94 Isolation and characterisation of bacteriophage infecting Prevotella spp. recovered from the cystic fibrosis (CF) airways

Objectives Prevotella spp. are the predominant anaerobes detected in CF sputum samples. Whether these organisms contribute to the pathogenicity of chronic lung disease is currently unclear. Bacterial pathogenicity is increasingly being associated with the carriage of temperate bacteriophage. As such, this study aimed to isolate and characterise bacteriophage infecting Prevotella spp. recovered from CF sputum samples. Methods Prevotella spp. (N = 6) were cultivated in basal anaerobic media, under anaerobic conditions, until late stationary/decline phase. Bacteria were pelleted by centrifugation and the supernatant passed through 0.22 µm filters before bacteriophage were concentrated using high speed centrifugation. Phage particles were stained with 2% uranyl acetate and viewed using a transmission electron microscope. Results Bacteriophage like particles with uniformity and icosahedral capsid structures that characterise many bacteriophage species were recovered from all Prevotella cultures. Conclusion CF Prevotella isolates harbour a variety of bacteriophage like particles. Preliminary investigations suggest that the production of these particles may occur in response to increases in bacterial population density. Ongoing genomic analysis may allow further characterisation of these bacteriophage like particles and provide insight into any potential effects they may have on bacterial virulence.