Characterization of the Bacteriophage BUCT603 and Therapeutic Potential Evaluation Against Drug-Resistant in a Mouse Model.

() is a common opportunistic pathogen that is resistant to many antibiotics. Bacteriophages are considered to be an effective alternative to antibiotics for the treatment of drug-resistant bacterial infections. In this study, we isolated and characterized a phage, BUCT603, infecting drug-resistant . Genome sequencing showed BUCT603 genome was composed of 44,912 bp (32.5% G + C content) with 64 predicted open reading frames (ORFs), whereas no virulence-related genes, antibiotic-resistant genes or tRNA were identified. Whole-genome alignments showed BUCT603 shared 1% homology with other phages in the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database, and a phylogenetic analysis indicated BUCT603 can be classified as a new member of the family. Bacteriophage BUCT603 infected 10 of 15 and used the TonB protein as an adsorption receptor. BUCT603 also inhibited the growth of the host bacterium within 1 h and effectively increased the survival rate of infected mice in a mouse model. These findings suggest that bacteriophage BUCT603 has potential for development as a candidate treatment of infection.