Latest international research: Phage therapy has the potential to treat superbug infections

Source: China News Network

BEIJING, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- A recent microbiology research paper published in Springer Nature's academic journal Nature-Communications points out that the combination of phage therapy and antibiotics can significantly improve the physical condition of a 30-year-old patient with fracture-associated pandrug-resistant pneumoniae infection, a case study that shows the potential of phage therapy for the treatment of pandrug-resistant bacteria infection.

According to the paper, pan-resistant bacteria, also known as superbugs, can be resistant to all antibacterial drugs on the market, due to the limited means of treatment, pan-resistant bacteria are posing a growing threat to public health, and an alternative therapy is to use phages (phages are a virus) to infect and kill bacteria.

Corresponding author Anaïs Eskenazi of the Infectious Diseases Clinic at erasmus hospital affiliated with the University of Brussels in Belgium and colleagues describe the results of 6 days of phage treatment for a 30-year-old woman with fracture-associated pandrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae who was injured in an explosion and used antibiotics for nearly two years, but to no avail. They screened and engineered a phage that was the most lethal to Klebsiella pneumoniae, which was specific for the strain of Klebsiella pneumoniae extracted from the patient's body. This pre-engineered phage is administered topically to the wound and used in combination with antibiotics. After 3 months, the patient's overall condition improved, the wound began to heal, and there were no signs of bacterial infection. After 3 years of this combination of phages and antibiotics, the patient regained mobility and was able to participate in sports.

The authors argue that this case study highlights the potential of phage therapy, but may require complex individualization of the therapy, which also poses challenges for the application of phage therapy to a larger patient population. (End)