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Salmonellosis occurs frequently worldwide, causing serious threats to public health safety. The abuse of antibiotics is increasing the antibiotic resistance in bacteria, thereby making the prevention and control of Salmonella more difficult. A phage can help control the spread of bacteria. In this study, S55, a lytic phage, was isolated from faecal samples obtained from poultry farms using Salmonella Pullorum ( S . Pullorum) as the host bacterium. This phage belongs to Siphoviridae and has a polyhedral head and a retraction-free tail. S55 showed a strong ability to lyse Salmonella serovars, such as S . Pullorum (58/60, 96.67%) and S . Enteritidis (97/104, 93.27%). One-step growth kinetics showed that the latent period was 10 min, burst period was 80 min and burst size was 40 pfu/cell. The optimal multiplicity of infection was 0.01, and the phage was able to survive at a pH of 4-11 and temperature of 40°C-60°C for 60 min. Complete genome sequence analysis revealed that the S55 genome length is 42,781 bp (GC content, 50.28%) and it contains 58 open reading frames (ORF), including 25 ORFs with known or assumed functions, without tRNA genes. Moreover, S55 does not carry genes that encode virulence or resistance factors. At different temperatures (4°C or 25°C), S55 was found to lower the populations of S . Pullorum and S . Enteritidis on chicken skin surface. Its bacteriostatic effect at 4°C was higher than that at 25°C. In conclusion, S55 can be considered a promising biological agent for the prevention and control of Salmonella .

The study of the interaction mechanism between bacteriophage and host is helpful in promoting development of bacteriophage applications. The mechanism of the interaction with the phage was studied by constructing the rfbN gene deletion and complemented with strains of Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar Typhimurium (Salmonella Typhimurium, S. Typhimurium) D6. The rfbN gene deletion strain could not be lysed by phage S55 and led to a disorder of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) biosynthesis, which changed from the smooth type to rough type. Also, the RfbN protein lacking any of the three-segment amino acid (aa) sequences (90-120 aa, 121-158 aa, and 159-194 aa) produces the same result. Transmission electron microscopy and confocal microscopy assays demonstrated that phage S55 dramatically reduced adsorption to the rfbN deletion strain as compared to the wild strain D6. After co-incubation of the S55 with the purified smooth LPS, D6 could not be lysed, indicating that the smooth LPS binds to the S55 in vitro and then inhibits the cleavage activity of the S55. To sum up, the rfbN gene affects phage adsorption by regulating LPS synthesis. Furthermore, the functioning of the RfbN protein requires the involvement of multiple structures. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first report of the involvement of the bacterial rfbN gene involved in the phage-adsorption process.

In the process of bacteriophage and bacteria struggle, adsorption is the key factor to determine who is the winner. In this paper, the molecular mechanism of tailed bacteriophage recognition and adsorption to host and the strategy of "fighting wisdom and courage" between them are reviewed.