Genomic characterization of a novel virulent phage infecting Shigella fiexneri and isolated from sewage

•Phage SGF2 was isolated from sewage sample.•Phage SGF2 is a novel virulent phage belonging to the Podoviridae family, which can infect its host specifically.•SGF2 is a new member of Kuravirus that can infect and lyse Shigella fiexneri.•No integrase gene was detected, suggesting the phage is not temperate — which is important for application.•There were holin and lysis genes and no antibiotic resistance or potential virulence genes in phage SGF2 genome. Shigella fiexneri phage SGF2 is a novel lytic phage isolated from a sewage sample. Morphological characterization indicates that phage SGF2 is a member of the Podoviridae family, producing virions with an isometric head (82.6 ± 8 nm diameter) and a short non-contractile tail (length 52 ± 8 nm). This phage specifically infected the Shigella fiexneri. One-step growth curves indicated that the burst period of phage SGF2 is 30 min, with an approximate burst size of 38. The full-length genome was sequenced and potential virulence genes were detected. We will discuss the potential application of phage SGF2 in phage therapy.