StM171, a Bacteriophage That Affects Sensitivity to Antibiotics in Host Bacteria and Their Biofilm Formation

mainly causes respiratory infections that are associated with a high mortality rate among immunocompromised patients. exhibits a high level of antibiotic resistance and can form biofilms, which complicates the treatment of patients infected with this bacterium. Phages combined with antibiotics could be a promising treatment option. Currently, ~60 phages are known, and their effects on biofilm formation and antibiotic sensitivity require further examination. Bacteriophage StM171, which was isolated from hospital wastewater, showed a medium host range, low burst size, and low lytic activity. StM171 has a 44kbp dsDNA genome that encodes 59 open-reading frames. A comparative genomic analysis indicated that StM171, along with the phage Suso (MZ326866) and phage HXX_Dennis (ON711490), are members of a new putative genus. strains that developed resistance to StM171 (bacterial-insensitive mutants) showed a changed sensitivity to antibiotics compared to the originally susceptible strains. Some bacterial-insensitive mutants restored sensitivity to cephalosporin and penicillin-like antibiotics and became resistant to erythromycin. StM171 shows strain- and antibiotic-dependent effects on the biofilm formation of strains.