Isolation of a lytic bacteriophage for Helicobacter pylori

Abstract Helicobacter pylori resistance to antibiotics has been increasing, and there are many challenges associated with eradication of this bacterium. Phages are the most abundant entities that can lyse bacteria. The isolation of phages from the environment is the first step for various use of phages in researches and therapy. This study is designed to isolate and characterize lytic bacteriophage of H. pylori. For this purpose, H. pylori was isolated from gastric biopsy specimens and was confirmed using gram staining, biochemical tests, and molecular PCR assay. Different samples from the hospital's sewage were collected and investigated for the presence of bacteriophages. Finally, DNA and protein patterns of isolated phage and its morphology were investigated using RAPD PCR, SDS PAGE, and electron microscopy. The results of SDS PAGE for the whole protein of phage show the presence of 58 kDa and 64 kDa molecular weight proteins which not existed in the host bacteria. RAPD PCR indicated the presence of a genome that is different from the genome of H. pylori as host. This study suggests that infected sewage samples should be considered as a rich source for isolating lytic phages against pathogenic bacteria.