Bacterial lysis, autophagy and innate immune responses during adjunctive phage therapy in a child

Area of Science:

• Pediatric infectious diseases
• Bacteriophage therapy
• Osteoarticular infections

Background:

• Chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa osteoarticular infections pose significant treatment challenges.
• Phage therapy offers a potential alternative or adjunctive treatment strategy.

Observation:

• Real-time monitoring of phage and bacterial kinetics guided treatment adjustments.
• Host immune response markers were tracked alongside therapeutic efficacy.

Findings:

• Adjunctive phage therapy showed a significant therapeutic effect within two weeks.
• Early treatment correlated with bacterial cell release, transient systemic inflammation, and immune gene upregulation.
• Both innate and adaptive immune responses were activated during therapy.

Implications:

• Phage therapy, guided by kinetic monitoring, can be effective for severe pediatric bone infections.
• Understanding host-pathogen dynamics is crucial for optimizing phage therapy.
• This case highlights the potential of phage therapy in managing antibiotic-resistant infections.