Análisis genómico de los bacteriófagos líticos f6 y f14 de Salmonella enterica Serovar Infantis

Abstract

Food contamination by Salmonella represents an emerging global public health crisis, with poultry farms being the principal reservoirs of this pathogen. The excessive use of antibiotics on these farms contributes to the increase in antibiotic resistance. In response to this situation, lytic bacteriophages emerge as a promising alternative for the biocontrol of Salmonella. However, it is essential to perform a detailed analysis of the complete genome of these bacteriophages before their implementation, in order to identify the presence of virulence and antibiotic resistance genes that could affect the safety of their in vivo implementation. In this study, two lytic bacteriophages of S. enterica serovar Infantis, named F6_melonhead and F14_guaytamphage, were sequenced using third-generation Oxford Nanopore technology. Genomic characterization revealed that F6 has a length of 29,097 bp and a GC content of 48.57 percent, encoding 30 functional proteins, while F14 has a length of 59,339 bp, a GC content of 56.44 percent, and encodes 49 functional proteins. In both bacteriophages, the presence of genes producing toxins, bacterial virulence factors, or antibiotic resistance genes was ruled out. Genetic comparison and phylogenetic analysis placed F6_melonhead and F14_guaytamphage within the Berlinvirus and Chivirus genera, respectively. These findings position F6_melonhead and F14_guaytamphage as promising candidates for the biocontrol of Salmonella in the poultry sector in Ecuador.