Yajun Zhang,1,* Biao Meng,2,3,* Xiao Wei,2,* Yan Li,2 Xiaohui Wang,1 Yan Zheng,1 Changjun Wang,2,3 Lihong Cui,1 Xiangna Zhao2,3 1Department of Gastroenterology, The Sixth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 2Centre for Disease Control and Prevention of China PLA, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Lihong Cui; Xiangna Zhao Tel +86-10-66948393Fax +86-10-66948304Email luckycui861@sina.com; xnazhao@163.comBackground: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an important nosocomial infectious bacterium, more and more multidrug resistant P. aeruginosa have been isolated and posed severe challenges to clinical antibiotic treatment, bringing additional morbidity, mortality, and economic burden. Bacteriophages can lyse bacteria specificity and are feasible alternatives to antibiotics.Methods: A Pseudomonas aeruginosa-infecting phage vB_PaeP_PA01EW was isolated. Phage plaque assays, transmission electron microscopy, host-range determination, infection assay analyses, whole-genome sequencing and annotation were performed for the phage. Mice pneumonia model using liquid aerosol-exposure Pseudomonas aeruginosa was established, and phage therapy was evaluated.Results: vB_PaeP_PA01EW belongs to the family Podoviridae according to transmission electron microscopy and was identified as a Luz24likevirus according to the genome analysis. For the phage therapy, compared with the bacteria-infected group, the phage-rescue group has some characteristics. First, adventitial edema and diffuse infiltration of inflammatory cells in tissues were alleviated, Second, bronchial epithelial cell proliferation was reduced. Third, the bacterial burden was significantly decreased.Conclusion: This study provided data support and theoretical basis for the clinical application of bacteriophages. It has important guiding significance and reference value for the application of bacteriophage therapy of other pathogenic bacteria.Keywords: P. aeruginosa, bacteriophage, vB_PaeP_PA01EW, aerosol-exposure
