Provided are compositions and methods for treating, ameliorating and preventing infections, disorders and conditions in mammals, including genetically-predisposed and chronic disorders, where a microbial or bacterial flora is at least one causative or symptom-producing factor. Provided are compositions and methods used to treat, prevent or ameliorate an infection, for example, an infection in the gastrointestinal tract, or bowel. Provided are compositions and methods for treating, ameliorating and/or preventing a condition comprising an abnormal, disrupted or pathological mucosal surface or mucus-covered epithelium, or a condition caused, modified or effected by an abnormal, disrupted or pathological microbiotia, wherein optionally the infection or condition comprises a diarrhea, a colitis, obesity, diabetes, autism, a cystic fibrosis, a dysentery, a gastrointestinal infection, a gastrointestinal inflammation, a gastrointestinal dysbiosis, a gastrointestinal upset, a lung infection, a bacterial infection, a viral infection, a secondary infection, an inflammation, a mucus hypersecretion, or a dysbiosis.

A modified bacteriophage capable of infecting a plurality of different target bacteria, which bacteriophage includes a toxin gene encoding a toxin protein which is toxic to the target bacteria; wherein the bacteriophage is lytic; and wherein the bacteriophage expresses host range determinant proteins which have a plurality of bacterial host specificities.

Methods are provided for treating metabolic diseases by way of modulating recipients' gastrointestinal tract microorganism profile such as by fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) treatment. Also provided are methods for assessing a patient's risk of developing obesity and/or related metabolic diseases. Further provided are kits and compositions for use in these methods.

The present invention is directed to a method of producing a Streptococcus thermophilus strain comprising the steps of a) Providing a mother strain in the form of Streptococcus thermophilus DSM32502, b) Growing a culture of the mother strain in the presence of a bacteriophage, to which the mother strain is not resistant, to obtain a number of mutant strains, which are resistant to the said bacteriophage, c) Measuring the acidification time of the bacteriophage-resistant mutant strains and the mother strain in a milk base and selecting at least one mutant strain with a reduced acidification time as compared to the mother strain to obtain a fast-acidifying mutant strain.

The present invention relates to a bacteriophage-derived recombinant protein having antimicrobial activity against gram-negative bacteria, and the bacteriophage-derived recombinant protein LysSS exhibits killing activity to gram-negative bacteria and thus can prevent or treat infectious diseases caused by bacteria, and can be widely used in antibiotics, disinfectants, food additives, feed additives, and the like, wherein the LysSS uses peptidoglycan, which is a component of the cell wall of bacteria, as a substrate, and exhibits bacterial killing ability due to peptidoglycan degradation and the peptidoglycan exists only in bacteria and not in humans or animals.

In alternative embodiments, provided are compositions comprising chemically or structurally modified bacteriophages of the genus Caudovirales having an exterior or outer surface comprising at least one heterologous carbohydrate binding domain (CBD) comprising a lectin or a plurality of additional homologous CBDs, or more CBDs than found on a comparable wild type (WT) bacteriophage.

Compositions for a phage particle are disclosed. The phage particle is non-replicating and includes at least one heterologous nucleic acid sequence that is capable of being expressed in a target bacteria. The expressed heterologous nucleic acid sequence is non-lethal to the target bacteria.

The present disclosure provides systems and methods that can provide portable, real-time accessible DNA memories. An example DNA-based data storage system includes a loading region configured to receive a plurality of DNA-based data storage elements in a suspension fluid and a plurality of microtubes disposed in a capture/release region. The microtubes are configured to capture and release the DNA-based data storage elements. The DNA-based data storage system also includes a linearization region configured to linearize the DNA-based data storage elements and a readout region with a readout device configured to provide information indicative of the respective DNA-based data storage elements.

Disclosed herein are methods, compositions, kits, and systems for rapid detection of a microorganism of interest on a surface, including medical devices. Cocktail compositions of recombinant bacteriophages can be used to detect potentially harmful bacteria. The specificity of recombinant bacteriophages for binding microorganisms allows targeted and highly specific detection of a microorganism of interest.

A bacteriophage structure, a method of making the structure, and uses of the structure are described. The structure is a substrate with a surface having an ordered arrangement of parallel microridges thereon. Each microridge is composed of a plurality of nanoridges and has a longitudinal axis. Each nanoridge contains a bundle of phage nano fibers having longitudinal axes. The phage nanofibers in each nanoridge bundle are arranged in a substantially smectic alignment. The longitudinal axis of each microridge is perpendicular to the longitudinal axes of the phage nanofibers which make up the nanoridges of the microridge. The structure may be used as a growth surface for inducing differentiation of stem cells such as neural progenitor cells.