ISOLATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF BACTERIOPHAGES INFECTING Pseudomonas aeruginosa AND ENHANCING BACTERIAL ANTIBIOTIC SUSCEPTIBILITY

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic Gram-negative pathogen in plants and animals, including humans. It causes considerable challenges due to the emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) strains. Bacteriophage therapy, which utilizes specialized viruses to target and eliminate bacteria, has emerged as a potential approach to overcome the burden of antibiotic resistance. This study focused on the isolation and characterization of bacteriophages capable of infecting P. aeruginosa and evaluated their enhanced inhibition effect with antibiotics to enhance bacterial susceptibility. This combination increased antibiotic suseptibility of MDR P. aeruginosa strain. Our results indicated that 6 bacteriophages isolated from samples collected from the To Lich River and West Lake exhibited the ability to eradicate P. aeruginosa ATCC9027. Further experiments in collaboration with Ha Dong Hospital aimed to evaluate the lytic efficacy of these phages against antibiotic-resistant P. aeruginosa strains isolated from clinical samples. Among them, two novel lytic phages, provisional designation as bvB_Pae_BK5 and vB_Pae_BK6, were successfully isolated. Lytic phages are generally preferred for therapeutic applications due to their ability to directly kill bacterial cells, unlike lysogenic phages. Despite challenges such as bacteriophage specificity, host immune responses, and regulatory barriers, this integrated approach represents a promising strategy for treating P. aeruginosa infections.