Molecular Studies of Phages-Klebsiella pneumoniae in a Mucoid Environment: Innovative use of mucolytic agents prior to the administration of lytic phages

The clinical strain K. pneumoniae K3574 was exposed to the lytic bacteriophage vB_KpnS-VAC35 in the presence and absence of mucin on a long-term co-evolution assay, in an attempt to mimic in vitro the exposure to mucins that bacteria and their phages face in vivo. We sequenced these conditions using Nanopore and the genomic analysis revealed some of the genes relevant to the development of phage resistance in long-term co-evolution, with a special focus on the mucoid environment. Genes involved in the metabolism of carbohydrates were mutated in the presence of mucin.