Isolation and Characterization of Bacteriophages Active against Clinical Isolates of MRSA

Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is undeniably becoming a deleterious health hazard world-wide. Today, more than ever, there is a dire need to seriously address antibiotic resistance. Based on this, time is optimally suitable for recruitment of bacteriophage that holds the potential to be an effective member of the contemporary antibacterial arsenal. The aim of our study was isolation and characterization of bacteriophages with potential anti-MRSA lytic activity as a promising attempt to alleviate the health hazard and losses caused by MRSA infections in the clinical realm. Seventy Staphylococcus bacterial isolates were collected from two hospitals localized in Cairo, Egypt. After screening of these isolates for methicillin resistance via cefoxitin disc diffusion method, 23 MRSA isolates resulted, and one of them was then used for enriching environmental samples that we hoped to contain phages, like sewage, wastewater, water from variable lakes, sea water, and hospital drains along with the rinses from raw chicken and fish rinses. Separating phages active against MRSA was then performed by the standard bacteriophage isolation procedure. Five putative phages were isolated and were tested for in vitro activity against the remaining MRSA isolates to determine host range of each via the standard spot test and