Isolation of Lytic Bacteriophages of Escherichia coli and Their Combined Use with Antibiotics Against the Causative Agents of Colibacillosis in Calves
Alexyuk P.G. Bogoyavlenskiy A.P. Akanova K.S. Moldakhanov Y.S. Kerimov T.T. Sokolova N.S. Berezin V.E. Alexyuk M.S.
September 2025Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)
Veterinary Sciences
2025#12Issue 9
The spread of antibiotic-resistant pathogenic Escherichia coli poses a serious threat to calf health on livestock farms. With the decline in antibiotic therapy effectiveness, alternative approaches such as phage therapy are urgently needed. This study aimed to isolate lytic E. coli bacteriophages, characterize their properties, and evaluate the synergistic effects of their combined use with veterinary antibiotics against colibacillosis pathogens in calves. As a result of the work, 4 bacteriophages were isolated from wastewater from various cities of Kazakhstan: vB_EcoS_ABO/4, vB_EcoM_PL/4, vB_Eco_CWW/26, vB_EcoM_ShWW/46. Morphological, biological, and genomic analyses showed that the phages belong to different genera of the Caudoviricetes class, possess high lytic activity, broad host range, environmental stability, and lack genes associated with lysogeny, antibiotic resistance, or virulence. Interaction studies with antibiotics revealed synergistic or additive effects in over 75% of cases. These findings highlight the strong potential of the isolated bacteriophages for independent or adjunctive use in the treatment and prevention of colibacillosis in calves. However, further in vivo studies are required to definitively confirm their therapeutic efficacy.
antibiotic resistance , bacteriophage , colibacillosis , Escherichia coli , phage therapy , synergy , whole-genome sequencing
Text of the article Перейти на текст статьи
Research and Production Center for Microbiology and Virology, Almaty, 050010, Kazakhstan
Research and Production Center for Microbiology and Virology
10 лет помогаем публиковать статьи Международный издатель
Книга Публикация научной статьи Волощук 2026 Book Publication of a scientific article 2026