Researchers used a bacteriophage, a bacteria-killing virus found in a pond, to cure a Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection a patient contracted in his chest after open heart surgery, according to a case study published in the journal Evolution, Medicine, & Public Health.
Bacteriophages are biologically incompatible with any organism except the specific bacterial strain it's evolved to infect. Unlike antibiotics, phages do not target the good bacteria carried in the human microbiome. While fighting bacterial infections with phages is not a new concept, it hasn't been common practice since the early 20th century, according to a report from Motherboard. However, amid rising rates of antibiotic resistance, the treatment option is garnering renewed attention from some researchers.
The case study involved a 76-year-old male patient who experienced a P. aeruginosa aortic graft infection after open heart surgery in 2012. In 2016, the patient opted for an experimental procedure that involved treating the infected area with antibiotics and a bacteriophage — found in Dodge Pond in Connecticut — that matched the bacterial strain causing his infection. The patient has not experienced a recurrent infection since the procedure, despite being taken off prescription antibiotics shortly after surgery.
"In our case, only partial removal of the aortic graft was possible, greatly increasing the reinfection risk and necessitating continued lifelong suppressive antibiotics," wrote the study's authors. "The patient has not had a recurrent infection in the 18 months since discontinuing antibiotics after the emergent surgery. Due to these circumstances, we argue that the phage therapy played a significant role in contributing to the eradication of the P. aeruginosa infection."
Researchers acknowledged further research is needed to better understand the possible efficacy of phage therapy to treat antibiotic-resistant infections.
More articles on infection control:
Dengue fever linked to increased risk of stroke soon after diagnosis
Harvard, Boston Children's scientists develop model to improve sepsis treatment
CDC investigates mysterious cluster of lung disease among Virginia dentists