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. 2023 Dec 1;134(12):lxad299.
doi: 10.1093/jambio/lxad299.

A ToxIN homolog from Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis impairs bacteriophage infection

John A McFarlane  1 , Eleanore G Hansen  2 , Estephany C Ortega  2 , Irem Iskender  2 , Vincent Noireaux  3 , Steven D Bowden  1   2
Affiliations

A ToxIN homolog from Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis impairs bacteriophage infection

John A McFarlane et al. J Appl Microbiol. .

Abstract

Aims: To determine if the bacteriophage abortive infection system ToxIN is present in foodborne Salmonella and if it protects against infection by bacteriophages specific to enteric bacteria.

Methods and results: A set of foodborne Salmonella enteritidis isolates from a 2010 eggshell outbreak was identified via BLASTN (basic local alignment search tool nucleotide) queries as harboring a close homolog of ToxIN, carried on a plasmid with putative mobilization proteins. This homolog was cloned into a plasmid vector and transformed into the laboratory strain Salmonella typhimurium LT2 and tested against a set of Salmonella-specific phages (FelixO1, S16, Sp6, LPST153, and P22 HT105/1 int-201). ToxIN reduced infection by FelixO1, S16, and LPST153 by ∼1-4 log PFU ml-1 while reducing the plaque size of Sp6. When present in LT2 and Escherichia coli MG1655, ToxIN conferred cross-genus protection against phage isolates, which infect both bacteria. Finally, the putative ToxIN plasmid was found in whole-genome sequence contigs of several Salmonella serovars, pathogenic E. coli, and other pathogenic enterobacteria.

Conclusions: Salmonella and E. coli can resist infection by several phages via ToxIN under laboratory conditions; ToxIN is present in foodborne pathogens including Salmonella and Shiga-toxigenic E. coli.

Keywords: Salmonella; ToxIN; abortive infection; bacteriophage; foodborne; phage resistance.

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