Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a bacteria responsible for many hospital-acquired infections. Phages are promising alternatives for treating P. aeruginosa infections, which are often intrinsically resistant. The combination of phage and antibiotics in clearing bacterial infection holds promise due to increasing reports of enhanced effectiveness when both are used together. The aim of the study is to isolate and characterize a novel P. aeruginosa phage and determine its effectiveness in in vitro combination with antibiotics in controlling P. aeruginosa. In this study, a novel jumbo myophage HPP-Temi infecting P. aeruginosa Pa9 (PP334386) was isolated from household sewage. Electron micrographs of the phage were obtained to determine the morphological features of HPP-Temi virions. Complete genome analysis and a combination of Pseudomonas phage HPP-Temi with antibiotics were examined. The phage HPP-Temi was able to productively infect P. aeruginosa ATCC 9027 but was unable to infect a closely related genus. The phage was stable at 4–37 °C, 0.5% NaCl, and pH 8 for at least one hour. The HPP-Temi genome is a 302,719-bp-long dsDNA molecule with a GC content of 46.46%. The genome was predicted to have 436 ORFs and 7 tRNA genes. No virulence factor-related genes, antimicrobial resistance, or temperate lifestyle-associated genes were found in the phage HPP-Temi genome. Phage HPP-Temi is most closely related to the known or tentative representatives of the Pawinskivirus genus and can be proposed as a representative for the creation of a novel phage species in that genus. The phage and antibiotics (Ciprofloxacin) combination at varying phage titers (10³, 10⁶, 10⁹) were used against P. aeruginosa Pa9 (PP334386) at 3.0 × 10⁸ CFU/mL, which was carried out in triplicate. The result showed that combining antibiotics with phage significantly reduced the bacteria count at 10³ and 10⁶ titers, while no growth was observed at 10⁹ PFU/mL. This suggests that the effect of phage HPP-Temi in combination with antibiotics is a potential and promising agent for the control of P. aeruginosa infections.

Background: Poultry is a profitable business in Nigeria, with economic benefits to families and communities involved in this type of agriculture. However, infection of poultry birds by Escherichia coli can, in addition to causing mortality, results in reduction of egg production, with depletion of protein (egg and meat) and subsequent reduction in market value, consumer supply, cost of veterinary care, and medicines. The objectives of this study are to determine the prevalence and antimicrobial resistance profiles of faecal E. coli isolates from local chickens (Gallus domesticus) in Plateau State, northcentral Nigeria. Methodology: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study of 540 local chickens for faecal carriage of E. coli, randomly selected from 9 local government areas (LGAs) (60 per LGA) in the 3 senatorial districts (180 per senatorial district) of Plateau State, Nigeria. Faecal samples were collected from the chickens for culture isolation and identification of E. coli using conventional microbiological methods. The isolates were confirmed by Vitek® 2 compact machine and PCR amplification of 16S rRNA gene. Antibiotic susceptibility test of 37 distinct E. coli strains to selected antibiotics (ampicillin, ampicillin/sulbactam, piperacillin, cefazolin, cefepime, ceftriaxone, ceftazidime, cefoxitin, ertapenem, meropenem, amikacin, gentamicin, tobramycin, ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, nitrofurantoin and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole) was performed by the Vitek® 2 and read using the web system application. Data analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0 and R Commander version 2.9-1. Results: The overall prevalence of faecal E. coli carriage among the chickens was 65.0% (351/540), with highest prevalence in Central Plateau senatorial district (76.1%, 137/180), which was significantly higher than Northern Plateau (62.2%, 112/180) and Southern Plateau (56.7%, 102/180) (x2=15.873, p=0.0004). The prevalence of E. coli was highest in Pankshin (86.7%, 52/60) and Mangu (85.0%, 51/60) LGAs and this was significantly higher than in Bokkos (56.7%, 34/60) (x2=18.761, p<0.000) and other LGAs. The antibiotic susceptibility of 37 distinct strains of E. coli showed that 64.9% (n=24) were resistant to at least one antibiotic, with the highest resistance rate being to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (51.4%, n=19), ampicillin (48.7%, n=18), and piperacillin (43.2%, n=15). Multi-drug resistance (resistance to three or more antibiotic classes) was observed in 35.1% (n=13) of the E. coli strains. The multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) index ranged from 0.06 (resistance to one antibiotic) to 0.76 (resistance to 13 antibiotics tested). Conclusion: The results of this study provide evidence that resistance to multiple antibiotics is widespread among faecal E. coli isolates from local chickens in Plateau State, Nigeria, and thus poses potential risks for human infections with MDR E. coli.

Escherichia coli is a gram-negative commensal bacterium living in human and animal intestines. Its pathogenic strains are cause of high morbidity which can adversely affect people by causing urinary tract infections, food poisoning, septic shock, or meningitis. Humans can contract E. coli by eating contaminated food—such as raw or undercooked raw milk, meat products, and fresh produce sold in open markets—as well as by coming into contact with contaminated settings like wastewater, municipal water, soil, and faeces. Some pathogenic strains of E. coli have been identified in Nigeria such as enterohemorrhagic (EHEC), as well as enterotoxigenic (ETEC), enteropathogenic (EPEC), enteroinvasive (EIEC), enteroaggregative (EAEC), and verotoxigenic (VTEC). This causes acute watery or bloody diarrhoea, stomach cramps, and vomiting. Apart from the virulence profile of E. coli, antibiotic resistance mechanisms such as the presence of blaCTX-M found in humans, animals and environmental isolates which are of great importance and require surveillance and monitoring for emerging threats in resource-limited countries. This review is aimed at understanding the underlying mechanisms of evolution and antibiotic resistance in E. coli in Nigeria and highlighting the use of improving One Health approaches to combat the problem of emerging infectious diseases.