Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41833115›Full record

ArticlePoultry science2026

Isolation and therapeutic potential of phage vB_EcoM_GXW16 against a drug-resistant avian pathogenic Escherichia coli strain.

Ting Xu, Wenwen Yang, Jia Cao, Xiaofang Wei, Huixin Liu, Yiming Li, Sijia Pan, Nihar Ali, Hongbin Si

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Poultry science, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
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

9 authors.

Ting XuCollege of Animal Science and Technology, Guangxi University Key Laboratory of Animal Breeding, Disease Control and Prevention, Guangxi Grass Station, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi 530004, China.
Wenwen YangCollege of Animal Science and Technology, Guangxi University Key Laboratory of Animal Breeding, Disease Control and Prevention, Guangxi Grass Station, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi 530004, China.
Jia CaoCollege of Animal Science and Technology, Guangxi University Key Laboratory of Animal Breeding, Disease Control and Prevention, Guangxi Grass Station, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi 530004, China.
Xiaofang WeiCollege of Animal Science and Technology, Guangxi University Key Laboratory of Animal Breeding, Disease Control and Prevention, Guangxi Grass Station, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi 530004, China.
Huixin LiuCollege of Veterinary Medicine, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming 650201, China.
Yiming LiCollege of Animal Science and Technology, Guangxi University Key Laboratory of Animal Breeding, Disease Control and Prevention, Guangxi Grass Station, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi 530004, China.
Sijia PanCollege of Animal Science and Technology, Guangxi University Key Laboratory of Animal Breeding, Disease Control and Prevention, Guangxi Grass Station, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi 530004, China.
Nihar AliCollege of Animal Science and Technology, Guangxi University Key Laboratory of Animal Breeding, Disease Control and Prevention, Guangxi Grass Station, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi 530004, China.
Hongbin SiCollege of Animal Science and Technology, Guangxi University Key Laboratory of Animal Breeding, Disease Control and Prevention, Guangxi Grass Station, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi 530004, China. Electronic address: shb2009@gxu.edu.cn.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) is a major pathogenic subset of E. coli responsible for avian colibacillosis, representing one of the most common and economically damaging bacterial threats to the poultry industry globally. Currently, clinical treatment mainly relies on antibiotics. However, the widespread prevalence of drug-resistant strains poses a major challenge to global public health. Bacteriophages (phages) have regained significant attention as promising alternatives to antibiotics. In this study, a lytic bacteriophage vB_EcoM_GXW16 was isolated and purified from wastewater samples collected at a poultry farm. The phage exhibited broad lytic activity against a panel of avian-source Escherichia coli isolates (70.91%, 39/55). Its optimal multiplicity of infection (MOI) was 0.001, and it had a latent period of 10 min. The phage also demonstrated tolerance to a range of pH and temperature conditions, surviving at temperatures up to 60°C and within a pH range of 3 to 12. In vitro tests showed that the phage significantly inhibited the growth of drug-resistant E. coli at three different MOIs. Based on morphological observation and phylogenetic analysis, the phage was classified into the genus Dhakaviru, family Myoviridae, class Caudoviricetes. It possesses an icosahedral capsid and a contractile tail. Whole-genome sequencing confirmed that vB_EcoM_GXW16's genome consists of a 170,605 bp double-stranded DNA. Genomic analysis confirmed the absence of genes associated with virulence, antibiotic resistance, or lysogeny, indicating the potential safety of phage vB_EcoM_GXW16 for clinical applications. Subsequently, the therapeutic efficacy of the phage was investigated in a chick Escherichia coli infection model. Results indicate that phage vB_EcoM_GXW16 exhibits potent therapeutic efficacy against the confirmed APEC strain (Escherichia coli O117:H25_E5), successfully protects chickens against APEC infection, improving survival rates, reducing bacterial loads, and alleviating organ damage. In summary, phage vB_EcoM_GXW16 holds promise as a prospective therapeutic candidate due to its broad host range, environmental stability, and favorable in vitro bacteriostatic effects alongside in vivo therapeutic efficacy. It offers a viable alternative to conventional antibiotics for combating drug-resistant Escherichia coli.

Indexed as

BacteriophagesColiphagesEscherichia coliEscherichia coli InfectionsPoultry DiseasesAnimalsChickensDrug Resistance, BacterialPhylogenyWastewaterWastewaterAPECBacteriophageBiological characteristicsPhage therapy

Identifiers

PMID41833115
PMCPMC13000508

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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.