Abstract: Viruses that infect bacteria are known as bacteriophages and can be used as biocontrol agents to complement antibiotics. The aim of the study was to isolate Vibrio cholerae lytic bacteriophages from environmental waters of different regions in Kenya that included: Lake Victoria, Coast, Nairobi and Central. A total of 140 environmental water samples were collected from ponds, rivers, lake, beaches, springs, boreholes, wells and Indian Ocean. Pathogenic Vibrio cholerae strains isolated from some these sources were used as respective propagating strains for isolation of vibriophages. Identification of the Vibrio cholerae bacterial strains by Polymerase Chain reaction was through amplification and sequencing of partial 16S ribosomal RNA gene. In total, 15 Vibrio cholerae bacteriophages were isolated; nine from rivers, three from beaches and three from ponds using the double layer method of purification. Lytic spectrum confirmed that all the 15 bacteriophages were infective to both environmental and clinical Vibrio cholerae isolates. Further characterization by Transmission Electron Microscope assigned the vibriophages to order Caudovirales of Myoviridae family owing to their icosahedral capsid and contractile tails. The average tail length, head diameter were 90nm and 79nm respectively. The current study has proved that vibriophages have established a niche in Kenyan environmental waters. The bacteriophages may have the potential for biocontrol of Vibrio cholerae bacterium.
Keywords: Vibrio cholerae, vibriophages, cholera, biocontrol, Myoviridae.
Title: NEWLY ISOLATED VIBRIO CHOLERAE BACTERIOPHAGES FROM ENVIRONMENTAL WATERS OF KENYA
Author: Alice Nyambura Maina, Francis B. Mwaura, Miriam Jumba, Peter Muturi, Kering Kimutai, David Goulding, Derek Pickard, Ana L. Toribio, Julius M. Mathara
International Journal of Life Sciences Research
ISSN 2348-313X (Print), ISSN 2348-3148 (online)
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