Discrimination of bacteriophage infected cells using locked nucleic acid fluorescent in situ hybridization (LNA-FISH)

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2016

Authors

Diana Vilas Boas (Author) Other; Carina Almeida (Author) Other; Sanna Sillankorva (Author) Other; Ana Nicolau (Author) Other; Joana Azeredo (Author) Other; Nuno F. Azevedo (Author) FEUP

Journal

Title: Biofouling

Vol. 32 No. 2

Pages: 179-190

ISSN: 0892-7014

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 8 Citations

ISI Web of Science

Scopus - 18 Citations

Associated Projects

DNA mimics - Desenvolvimento e aplicação de mímicos de DNA para a rápida identificação de microrganismos patogénicos

LEPABE - Laboratório de Engenharia de Processos, Ambiente, Biotecnologia e Energia

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-00K-7CT

DOI: 10.1080/08927014.2015.1131821

Abstract (EN): Bacteriophage–host interaction studies in biofilm structures are still challenging due to the technical limitations of traditional methods. The aim of this study was to provide a direct fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) method based on locked nucleic acid (LNA) probes, which targets the phage replication phase, allowing the study of population dynamics during infection. Bacteriophages specific for two biofilm-forming bacteria, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter, were selected. Four LNA probes were designed and optimized for phage-specific detection and for bacterial counterstaining. To validate the method, LNA-FISH counts were compared with the traditional plaque forming unit (PFU) technique. To visualize the progression of phage infection within a biofilm, colony-biofilms were formed and infected with bacteriophages. A good correlation (r = 0.707) was observed between LNA-FISH and PFU techniques. In biofilm structures, LNA-FISH provided a good discrimination of the infected cells and also allowed the assessment of the spatial distribution of infected and non-infected populations.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 12