Isolation and characterization of bacteriophages with lytic activity against multidrug-resistant non-typhoidal Salmonella from Nairobi City county, Kenya
Non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) typically cause self-limiting enterocolitis but can lead to life-threatening invasive diseases. In Kenya, multidrug-resistant (MDR) NTS strains with increasing nonsusceptibility to third-generation cephalosporins have been reported, posing a significant public health concern that requires urgent attention. Bacteriophages are increasingly being considered as an alternative treatment for MDR bacterial infections because of the growing ineffectiveness of conventional antibiotics. Our study reports the isolation and characterization of lytic Salmonella phages devoid of detectable antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes, lysogeny potential, allergens or virulence factors. These attributes position them as promising candidates for therapeutic interventions against MDR NTS infections. These findings highlight the potential of our study phages as a therapy for drug-resistant NTS and underscore the need for further investigation into their clinical application against MDR strains.
Authors
- Antje Flieger (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3819-2979)
- Cecilia Mbae (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6933-248X)
- Ivy Mutai (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2929-341X)
- Angela Makumi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3510-972X)
- Michael Mugo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1448-837X)
- Samuel Kariuki (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3209-9503)
- Abednego Moki Musyoki (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1221-3735)
- Peter Muturi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7048-1685)
- Oliver Drechsel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7661-2535)
- Kelvin Kering (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6399-7774)
- Tobias Hoffmann (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2858-4776)
- Lothar Heinz Wieler (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4365-3717)
- Tanja Pilz
- Michael Pietsch (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4807-3244)
- Kristin Weber
- Collins Kebenei
Institutions
- University of Nottingham (GB)
- Hasso Plattner Institute (DE)
- Kenyatta University (KE)
- Robert Koch Institute (DE)
- Kenya Medical Research Institute (KE)
- Institute of Primate Research (KE)
- International Livestock Research Institute (KE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- BMC Infectious Diseases
- Published
- 2025-07-24
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-025-11325-3
- Citations
- 7
- Primary Topic
- Salmonella and Campylobacter epidemiology
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 8.14
Funders
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
- Robert Koch Institut