Efficacy of bacteriophage therapy on thermal wound Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections in female Swiss Webster mice

Date

2001-05

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Texas Tech University

Abstract

Phage therapy entails the use of bacteriophage to combat bacterial infections. With the increase in antibiotic resistance, the use of bacteriophage as antimicrobial agents is being re-examined to supplement antibiotic treatment. Potential advantages of using phage result from their specificity and ability to multiply. In our current model, we examine the efficacy of the use of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Pa) phage to treat and prevent P. aeruginosa infection in thermal injuries.

P. aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen, which frequently colonizes bum wounds that may lead to destmction of grafts, enlargement of wounds and to generalized and often-fatal systemic infections. It has been estimated that at least 50% of all deaths caused by bums are the result of bacterial infection, often by antibiotic-resistant P. aeruginosa. Our thermal injury mouse model simulates a P. aeruginosa infection of bum wounds in humans. Swiss Webster mice were immunocompromised with a thermal wound and were subsequently treated with Pa phage intraperitoneally (IP), intramuscularly (LM) and subcutaneously (SC). The percent survival of the phage-treated mice was up to 100%. The results of our studies indicate that Pa phage can survive the circulatory system of a mouse, find their bacterial targets, multiply and dramatically decrease the mortality due to P. aeruginosa infection of bum wounds.

Description

Keywords

Bacteriophages -- Therapeutic use, Psuedomonas aeruginosa infections -- Chemotherapy, Burns and scalds -- Treatment, Mice -- Wounds and injuries

Citation