Coliphage ASEC2202-Driven Eradication of Biofilm Matrix of E. coli Clinical Isolate

Padmesh, Sudhaker; Saeed, Humaira; Singh, Aditi; Sen, Manodeep

doi:10.21608/ejmm.2025.362266.1490

Coliphage ASEC2202-Driven Eradication of Biofilm Matrix of E. coli Clinical Isolate

Document Type : New and original researches in the field of Microbiology.

Authors

¹ 1Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow Campus, Gomti Nagar Extension, Lucknow - 226028 (INDIA)

² Department of Microbiology, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow (INDIA)

10.21608/ejmm.2025.362266.1490

Abstract

Background: Biofilm-producing multidrug-resistant (MDR) Escherichia coli remains a prominent global health concern and pose a formidable challenge to conventional antimicrobial therapies. Bacteriophage therapy has gained substantial attention as they target bacterial cells, often without disturbing the commensal microbiota, and can penetrate biofilm matrices, making them promising candidates for biofilm eradication. Objective: In this study, we evaluated anti-biofilm efficacy of ASEC2202, a novel lytic coliphage, isolated from sewage water in our lab. Methodology: The biofilms were produced using eight distinct E. coli MDR strains obtained from clinical specimens. The anti-biofilm activity of ASEC2202 bacteriophage was analysed using TCP method. Results: ASEC2202 exhibited a latent period of 30 minutes and a burst size of approximately 552 plaque-forming units (PFU) per infected cell. The phage demonstrated significant bactericidal activity, reducing E. coli population by approximately 3 logarithmic units (∼99.9% reduction) within 10 hours of incubation. Coliphage ASEC2202 exhibited potent lytic activity against biofilm-producing MDR E. coli, with biofilm reduction varying by stage and phage concentration. In early-stage biofilms, reductions ranged from 68.66% to 66.52%, while mid-stage biofilms showed over 75% reduction at 54 hours post-infection. For mature biofilms, titrations of 10⁵ and 10⁷ PFU/mL achieved reductions of 70.16% and 69.75%, respectively. Conclusion: The study concludes that while mature biofilms exhibit increased resilience, targeted phage therapy with optimized concentrations remains effective for biofilm mitigation. However, further in vivo studies are necessary to fully explore therapeutic potential of coliphage ASEC2202.

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