Synergistic effect of phage-antibiotic combination against Stenotrophomonas maltophilia

Abstract Phage therapy has been used for more than a century to treat bacterial infections that are caused by multidrug-resistant organisms. To combat S. maltophilia (multidrug-resistant bacteria), we isolated, recognized, and described the Stenotrophomonas phage CM2 in this study. The diameter of the head and tail length of the Stenotrophomonas phage CM2 were measured to be around 109 nm and 146 nm, respectively. It was found that the phage is a member of the Myoviridae family of viruses and is categorized under the order Caudovirales. 2 out of the 6 different strains of S.maltophilia tested were lysed by Stenotrophomonas phage CM2 according to host range determination, and a one-step growth curve indicated a short latent time and a moderate burst size. Phage CM2 has 61670 base pairs and 24 phage genes. A phylogenetic tree was reconstructed which revealed the close evolutionary relationship between CM2 and other Stenotrophomonas phages. We have also studied the Phage-Antibiotic synergy of Phage CM2 against different antibiotics such as Nitrofurantoin, amoxicillin, and ciprofloxacin. Evidence suggests that lytic phage can work in class-dependent synergy with antibiotics to rejuvenate a medication that was no longer effective against previously resistant bacteria.