VP3 Phage Combined with High Salt Promotes the Lysis of Biofilm-Associated Vibrio cholerae .

Cholera, caused by pathogenic Vibrio cholerae , poses a significant public health risk through water and food transmission. Biofilm-associated V. cholerae plays a crucial role in seasonal cholera outbreaks as both a reservoir in aquatic environments and a direct source of human infection. Although VP3, a lytic phage, shows promise in eliminating planktonic V. cholerae from the aquatic environment, its effectiveness against biofilm-associated V. cholerae is limited. To address this limitation, our proposed approach aims to enhance the efficacy of VP3 in eliminating biofilm-associated V. cholerae by augmenting the availability of phage receptors on the surface of Vibrio cholerae . TolC is a receptor of VP3 and a salt efflux pump present in many bacteria. In this study, we employed NaCl as an enhancer to stimulate TolC expression and observed a significant enhancement of TolC expression in both planktonic and biofilm cells of V. cholerae . This enhancement led to improved adsorption of VP3. Importantly, our findings provide strong evidence that high salt concentrations combined with VP3 significantly improve the elimination of biofilm-associated V. cholerae . This approach offers a potential strategy to eliminate biofilm-formation bacteria by enhancing phage-host interaction.