{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,16]],"date-time":"2026-10-16T20:21:11Z","timestamp":1792182071188,"version":"4.4.0"},"reference-count":28,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,22]],"date-time":"2025-09-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1758499200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The widespread misuse of antibiotics has accelerated the emergence of multidrug-resistant bacterial strains, presenting a major threat to global public health. Bacteriophages (phages), owing to their host-specific lytic activity and self-replicating nature, have emerged as promising alternatives or adjuncts to conventional antibiotic therapies.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>In this study, a lytic phage targeting avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) was isolated from farm wastewater. The phage\u2019s morphological characteristics, host range, optimal multiplicity of infection (MOI), one-step growth curve, pH stability, thermal stability, chloroform sensitivity, and in vitro antibacterial activity were determined. Subsequently, the therapeutic efficacy of the phage was evaluated in a pigeon model.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>In this study, we isolated and characterized a lytic phage, designated vB_EcoM_P3322, from farm wastewater targeting APEC. Transmission electron microscopy classified vB_EcoM_P3322 within the Myoviridae family. The phage exhibited broad lytic activity against five Escherichia coliserotypes (O8:H10, O15:H18, O51:H20, O149:H20, and O166:H6). Optimal biological parameters included a multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 1, a latent period of 10 minutes, an 80-minute burst period, and a burst size of 252 PFUs\/cell. vB_EcoM_P3322 maintained stable lytic activity across a pH range of 5\u20139 and temperatures from 4\u00b0C to 50\u00b0C, although it was sensitive to chloroform. In vitro, the phage effectively suppressed bacterial growth within 6 hours at MOIs of 0.1, 1, and 10. Whole-genome sequencing revealed a 151,674 bp double-stranded DNA genome encoding 279 predicted open reading frames. No virulence factors, toxin genes, antibiotic resistance genes, or lysogeny-related elements were identified, affirming its safety for therapeutic application. Phylogenetic analysis indicated 98.44% nucleotide identity (97% coverage) with phage vB_EcoM_Ro121c4YLVW (GenBank: NC_052654), suggesting a close evolutionary relationship. In a pigeon infection model, vB_EcoM_P3322 treatment significantly improved survival and reduced histopathological damage in the liver and spleen. Metagenomic analysis of duodenal contents revealed a marked reduction (P &amp;lt; 0.01) in E. coli abundance in the treatment group, indicating selective pathogen clearance and modulation of gut microbiota.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Discussion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>In summary, vB_EcoM_P3322 displays broad-spectrum lytic activity, robust environmental stability, potent antibacterial efficacy both in vitro and in vivo, and a safe genomic profile. These attributes support its potential as a novel biocontrol agent for managing APEC infections in poultry farming.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fcimb.2025.1645263","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,22]],"date-time":"2025-09-22T05:28:19Z","timestamp":1758518899000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":9,"title":["A novel broad-spectrum lytic phage vB_EcoM_P3322: isolation, characterization, and therapeutic potential against avian pathogenic Escherichia coli"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Ying","family":"Huang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mengfei","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yuan","family":"Tian","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xueqin","family":"Lan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Wanjing","family":"Jin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yixin","family":"Bai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Qirui","family":"Zang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mingshuai","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zhanqiang","family":"Su","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Wei","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Gulina","family":"Aishan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mingyang","family":"Geng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jinxin","family":"Xie","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Panpan","family":"Tong","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,22]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/ph14101019","article-title":"Phage cocktail development for bacteriophage therapy: Toward improving spectrum of activity breadth and depth","volume":"14","author":"Abedon","year":"2021","journal-title":"Pharm. 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