coli are frequent causing agents and the infections are sometimes complicated by the presence of polyresistant nosocomial strains. Phage therapy rep-resents a tool which has a perspective to treat these infections. In the present study we isolated two bacteriophages with broad host specificity against a panel of local uropathogenic E. coli strains and combined them into a phage cocktail. By genome sequence these phages were closely related and belonged to the Tequatrovirus genus. The newly isolated phages showed very good activity on a panel of local clinical E. coli strains from urinary tract infections. In a form of a two phage cocktail, they were active on E. coli strains belonging to phylogroups B2 and D, with relatively lower activity in B1 and no response in phylogroup A. Our study is a preliminary step to establish a national phage bank containing local, well characterised phages with therapeutic potential for patient in Slovakia.