Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38960003›Full record

ArticleVirus research2024

A diverse set of Enterococcus-infecting phage provides insight into phage host-range determinants.

Alhassan M Alrafaie, Karolina Pyrzanowska, Elspeth M Smith, David G Partridge, John Rafferty, Stephane Mesnage, Joanna Shepherd, Graham P Stafford

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Virus research, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Characterization ofPHAGE (New Rochelle, N.Y.) · 2026
    Article
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. [Potential of bacteriophage therapy in Germany: evidence and clinical relevance].Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz · 2025
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Alhassan M AlrafaieDepartment of Medical Laboratory, College of Applied Medical Sciences in Al-Kharj, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj 11942, Saudi Arabia. Electronic address: a.alrafaie@psau.edu.sa.
Karolina PyrzanowskaSchool of Clinical Dentistry, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom, S10 2TA, UK.
Elspeth M SmithSchool of Clinical Dentistry, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom, S10 2TA, UK.
David G PartridgeSheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffield S10 2JF, UK.
John RaffertySchool of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK.
Stephane MesnageSchool of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK.
Joanna ShepherdSchool of Clinical Dentistry, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom, S10 2TA, UK.
Graham P StaffordSchool of Clinical Dentistry, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom, S10 2TA, UK; School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK. Electronic address: g.stafford@sheffield.ac.uk.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Enterococci are robust Gram-positive bacteria that pose a significant threat in healthcare settings due to antibiotic resistance, with vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) most prominent. To tackle this issue, bacteriophages (bacterial viruses) can be exploited as they specifically and efficiently target bacteria. Here, we successfully isolated and characterised a set of novel phages: SHEF10, SHEF11, SHEF13, SHEF14, and SHEF16 which target E. faecalis (SHEF10,11,13), or E. faecium (SHEF13, SHEF14 & SHEF16) strains including a range of clinical and VRE isolates. Genomic analysis shows that all phages are strictly lytic and diverse in terms of genome size and content, quickly and effectively lysing strains at different multiplicity of infections. Detailed analysis of the broad host-range SHEF13 phage revealed the crucial role of the enterococcal polysaccharide antigen (EPA) variable region in its infection of E. faecalis V583. In parallel, the discovery of a carbohydrate-targeting domain (CBM22) found conserved within the three phage genomes indicates a role in cell surface interactions that may be important in phage-bacterial interactons. These findings advance our comprehension of phage-host interactions and pave the way for targeted therapeutic strategies against antibiotic-resistant enterococcal infections.

Indexed as

BacteriophagesEnterococcus faecalisGenome, ViralHost SpecificityEnterococcusEnterococcus faeciumGram-Positive Bacterial InfectionsHumansVancomycin-Resistant EnterococciAntibiotic resistanceBacteriophagesEnterococcal polysaccharide antigen (EPA)Enterococcus

Identifiers

PMID38960003
PMCPMC11269942

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.