Isolation and characterisation of pVa-21, a giant bacteriophage with anti-biofilm potential against Vibrio alginolyticus

There is an increasing emergence of antibiotic-resistant Vibrio alginolyticus, a zoonotic pathogen that causes mass mortality in aquatic animals and infects humans; therefore, there is a demand for alternatives to antibiotics for the treatment and prevention of infections caused by this pathogen. One possibility is through the exploitation of bacteriophages. In the present study, the novel bacteriophage pVa-21 was classified as Myoviridae and characterised as a candidate biocontrol agent against V. alginolyticus. Its morphology, host range and infectivity, growth characteristics, planktonic or biofilm lytic activity, stability under various conditions, and genome were investigated. Its latent period and burst size were estimated to be approximately 70 min and 58 plaque-forming units/cell, respectively. In addition, phage pVa-21 can inhibit bacterial growth in both the planktonic and biofilm states. Furthermore, phylogenetic and genome analysis revealed that the phage is closely related to the giant phiKZ-like phages and can be classified as a new member of the phiKZ-like bacteriophages that infect bacteria belonging to the family Vibrionaceae.