# Diverse Temperate Coliphages of the Urinary Tract

## TL;DR

This study isolates and characterizes temperate phages from urinary E. coli strains, shedding light on their diversity and potential role in shaping urinary tract bacterial populations.

## Contribution

The study provides the first characterization of temperate phages from urinary E. coli strains, revealing their morphology and genomic composition.

## Key findings

- Twenty temperate phages were isolated and characterized from urinary E. coli strains.
- Phage morphology and genomic content were determined using TEM and whole-genome sequencing.
- The study reveals insights into the diversity and infectivity of urinary tract coliphages.

## Abstract

While Escherichia coli can be found in the bladders of females without lower urinary tract symptoms, its presence is often associated with urinary tract infections (UTIs). The genomic plasticity of E. coli, including urogenital strains, is largely shaped by the integration of prophages. Although genomic and metagenomic analyses of urinary E. coli and the urinary microbiome suggest that prophages are abundant, many represent uncharacterized species. Sequence analysis suggests that these prophages represent temperate phages. This study aimed to fill this gap, isolating and characterizing temperate phages from urinary E. coli strains. We assessed phage host range across a panel of urinary isolates, providing a critical first step for future work investigating their putative role in shaping E. coli populations within the urinary community. In total, 20 temperate urinary phages were evaluated. Phage morphology and genic content of these phages were determined via transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and whole-genome sequencing, respectively. Together, these analyses provide insight into the diversity, infectivity, and genomic composition of temperate coliphages from the female urinary tract.