Complete genome sequence of a novel, virulent Ahjdlikevirus bacteriophage that infects Enterococcus faecium

A novel virulent bacteriophage named vB_EfaP_IME199 that specifically infects Enterococcus faecium was isolated and characterized. Its optimal multiplicity of infection was 0.01, and it had a 30 minute outbreak period. High-throughput sequencing revealed that the phage has a dsDNA genome of 18,838 bp with 22 open reading frames. The genome has very low homology to all other bacteriophage sequences in the GenBank database. Run-off sequencing experiments confirmed that vB_EfaP_IME199 has short inverted terminal repeats. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that vB_EfaP_IME199 can be taxonomically classified as a new member of the genus Ahjdlikevirus of family Podoviridae.