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Pseudomonas aeruginosa Virulence Bacteriophage Isolated From Inflammatory Mouse Feces Exhibits Bactericidal Activity in Infected Wounds of a Mouse Model

Uthaibhorn Singkham-In, Supadtra Pedcharat, Wilasinee Saisorn, Vorthon Sawaswong, P. Phuengmaung, A. Leelahavanichkul

International Journal of Microbiology, 2026

Abstract

Background Recently, bacteriophages have risen as a potent therapy for superbug infections. The mammal gut demonstrates an interesting source of virulence bacteriophages. The gut with inflammation is phage‐rich; therefore, we primarily aimed to prove the concept that an inflammatory gut is a possible source of effective phages and to evaluate the efficacy of the candidate phage against Pseudomonas aeruginosa in vitro and in a mouse model of infected wounds. Results The gut microbiome of cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) sepsis mice, an animal model of inflammation, showed a dominant presence of Podoviruses. CLP bacteriophages (CLP Φ1–Φ4), of which the CLP Φ4 possessed the broadest bactericidal activity (viable bacterial cell reduction in time‐kill study) against P. aeruginosa isolates. The CLP Φ4 specifically killed the Pseudomonas aeruginosa clinical (PACL) strain with two huge burst events. Although the CLP Φ4 had no effect on ex vivo mouse bone marrow‐derived macrophage (BMDM) cytokine gene expression and cytokine production, the CLP Φ4 attenuated the severity of the P. aeruginosa–infected wound mouse model after treatment. P. aeruginosa PACL exhibited significantly pathogenic characteristics in a mouse model, including excessive bacterial loads (in wounds and internal organs, indicating the systemic infection due to localized infected wound with P. aeruginosa), increased IL‐6 cytokine (in serum), upregulated IL‐6 expression (in wounds), and immune cell infiltration (in…

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