Bacteriophage Therapy Eliminates Multidrug Resistant Bacterial Infections

faecalis, a bacterium inhabiting the gastrointestinal tracts of humans, is an important pathogen found in many infections including endocarditis, urinary tract infection, meningitis, and persistent infections associated with root canal treatment failure. The difficulty in E. faecalis treatment has been attributed to the lack of anti-infective strategies to eradicate its biofilm and to the frequent emergence of multidrug resistant strains.

Investigators at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israel) evaluated the possibility of treating E. faecalis infections with specific bacteriophages, viruses that infect and destroy bacteria. To this end, they isolated an anti-E. faecalis and E. faecium phage, from effluents obtained from a Jerusalem (Israel), sewage treatment facility.

The EFDG1phage was visualized by electron microscopy. EFDG1 DNA coding sequences and phylogeny were determined by whole genome sequencing, which revealed that it belonged to the Spounavirinae subfamily of the Myoviridae phages, which includes promising candidates for therapy against Gram positive pathogens. This analysis also showed that the EFDG1 genome did not contain apparent harmful genes.

EFDG1 antibacterial efficacy was evaluated in vitro against planktonic and biofilm cultures. Results published in the February 6, 2015, online edition of the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology showed that the phage displayed effective lytic activity against various E. faecalis and E. faecium isolates, regardless of their antibiotic resistance profile. Additionally, EFDG1 efficiently prevented ex vivo E. faecalis root canal infection.

Senior author Dr. Ronen Hazan, professor of dental sciences at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, said, “The idea of using phages as antibacterial drugs is not new. Phage therapy was first proposed at the start of the 20th century, but then abandoned for various reasons, including the striking success of chemical antibiotics. Now we stand on the verge of a new era with the limitations of synthetic antibiotics and the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria. Thus it is the right time to look again into what Mother Nature offers in the battle against bacteria. As this research shows, bacteriophages may prove an effective tool in the development of much-needed new antimicrobial drugs.”

Hebrew University of Jerusalem

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