{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,30]],"date-time":"2026-07-30T13:18:53Z","timestamp":1785417533675,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":39,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"13","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,2]],"date-time":"2026-07-02T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1782950400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100004242","name":"Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["PNURSP2026R84"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["PNURSP2026R84"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100004242","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"award":["PNURSP2026R84"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["PNURSP2026R84"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/05b0cyh02","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Biology"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Serratia marcescens is a nosocomial pathogen that has acquired resistance to multiple antibiotics, necessitating alternative antimicrobial strategies. The aim of this study was to isolate and characterize a novel phage (\u00d8AS2) against Serratia marcescens and evaluate its biocontrol potential in dairy matrices. In this study, a lytic bacteriophage specific to S. marcescens, designated \u00d8AS2, was isolated from sewage samples collected in Assiut, Egypt. Phage \u00d8AS2 was characterized using plaque assays, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), host range determination, pH and thermal stability tests, and one-step growth curve analysis. Its ability to inhibit bacterial growth and disrupt biofilms was also evaluated in vitro. TEM revealed that \u00d8AS2 possesses an icosahedral head approximately 47.2 nm in diameter and a very short tail, consistent with the morphology of a member of the class Caudoviricetes that exhibits podovirus-like morphology. The phage exhibited a broad host range, infecting various Serratia strains as well as other Gram-negative bacteria, including Klebsiella spp., Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, and Shigella spp. \u00d8AS2 was thermostable up to 60 \u00b0C and showed maximum activity at pH 8. One-step growth curve analysis revealed a short latent period of 10 min and a burst size of 115 PFU per infected cell. \u00d8AS2 effectively inhibited the growth of S. marcescens SM02 in vitro and significantly reduced preformed biofilms at different multiplicities of infection (MOIs). When applied to skim milk and fresh soft cheese at various MOIs (Multiplicities of Infection), the phage successfully controlled bacterial contamination under refrigerated storage (7 \u00b0C for 7\u201310 days). At MOI 5.0, phage \u00d8AS2 reduced biofilm biomass by 25.6%, planktonic growth by 85.7%, and achieved a reduction of 2.1 log10 CFU\/mL in skim milk. These findings indicate that \u00d8AS2 is a promising biocontrol candidate for managing S. marcescens spoilage in dairy products.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/biology15131055","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,2]],"date-time":"2026-07-02T10:04:44Z","timestamp":1782986684000},"page":"1055","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Harnessing a Lytic (Caudoviricetes with Podovirus-Like Morphology) Bacteriophage (\u00d8AS2) for Biocontrol of Multidrug-Resistant Serratia marcescens Biofilms in Milk and Soft Cheese"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0004-9416-781X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Dalia Kamal","family":"Rawy","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Student Hospital, Assiut University Hospitals, Assiut University, Assiut 71515, Egypt"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Fawziah M.","family":"Albarakaty","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Umm Al-Qura University, P.O. Box 715, Makkah 21955, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1404-3442","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rehab M. A.","family":"El-Desoukey","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Microbiology and Immunology Department, National Research Centre, Giza 12622, Egypt"},{"name":"Applied College Afif, Shaqra University, Shaqra 11961, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mayasar I.","family":"Al-Zaban","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biology, College of Science, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Alya","family":"Aljuaid","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biology, College of Science and Humanities, Shaqra University, Shaqra 11961, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mohammed","family":"Aladhadh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, College of Agriculture and Food, Qassim University, Buraydah 51452, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Khalid A.","family":"Alsaleem","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, College of Agriculture and Food, Qassim University, Buraydah 51452, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0141-4294","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Raghda M. S.","family":"Moawad","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Dairy Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Minia University, Minia 61519, Egypt"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,2]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Muteeb, G., Rehman, M.T., Shahwan, M., and Aatif, M. (2023). Origin of Antibiotics and Antibiotic Resistance, and Their Impacts on Drug Development: A Narrative Review. Pharmaceuticals, 16.","DOI":"10.20944\/preprints202306.1921.v1"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Cristina, M.L., Sartini, M., and Spagnolo, A.M. (2019). Serratia marcescens Infections in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs). Int. J. Environ. Res. 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