DOI: 10.5061/dryad.t1g1jwt8h
title: Data from: Bacteriophage infection and killing of intracellular Mycobacterium abscessus

description: Mycobacterium abscessus is a nontuberculous mycobacterium (NTM) that
 contributes to the decline and death of patients with lung diseases such
 as cystic fibrosis and other muco-obstructive airway diseases. M.
 abscessus is challenging to treat due to its extensive antibiotic
 resistance and ability to survive inside mammalian cells. An alternative
 to antibiotics is the therapeutic use of bacteriophages (phages). There
 are recent cases of phage therapy being used to treat M. abscessus
 infections in people under compassionate-use conditions. However, little
 is known about the ability of phages to kill bacteria, such as M.
 abscessus, that reside in an intracellular environment. Here, we used M.
 abscessus strains and phages from recent phage therapy cases to determine
 if phages can enter mammalian cells and if they can infect and kill
 intracellular M. abscessus. Using fluorescence microscopy, we demonstrate
 phage uptake by macrophages and lung epithelial cells, and we further
 demonstrate phage infection of intracellular M. abscessus with fluorescent
 reporter phages. Transmission electron microscopy was additionally used to
 image phage infection of intracellular M. abscessus. Together, these
 findings provide the first visualizations of phage-M. abscessus
 interactions in an intracellular environment. Finally, we show that phage
 treatment can significantly reduce the intracellular burden of M.
 abscessus in a manner that depends on both the specific phage and
 mammalian cell type involved. These results demonstrate the potential to
 use phage therapy to treat intracellular bacteria, specifically M.
 abscessus, while also highlighting the importance of prescreening phage
 therapy candidates for activity in an intracellular environment.
description: # Data from Bacteriophage Infection and Killing of Intracellular
 Mycobacterium abscessus 
 **Figure 2ABCD** Fig2ABCD.csv: CSV file reporting raw data for bacterial
 colony forming unit (CFU) counts from time points between day 0 and day 5
 post-infection for Figure 2ABCD. Raw values were transformed log10 for
 publication. **Figure 4BCD** Fig4BCD.csv: CSV file reporting raw data for
 quantification of phage puncta per mammalian cell in individual fields of
 view for Figure 4BCD. Values represent the percent of mammalian cells with
 intracellular phage. **Figure 5BCD** Fig5BDC.csv: CSV file reporting raw
 data for quantification of bacteria expressing mCherry as an indicator of
 phage infection for Figure 5BCD. Values represent percent reporter phage
 infection of intracellular *M. abscessus*. **Figure 7ABC** Fig7ABC.csv:
 CSV file reporting raw data for bacterial colony forming unit (CFU) counts
 from time points at day 0 and day 2 post-infection for Figure 7ABC. Raw
 values were transformed log10 for publication. **Figure S1** FigS1.csv:
 CSV file reporting raw data for plaque forming unit (PFU) counts +/- SYBR
 Gold staining of phage for Figure S1. Raw values were transformed log10
 for publication. **Figure S6B** FigS6B.csv: CSV file raw data for
 bacterial colony forming unit (CFU) counts from bacterial samples treated
 +/- Triton +/- Phage Inactivation Buffer (PIB) for Figure S6B. Raw values
 were transformed log10 for publication.