Isolation and purification of Escherichia coli bacteriophage from Tigris River, Baghdad, Iraq

Hospitals and industrial wastes are discharged directly to Tigris River in Baghdad city, Iraq without any specific treatment. They are a potential hot spot of selection of antibiotic resistance bacteria and increases pressure on environmental microorganisms. However, bacteriophages are the most promising biological alternative for antimicrobial therapy in recent years is also found in the same environment. The aim of this study was to isolate Escherichia coli and identify their antibiotic resistance determinants from Tigris River in Baghdad city, Iraq. The isolation of the potential bacteriophages present in the same samples collected from river water and to test inhibitory effect of bacteriophages against Escherichia coli isolates. Seven water samples were obtained from different locations in Tigris River near Baghdad Medical city; Water samples were cultured on selective media, morphological characteristics, and biochemical methods were used to characterize Escherichia coli strains. Antibiotic sensitivity was measured by disc diffusion method. Bacteriophages isolated from site 1 showed specific lytic activity against Escherichia coli strain isolated from the same water sample by using double agar overlay method. Further identification was carried out with the VITEK system for Escherichia coli isolate and were found to be a phenotypic extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) producer.