Antibacterial Activity of Novel Strains of Bacteriophages: An Experimental Approach

The evolution of antibiotic resistance in bacteria has increased research in the development of alternative therapies to conventional drugs. In this study, isolated phages were characterized and antibacterial activity was determined by standard agar disc diffusion method. The phages showed maximum propagation at 37°C to 40°C and highest viability at pH 7. Sugars influenced the bacteriophage viability. Sodium chloride decreased the phage propagation. Calcium chloride and magnesium chloride increased the phage propagation up to a certain limit. SDS-PAGE analysis confirmed the presence of protein cover and showed the various bands ranging from 10 to 200 kDa. Nucleic acid analysis confirmed the presence of RNA with a size of approximately 20 kb. Transmission electron microscopy indicated that the phages belong to Siphoviridae, Leviviridae, and Podoviridae families.