T4 bacteriophage-mediated inhibition of adsorption and replication of human adenovirus in vitro

Aim: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of T4 phage on adsorption and replication of human adenovirus (HAdV). Materials & methods: Experiments were performed on cell lines A549 and HEK-293. Intracellular HAdV virions were released and titrated by Reed-Muench method. Results: T4 significantly (p < 0.05) inhibited both the adsorption of HAdV and viral replication in a dose-dependent manner. Mean reductions in HAdV titer were within the range 0.634-2.12 and 0.238-1.88 log(10) TCID50/ml for HAdV adsorption and replication, respectively. Conclusion: T4 phage can inhibit infections by HAdV-5 of target cells. Our results suggest that T4 might be considered a novel agent against HAdV and possibly other pathogenic viruses. Potential antiviral effects of other phages should also be investigated.