Genetically distant bacteriophages select for unique genomic changes in Enterococcus faecalis

摘要: The human microbiota harbors diverse bacterial and bacteriophage (phage) communities. Bacteria evolve to overcome phage infection, thereby driving phage evolution to counter bacterial resistance. Understanding how phages select for genetic alterations in medically relevant bacteria is important as phages become established biologics for the treatment of multidrug‐resistant (MDR) bacterial infections. Before phages can be widely used as standalone or combination antibacterial therapies, we must obtain a deep understanding of the molecular mechanisms of phage infection and how host bacteria alter their genomes to become resistant. We performed coevolution experiments using a single Enterococcus faecalis strain and two distantly related phages to determine how phage pressure impacts the evolution of the E. faecalis genome. Whole‐genome sequencing of E. faecalis following continuous exposure to …