Purpose: This study aimed to isolate Salmonella Enteritidis bacteriophages from various sources and to identify the virulence factors profile of bacteriophage isolates.
Methods: Twelve bacteriophages against Salmonella Enteritidis from sewage were purchased from the bacteriophage bank in Korea. Forty-two bacteriophages were isolated from 60 fermented foods including kimchi, soy paste, and yogurt. Genomic DNA of host bacteria and bacteriophage isolates was prepared by genomic DNA kit and commercial genomic DNA extraction kit and phage DNA extraction kit, respectively. The presence of ten virulence factors (avrA, ssaQ, mgtC, siiD, sopB, gipA, sodC1, sopE1, spvC, bcfC) was examined by PCR.
Results: Although six bacteriophages were negative for 10 virulence factors, 48 out of 54 carried 1 or multiple virulence factors. Among 54 isolates, avrA+ssaQ+mgtC+siiD+sopB+sodC1+sopE1 was the most prevalent virulence profile of Salmonella Enteritidis bacteriophage. sopB was present in 65% of 20 bacteriophage isolates from kimchi and 56.25% of 16 bacteriophages from soy paste. However, 12 bacteriophages from sewage did not carry sopB. bcfC was detected in bacteriophages only from soy paste and its detection rate was 62.5%. Interestingly, sopE1was detected in all bacteriophages and host bacteria used in this study.
Significance: Salmonella Enteritidis bacteriophage isolates from various sources showed typical virulence factor profile. Their role and safety should be evaluated in further research.