Isolation and characterization of a novel temperate bacteriophage from gut-associated Escherichia within black soldier fly larvae (Hermetia illucens L. [Diptera: Stratiomyidae])

Arch Virol. 2019 Sep;164(9):2277-2284. doi: 10.1007/s00705-019-04322-w. Epub 2019 Jun 20.

Abstract

To gain insight into the presence and nature of prophages in the black soldier fly (BSF; Hermetia illucens L. [Diptera: Stratiomyidae]) gut, we isolated and characterized a novel, temperate Escherichia bacteriophage designated vB_EcoS_PHB10 (PHB10). Electron microscopy analysis revealed that phage PHB10 has a long, flexible, non-contractile tail and belongs to the family Siphoviridae. The phage was found to be stable over a wide range of temperatures (4-37 °C) and pH values (pH 5-9), and it lysed two out of 13 Escherichia strains tested. The genome of PHB10 contains genes encoding a putative transcriptional regulator and an integrase, and it shows a high degree of similarity to a region of the Enterobacter cloacae MBRL1077 genome. Induction experiments revealed that phage PHB10 could be induced by different gut substrates, suggesting that diet might be a potential regulator of lytic/lysogenic switches in commensal lysogens.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Bacteriophages / classification
  • Bacteriophages / genetics
  • Bacteriophages / isolation & purification*
  • Bacteriophages / physiology
  • Escherichia / virology*
  • Genome, Viral
  • Intestines / microbiology
  • Intestines / virology*
  • Larva / microbiology
  • Larva / virology
  • Lysogeny
  • Phylogeny
  • Simuliidae / microbiology*
  • Simuliidae / virology*
  • Siphoviridae / classification
  • Siphoviridae / genetics
  • Siphoviridae / isolation & purification*
  • Siphoviridae / physiology