Carbohydrates in action: influencing infection and amplification of Staphylococcus aureus bacteriophages

Abstract Background The use of bacteriophages as adjunct antibacterial agents in combating antimicrobial resistance is being actively studied worldwide. Due to their high specificity and ability to replicate within bacterial hosts, phages are used in various fields, including medicine, the food indu...

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Main Authors: Poniatovskyi Vadym, Shyrobokov Volodymyr
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-08-01
Series:BMC Microbiology
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12866-025-04219-6
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author Poniatovskyi Vadym
Shyrobokov Volodymyr
author_facet Poniatovskyi Vadym
Shyrobokov Volodymyr
author_sort Poniatovskyi Vadym
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background The use of bacteriophages as adjunct antibacterial agents in combating antimicrobial resistance is being actively studied worldwide. Due to their high specificity and ability to replicate within bacterial hosts, phages are used in various fields, including medicine, the food industry, agriculture, animal husbandry, biotechnology, and microbial identification. Despite their exceptional properties, the self-replication process of phages depends on multiple factors that may lead to a decrease in phage concentration during production and storage. The composition of the culture medium used for the cultivation of host bacteria is one of the critical parameters affecting phage infection and replication processes. Results In this study, we evaluated the effect of different carbohydrates in the nutrient medium on the infection and amplification of bacteriophages in a Staphylococcus aureus bacterial culture. We used the bacteriophage St12f, isolated from environmental samples, and tested 21 carbohydrates and their derivatives. The experimental results confirmed that the addition of carbohydrates to nutrient media either inhibited or enhanced the plaque formation. The addition of 1% inositol (P ≥ 0.05) and maltose (P < 0.05) to the nutrient medium enhanced plaque formation by the St12f phage, whereas sucrose, lactose, mannitol, sorbitol, glycerol, rhamnose, xylose, arabinose, and glucose (P < 0.05) at the same concentration significantly inhibited the formation of phage plaques. Furthermore, we identified a dependence of phage replication (inhibition/enhancement) on the carbohydrate concentration in the medium. Conclusions The experimental data obtained contribute to a deeper understanding of the metabolic interactions between bacteriophages and their bacterial hosts, as well as to the optimization of phage production for therapeutic applications. Further research should focus on elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying this phenomenon and assessing its clinical significance.
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spelling doaj-art-d9210fb26fce4f25bbed000f965bde682025-08-20T04:01:53ZengBMCBMC Microbiology1471-21802025-08-0125111210.1186/s12866-025-04219-6Carbohydrates in action: influencing infection and amplification of Staphylococcus aureus bacteriophagesPoniatovskyi Vadym0Shyrobokov Volodymyr1Department of Microbiology and Parasitology with the Basics of Immunology, Bogomolets National Medical UniversityDepartment of Microbiology and Parasitology with the Basics of Immunology, Bogomolets National Medical UniversityAbstract Background The use of bacteriophages as adjunct antibacterial agents in combating antimicrobial resistance is being actively studied worldwide. Due to their high specificity and ability to replicate within bacterial hosts, phages are used in various fields, including medicine, the food industry, agriculture, animal husbandry, biotechnology, and microbial identification. Despite their exceptional properties, the self-replication process of phages depends on multiple factors that may lead to a decrease in phage concentration during production and storage. The composition of the culture medium used for the cultivation of host bacteria is one of the critical parameters affecting phage infection and replication processes. Results In this study, we evaluated the effect of different carbohydrates in the nutrient medium on the infection and amplification of bacteriophages in a Staphylococcus aureus bacterial culture. We used the bacteriophage St12f, isolated from environmental samples, and tested 21 carbohydrates and their derivatives. The experimental results confirmed that the addition of carbohydrates to nutrient media either inhibited or enhanced the plaque formation. The addition of 1% inositol (P ≥ 0.05) and maltose (P < 0.05) to the nutrient medium enhanced plaque formation by the St12f phage, whereas sucrose, lactose, mannitol, sorbitol, glycerol, rhamnose, xylose, arabinose, and glucose (P < 0.05) at the same concentration significantly inhibited the formation of phage plaques. Furthermore, we identified a dependence of phage replication (inhibition/enhancement) on the carbohydrate concentration in the medium. Conclusions The experimental data obtained contribute to a deeper understanding of the metabolic interactions between bacteriophages and their bacterial hosts, as well as to the optimization of phage production for therapeutic applications. Further research should focus on elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying this phenomenon and assessing its clinical significance.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12866-025-04219-6Staphylococcus aureusBacteriophagesCarbohydratesInfection cyclePlaque formation
spellingShingle Poniatovskyi Vadym
Shyrobokov Volodymyr
Carbohydrates in action: influencing infection and amplification of Staphylococcus aureus bacteriophages
BMC Microbiology
Staphylococcus aureus
Bacteriophages
Carbohydrates
Infection cycle
Plaque formation
title Carbohydrates in action: influencing infection and amplification of Staphylococcus aureus bacteriophages
title_full Carbohydrates in action: influencing infection and amplification of Staphylococcus aureus bacteriophages
title_fullStr Carbohydrates in action: influencing infection and amplification of Staphylococcus aureus bacteriophages
title_full_unstemmed Carbohydrates in action: influencing infection and amplification of Staphylococcus aureus bacteriophages
title_short Carbohydrates in action: influencing infection and amplification of Staphylococcus aureus bacteriophages
title_sort carbohydrates in action influencing infection and amplification of staphylococcus aureus bacteriophages
topic Staphylococcus aureus
Bacteriophages
Carbohydrates
Infection cycle
Plaque formation
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12866-025-04219-6
work_keys_str_mv AT poniatovskyivadym carbohydratesinactioninfluencinginfectionandamplificationofstaphylococcusaureusbacteriophages
AT shyrobokovvolodymyr carbohydratesinactioninfluencinginfectionandamplificationofstaphylococcusaureusbacteriophages