Use of Bacteriophages in Lung Transplantation

Bacteriophages (phages) are natural predators of bacteria and are becoming increasingly attractive due to the increase of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs), especially prevalent among transplant recipients. Antibiotic resistance is the biggest current threat to global health. An increasing numbe...
Ausführliche Beschreibung

Bacteriophages (phages) are natural predators of bacteria and are becoming increasingly attractive due to the increase of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs), especially prevalent among transplant recipients. Antibiotic resistance is the biggest current threat to global health. An increasing number of infections is becoming harder or almost impossible to treat, carrying high morbidity, mortality and financial cost. The therapeutic use of bacteriophages, viruses that infect and kill bacteria, is well suited to be part of the strategies to combat antibiotic resistance. Infections, in particular those due to bacterial pathogens, are common among transplant candidates and recipients. For lung transplant (LTx) patients this is of paramount relevance, since some of the underlying diseases in LTx present recurrent infection and complex colonization (such as cystic fibrosis or bronchiectasis). Individual case reports and small case series suggest the possible efficacy of phage therapy for the treatment in pre- and posttransplant patients. Importantly, there have been no serious safety concerns in the reported cases, so it is reasonable to pursue phage therapy for difficult infections on a compassionate basis. Ausführliche Beschreibung