Personalized phage therapy heals resistant wounds-squeaks makes full recovery
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RELAXING AFTER FULL RECOVERY
view moreCREDIT: MILAT AND LARRY BERKLEY
A new study demonstrates an advance in treating antibiotic-resistant infections in animals through personalized phage therapy. The treatment combined a specific anti-P. aeruginosa phage applied topically with ceftazidime administered intramuscularly, resulting in the complete healing of a persistent surgical wound after fourteen weeks. This highlights the potential of phage therapy as a practical and effective solution for antibiotic-resistant infections in veterinary practice, with implications for human medicine as well.
Link to pictures: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/12ntfvgd_ZdpEYtMsgkZRjS9vB89ps5XM?usp=sharing
A new study led by Prof. Ronen Hazan and his team, from the Faculty of Dental Medicine at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, in collaboration with the team of Vet Holim, JVMV -Veterinary medical center in Kiryat -Anavim, Israel, has shown an advance in the treatment of antibiotic-resistant infections in animals. This research, focusing on a five-year-old Siamese cat Squeaks with a multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection post-arthrodesis surgery, marks the first published documented application of personalized phage therapy in veterinary medicine.
Squeaks, initially treated at the JVMV for injuries sustained from a high-rise fall, developed a severe infection in the right hind leg following multiple surgeries. This infection persisted despite various antibiotic treatments over four months. Facing a potential implant-replacement surgery, the team turned to the new treatment which involved a meticulously designed combination of a specific anti-P. aeruginosa phage, a virus that kills bacteria, applied topically to the surgical wound and ceftazidime administered intramuscularly. Moreover, the owners of the cat, after short demonstration, provides most of the treatment doses of phages and antibiotics at their home.
The integration of phage therapy with antibiotics was aimed at targeting the pathogen effectively and directly at the site of infection, leveraging the phage’s ability to be applied topically, which simplifies administration and maximizes its concentration at the infection site. This approach allowed the surgical wound, which had remained open for five months, to fully heal after to fourteen weeks of treatment.
The successful outcome of this case underscores the critical need for novel therapeutics like phage therapy to address the growing concern of antibiotic-resistant infections, which affect up to 8.5% of surgical sites following orthopedic surgeries in companion animals. These infections not only pose significant health risks to the animals but also increase the morbidity, mortality, and costs associated with these procedures.
Recent studies suggest that phage therapy, already showing high success rates in human medicine for treating orthopedic infections and chronically infected wounds, can offer a promising solution for similar issues in veterinary practice. Moreover, the successful treatment of this cat by its owners at home highlights the practicality and efficacy of personalized phage therapy, which could be extended to treat other pets facing similar antimicrobial resistance challenges.
Interestingly, opposite to common situations, this case was performed on an animal based on the team's insights from treating humans first.
The positive reception from veterinarians and pet owners regarding phage therapy points to a growing awareness and acceptance of this treatment option. As the new treatment continues to be explored in veterinary settings, it not only improves the health and well-being of pets but also offers valuable data that contribute to the broader application of phage therapy in both animals and humans. This bridging of data can enhance treatment protocols and outcomes across a variety of bacterial infections, potentially changing the landscape of infection treatment in both veterinary and human medicine.
Treatment Process
CREDIT
Milat and Larry Berkley
JOURNAL
Veterinary Quarterly
METHOD OF RESEARCH
Case study
SUBJECT OF RESEARCH
Animals
ARTICLE TITLE
Successful phage-antibiotic therapy of P. aeruginosa implant-associated infection in a Siamese cat
Phage therapy: In-depth discussion on ethical considerations and regulatory landscape at upcoming European conference “Targeting Phage Therapy 2024”
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BARBARA BRENNER, A LEGAL EXPERT IN MEDICAL LAW AND HUMAN RIGHTS, WILL DELIVER A TALK TITLED "REGULATORY RESTRICTIONS VS. HUMAN RIGHTS, THE HIPPOCRATIC OATH, AND THE FREEDOM OF THERAPY – THE LEGAL ASPECT OF PHAGE THERAPY" AT TARGETING PHAGE THERAPY ON JUNE 20-21, 2024
view moreCREDIT: TARGETING PHAGE THERAPY
The 7th World Conference on Targeting Phage Therapy 2024 is set to take place on June 20-21 at the Corinthia Palace in Malta, welcoming over 150 attendees from 30 countries and featuring more than 32 communications. This annual event showcases the latest advancements in phage research and therapy, emphasizing how these developments could revolutionize healthcare practices globally.
