Latest Publications
Isolation and Characterisation of Novel Lytic Bacteriophages for Therapeutic Applications in Biofilm-Associated Prosthetic Joint Infections
Nathan J. Burton, Luís D R. Melo, Michaël F D. Tadesse, Bethany Pearce, Evangelos Vryonis, Antonia P. Sagona
In this study, we produced a cocktail of novel bacteriophages and assessed their viability to eradicate nosocomial staphylococcal biofilms. Here, we used clinical isolates from prosthetic joint infections to isolate and identify four new bacteriophages from sewage effluent. These novel phages were characterized through electron microscopy and full genome sequencing. Subsequently, we combined them into a phage cocktail, which effectively re-sensitized biofilms to vancomycin and flucloxacillin. Notably, this phage cocktail demonstrated low cytotoxicity in vitro to human epithelial cells, even when used alongside antibiotic treatments. These findings highlight the potential of the phage cocktail as a tool to increase antibiotic treatment success in prosthetic joint infections.