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Phagebiotics in treatment and prophylaxis of healthcare-associated infections

A V Aleshkin1, O N Ershova2, N V Volozhantsev3

  • 1G. N. Gabrichevsky Research Institute for Epidemiology and Microbiology, Moscow, Russia; Bphage LLC, Moscow, Russia.

Bacteriophage
|January 17, 2017
PubMed

Insights

A novel phagebiotic composition effectively targets multi-drug resistant bacteria like Acinetobacter baumannii, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This new therapy shows promise as a safe and effective alternative to antibiotics for treating severe infections.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Biotechnology

Background:

  • Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) pose a significant threat, often caused by multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria.
  • Antibiotic resistance necessitates the development of alternative therapeutic strategies.
  • Bacteriophages offer a targeted approach to combating bacterial pathogens.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop and evaluate a novel phagebiotic composition against key bacterial pathogens.
  • To assess the safety and efficacy of the phagebiotic in preclinical and clinical settings.
  • To explore phage therapy as an alternative to antibiotics for HAIs.

Main Methods:

  • Development of a phagebiotic cocktail using 8 virulent bacteriophages targeting Acinetobacter baumannii, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus.
  • Characterization of bacteriophages based on lytic activity, plaque morphology, genome sequencing, and DNA restriction profiles.
  • Preclinical safety assessment in experimental animals.
  • Efficacy evaluation in a murine model of Klebsiella pneumoniae infection.
  • Small-scale clinical trial in an intensive care unit setting for HAIs.

Main Results:

  • The phagebiotic composition demonstrated broad lytic activity against target pathogens and proved safe in animal studies.
  • Significant therapeutic and prophylactic efficacy was observed in a Klebsiella pneumoniae infection model, comparable to ciprofloxacin.
  • In a clinical trial, phage therapy reduced bacterial contamination in patients with HAIs from 79% to 21% within 3 days.
  • The phagebiotic composition exhibited high therapeutic efficiency against multi-resistant strains.

Conclusions:

  • A novel phagebiotic composition was successfully developed, targeting critical Gram-negative and Gram-positive pathogens.
  • The phagebiotic is safe and effective, offering a promising alternative to conventional antibiotics for treating HAIs.
  • This phage therapy represents a viable strategy to combat antibiotic resistance in clinical settings.
Keywords:
Acinetobacter baumanniiKlebsiella pneumoniaeMRSAPseudomonas aeruginosahealthcare-associated infectionsphagebiotics

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