Isolation and characterization of a Myoviridae bacteriophage against Staphylococcus aureus isolated from dairy cows with mastitis

A lytic bacteriophage (phage), designated SAH-1, was isolated from sewage effluent near a dairy cow farm in Gwacheon, South Korea to search for biocontrol agents against Staphylococcus aureus infections. The SAH-1 was morphologically classified as Myoviridae and possessed an approximate 144 kb double-stranded genomic DNA. The phage showed broad host ranges within S. aureus strains including methicillin-resistant strains, and its latent period and burst size were approximately 20 min and 100 PFU/cell, respectively. Moreover, morphologic and genomic analysis of SAH-1 revealed that the phage was closely related to other Myoviridae phages infecting Staphylococcus species. The bacteriolytic activity of phage SAH-1 at a multiplicity of infection (MOI) 1 and 100 indicated its efficiency for reducing bacterial growth. Based on these results, phage SAH-1 could be considered a potential therapeutic or prophylactic candidate against S. aureus infections.