The Ethical Considerations and Regulatory Landscape of Phage Therapy will be highlighted
Targeting Phage Therapy 2024 will include a dedicated session on the ethical and regulatory aspects of phage therapy, particularly in Europe. Barbara Brenner, a legal expert in medical law and human rights, will deliver a talk titled "Regulatory Restrictions vs. Human Rights, the Hippocratic Oath, and the Freedom of Therapy – The Legal Aspect of Phage Therapy". Her presentation will focus on balancing regulatory frameworks with the urgent need for accessible, life-saving treatments.
Phage therapy faces significant regulatory and ethical challenges, and Brenner will address several critical points:
- Regulatory Frameworks and Human Rights: Brenner will provide an overview of EU and German legal and regulatory frameworks, highlighting the tension between the right to safe drugs and the right to life-saving treatment in emergencies, especially concerning antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) infections and non-GMP phages.
- Ethical and Legal Questions: The session will explore whether it is ethical to deny life-saving treatments for safety reasons and whether regulatory bodies like the FDA and EMA can be held liable for prohibiting non-GMP phages if GMP phages are unavailable or unaffordable. Additionally, Brenner will discuss the validity of scientific evidence derived from anecdotal sources versus the necessity of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and whether these trials need to be redesigned. The legal status of phage therapy as "experimental" and the potential liability of clinicians who refuse phage therapy when it could save a patient will also be examined.
- Combatting Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR): The presentation will include the One Health approach, integrating human, animal, and environmental health practices. Brenner will highlight Georgia's successful model, advocating for the promotion of phages as primary interventions, reserving chemical antibiotics for situations where phages are ineffective.
Speakers Lineup
- Robert T. Schooley, University of California, San Diego, USA
Clinical Trials in Phage Therapeutics: Looking Under the Hood
- Ekaterina Chernevskaya, Federal Research and Clinical Center of Intensive Care Medicine and Rehabilitology, Russia
Adaptive Phage Therapy in the Intensive Care Unit: From Science to Patients
- Jean-Paul Pirnay, Queen Astrid Military Hospital, Belgium
Magistral Phage Preparations: Is This the Model for Everyone?
- Barbara Brenner, Kanzlei BRENNER, Germany
Regulatory restrictions vs. Human Rights, the Hippocratic oath and the Freedom of therapy– The legal aspect of phage therapy
- Nannan Wu, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, China
Phage Therapy: A Glimpse into Clinical Studies Involving Over 150 Cases
- Graham F. Hatfull, University of Pittsburgh, USA
Mycobacteriophages and Their Therapeutic Potential
- Antonia P. Sagona, University of Warwick, United Kingdom
Genetic Engineering of Phages to Target Intracellular Bloodstream E.coli Infections
- Paul Turner, Yale University, USA
Leveraging Evolutionary Trade-Offs in Development of Phage Therapy
- Pieter-Jan Ceyssens, Sciensano, Belgium
Quality control of phage Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) in Belgium
- Wolfgang Weninger, Medical University of Vienna, Austria
The Phageome in Normal and Inflamed Human Skin
- Sabrina Green, KU Leuven, Belgium
Making Antibiotics Great Again: Phage resistance in vivo correlates to resensitivity to antibiotics in pan-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa
- Rodrigo Ibarra Chávez, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Phage Satellites, a Diversity of Extradimensional Symbionts and Pathways to Phage Therapy
- Domenico Frezza, University of Roma Tor Vergata, Italy
Towards efficient phage therapies: investigation of phage / bacteria equilibrium with metagenome of dark matter in natural samples
- Besarion Lasareishvili, Eliava Institute of Bacteriophage, Microbiology and Virology, Georgia
Modern Concepts of Phage Therapy: An Immunologist’s Vision
- Kilian Vogele, Invitris, Germany
Cell-Free Production of Personalized Therapeutic Phages Targeting Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria
- Frederic Bertels, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Germany
Improving Phages through Experimental Evolution
- Eugene V Koonin, National Institutes of Health, USA
Evolution and megataxonomy of viruses: the place of phages in the virosphere
- Federica Briani, University of Milan, Italy
Addressing Phage Resistance to Enhance the Robustness of Phage Therapy for Pseudomonas aeruginosa Infections in People with Cystic Fibrosis
- Jumpei Fujiki, University of California San Diego, USA
Phage therapy: Targeting intestinal bacterial microbiota for the treatment of liver disease
Targeting Phage Therapy 2024 Supporters: Cellexus, Precision Phage, Jafral.
Contributing Partner: PHAGE Therapy, Applications, and Research Journal.
Media Partner: Bacteriophage.news.
For more information, registration details, list of attendees and the program, please visit: www.phagetherapy-site.com.
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