Acinetobacter baumannii (MDR), first part

Colonies are 1 to 2 mm, nonpigmented, domed, and mucoid, with smooth to pitted surfaces.





Acinetobacter baumannii: An Emerging Multidrug-resistant Threat


Wikipedia:Acinetobacter baumannii







Acinetobacter spp.


Acinetobacter

Example of trend in Phage Therapy research

OBJECTIVE: Develop an antibiotic solution or substance consisting of least three different lytic bacteriophages that kill Acinetobacter baumannii for eventual use in human wound infections.

Development of Bacteriophage Therapy for Treatment of A. baumannii Infected Wounds

Burns

Italy

"A homeless Indian immigrant has been beaten up and set on fire near Rome. The victim, who has been admitted to hospital with serious burns, was sleeping at the train station in the town of Nettuno when he was attacked by three young men. They beat him brutally and set him on fire using petrol".

The depth of a Burn determines its severity.

Burn Wound Infections.

Phage Therapy and Burns (Video)

Wound Infections are a good Target

(video phage clinical trial)

From Wound Care Center ( Lubbock, Texas) was easy to collect a lot of information about Bacterial Biofilms and to see the results of Phage Therapy administration on different wounds and venous leg ulcers.

Wound Infection Overview

Investigation of abscesses and deep-seated wound infections

Some Conclusions

Partial Conclusions

1- Suppurative Bacterial Infections, caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria are responsive to treatment by Phage Therapy.

2- Bacteria involved are: Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus spp., Enterococcus spp., E. coli, Proteus spp., Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

3- Treatable Infections are :

Septicemia; Purulent otitis media; Purulent meningitis;Varicose ulcers of lower extremities; Mucopurulent chronic Bronchitis, Laryngitis, Rhinitis; Bronchopneumonia;Empyema;Pleuritis with fistula; Suppurative peritonitis;Urinary tract infections; Furunculosis ; Decubitus with infection;Pyogenic arthritis and Myositis; Osteomyelitis of the Long Bones; Suppurative Osteitis after Bone Fractures;Pyogenic Infections of Burns;Pyogenic Postoperative Infection:Chronic Suppurative Fistulas;Suppurative Sinusitis;Purulent Mastitis.






4- The Body Area where a Bacterial Infection is active has a lot of influence on Phage Therapy results:

Efficacy value (++++++)
- Infections in which Phage Administration is by external applications only ( example Wounds, Burns).

Efficacy value (+?)
-Infections in which Phage Administration is orally.

Phage Therapy from Polish Academy of Sciences Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy

WROCLAW Phage Research

"Since 1980 the specific Bacteriophages have been used in our Laboratory for the treatment of over 1500 patients with Suppurative Bacterial Infections, in which a routine antibiotic therapy failed. The Results obtained so far showed that Phage Therapy is Safe and Highly Effective (the majority of patients were cured).

To make a note

Phage Therapy may be applied to all Patients from whom isolated Bacterial Strains show full sensitivity to specific Phages. Of particular importance is that two pathogens: Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which most frequently cause infections, were found to be sensitive to specific Phages in more than 80% of cases.

Our Laboratory possesses over 300 specific Bacteriophage strains active against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia, Klebsiella, Enterobacter, Proteus and Pseudomonas.

To make a note

We offer:

* isolation and identification of Bacterial Strains from the specimens of patients
* determination of Sensitivity of the Isolated Strains to specific Bacteriophages
* preparation of Phage Lysates for a Therapeutic Treatment

To make a note

The indications of the range of Phage Therapy are as follows:

Postoperative infections
Mucopurulent bronchitis
Furunculosis
Otitis media
Sinusitis
Abscesses cutis and Decubitus Ulcer
Pyogenic arthritis
Osteomyelitis
Suppurative Infections after Injuries of Soft Tissue, such as Contusions, Burns. Pyogenic Infection after Bone fractures
Chronic Infections of the Urinary Tract
Bacterial Prostatitis.

The majority of patients were cured

The Center for Phage Therapy accepts Patients with Drug-Resistant Bacterial Infections."

Phage Therapy Center (Tbilisi) Web site : What we learn ?

What are the success rates?

Why is a bacterial sample necessary?How much does the Phage Therapy cost?
How prevalent are Staphylococcus aureus infections, and what is the average cost of conventional antibiotic treatment in the United States?
What is an autoPhage?
What infections / conditions are not treatable with phage therapy?

Application Range of Phage Therapy

From the Phage Therapy Center (Tbilisi) Web site it is possible to find out the application range of Bacteriophage Therapy.
There is also a list of main Bacteria involved:

* Staphylococcus spp. (more than one species) including Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Community Associated Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA).
* Streptococcus spp.
* Enterococcus spp.
* E. coli
* Proteus spp.
* Klebsiella pneumoniae
* Pseudomonas aeruginosa
* Several Other Bacterial Strains that are Emerging as Significant Challenges Even to the Most Advanced Antibiotics
* Infections Complicated with Candida and Other Yeast / Fungi

These Bacteria are involved in specific infections and in patological processes as:

-Chronic Infections
Antibiotics fail to cure many chronic infections because they are due to biofilms. Biofilms are complex mixtures of microbes that typically resist the effects of antibiotics:

* Chronic and Acute Urinary Tract Infections (UTI) and Cystitis
* Ear Infections (Otitis Media)
* Chronic Sinusitis (Rhinosinusitis)
* Skin Infections
* Intestinal Infections
* Prostatitis and Associated Sexual Problems

-Infections Where Circulation is Poor
Poor circulation makes it difficult to deliver the right concentration of antibiotics to the infected area. Such conditions include, but are not limited to, the following:

* Infected Wounds
* Osteomyelitis
* Diabetic Foot
* Tropic Ulcers
* Bed Sores

-Infections with Bacteria Resistant to Standard or Advanced Antibiotics

Mariana Bridi Dies.

Mariana Bridi,20 years old, died at 2:30 a.m from complications related to a generalized infection caused by Pseudomonas aeuriginosa .

This bacterium is known to be resistant to multiple kinds of antibiotics. See Bacterial Sepsis and Ecthyma Gangrenosum (Pustular skin lesions that later become necrotic ulcers and can lead to gangrene).


The Biocontrol Limited (UK) target is Pseudomonas.


Urinary Tract Infection, Females

Is Phage Therapy a valid alternative to the Antibiotics?

This is a complex question that requires a long time for giving a right answer.

Bacteriophages for Phage Therapy

Bacteriophages active towards pathogenic microflora are usually acquired from the material obtained from a given patient (urine, faeces, pus, etc.). The other alternative which further gained wide spread was the isolation of virulent phage isolates from sewage waters (normally from the clinic)




Bacteriophages (Cell lysis video) available for therapy applications belong to the Order Caudovirales divided into three families:





Myoviridae

Podoviridae

Siphoviridae

These are the lists from ITCV(International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses) where Order, family and genus names are sorted in:

Catalogue of Viruses

Index
A	|	B	|	C	|	D
E	|	F	|	G	|	H
I	|	J	|	K	|	L
M	|	N	|	O	|	P
Q	|	R	|	S	|	T
U	|	V	|	W	|	X
		Y	|	Z

What is Phage Therapy?

There are a lot of accurate descriptions on Phage Therapy Concept but the choice for this blog was not been easy.
I have chosen an elaborated description from Phage Therapy Center (Tbilisi,Republic of Georgia) and another from Wikipedia.





BBC Video:
Phage - The Virus that Cures.