Discovery, Isolation, and Genomic Characterization of StrongMan, a Newly Identified Bacteriophage
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Fall 2025
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2025-12-04
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Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria by injecting their DNA into the host cell and killing it through lytic replication. With antibiotic-resistant bacteria causing rising global mortality, phages possess immense potential as therapeutic agents. As part of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute-Sponsored SEA-PHAGES program, the goal of this project was to isolate, purify, and characterize a previously undiscovered bacteriophage. Soil samples were collected from Glens Falls, NY approximately 5 cm below the surface, where the temperature was 21℃. Samples were processed using both direct-isolation and enrichment protocols with Microbacterium foliorum as the host bacterium. Clear plaques displaying strong lytic activity were selected for purification through serial dilution plating and reiterative plaque picking. Amplified lysates were generated using high-titer preparation techniques. Phage DNA was extracted and the concentration measured by Nanodrop was 170.4 ng/µL. Restriction enzyme digestion with NspI, SacII, and HaeIII produced visible DNA fragmentation patterns when separated by gel electrophoresis, confirming genomic integrity suitable for sequencing. A novel lytic bacteriophage was successfully isolated from the Glens Falls region. Future work will include titer determination, archiving, sequencing of the phage, and possible electron microscopy.