Phage therapy could be key to conquering persistent bacterial lung infections in children

Aye Mya Sithu Shein; Parichart Hongsing; Aisha Khatib; Phatthranit Phattharapornjaroen; Kazuhiko Miyanaga; Longzhu Cui; Kenji Shibuya; Mohan Amarasiri; Peter N Monk; Anthony Kicic; Tanittha Chatsuwan; Paul G Higgins; Shuichi Abe; Dhammika Leshan Wannigama

doi:10.1038/s44259-024-00045-4

Phage therapy could be key to conquering persistent bacterial lung infections in children

NPJ Antimicrob Resist. 2024 Oct 10;2(1):31. doi: 10.1038/s44259-024-00045-4.

Authors

Aye Mya Sithu Shein^{1

2}, Parichart Hongsing^{3

4}, Aisha Khatib⁵, Phatthranit Phattharapornjaroen^{6

7}, Kazuhiko Miyanaga⁸, Longzhu Cui⁸, Kenji Shibuya⁹, Mohan Amarasiri¹⁰, Peter N Monk¹¹, Anthony Kicic^{12

13

14

15}, Tanittha Chatsuwan^{16

17}, Paul G Higgins^{18

19

20}, Shuichi Abe²¹, Dhammika Leshan Wannigama^{22

23

24

25

26

27}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thai Red Cross Society, Bangkok, Thailand.
² Center of Excellence in Antimicrobial Resistance and Stewardship Research, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
³ Mae Fah Luang University Hospital, Chiang Rai, Thailand.
⁴ School of Integrative Medicine, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, Thailand.
⁵ Department of Family & Community Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
⁶ Faculty of Health Science Technology, Chulabhorn Royal Academy, Bangkok, Thailand.
⁷ HRH Princess Chulabhorn Disaster and Emergency Medicine Center, Chulabhorn Royal Academy, Bangkok, Thailand.
⁸ Division of Bacteriology, School of Medicine, Jichi Medical University, Tochigi, Japan.
⁹ Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
¹⁰ Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan.
¹¹ Department of Infection, Immunity & Cardiovascular Disease, University of Sheffield Medical School, Sheffield, UK.
¹² Wal-yan Respiratory Research Centre, Telethon Kids Institute, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, 6009, WA, Australia. [email protected].
¹³ Centre for Cell Therapy and Regenerative Medicine, Medical School, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, 6009, WA, Australia. [email protected].
¹⁴ Department of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, Perth Children's Hospital, Nedlands, 6009, WA, Australia. [email protected].
¹⁵ School of Population Health, Curtin University, Bentley, 6102, WA, Australia. [email protected].
¹⁶ Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thai Red Cross Society, Bangkok, Thailand. [email protected].
¹⁷ Center of Excellence in Antimicrobial Resistance and Stewardship Research, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand. [email protected].
¹⁸ Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany. [email protected].
¹⁹ German Centre for Infection Research, Partner site Bonn-Cologne, Cologne, Germany. [email protected].
²⁰ Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50935, Cologne, Germany. [email protected].
²¹ Department of Infectious Diseases and Infection Control, Yamagata Prefectural Central Hospital, Yamagata, Japan.
²² Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thai Red Cross Society, Bangkok, Thailand. [email protected].
²³ Center of Excellence in Antimicrobial Resistance and Stewardship Research, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand. [email protected].
²⁴ Department of Infectious Diseases and Infection Control, Yamagata Prefectural Central Hospital, Yamagata, Japan. [email protected].
²⁵ School of Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Nedland, WA, Australia. [email protected].
²⁶ Biofilms and Antimicrobial Resistance Consortium of ODA receiving countries, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK. [email protected].
²⁷ Pathogen Hunter's Research Team, Department of Infectious Diseases and Infection Control, Yamagata Prefectural Central Hospital, Yamagata, Japan. [email protected].

PMID: 39843534
DOI: 10.1038/s44259-024-00045-4

Abstract

Persistent bacterial lung infections in children lead to significant morbidity and mortality due to antibiotic resistance. In this paper, we describe how phage therapy has shown remarkable efficacy in preclinical and clinical studies, demonstrating significant therapeutic benefits through various administration routes. Ongoing trials are evaluating its safety and effectiveness against different pathogens. Advancing phage therapy through systematic studies and international collaboration could provide a viable alternative to traditional antibiotics for persistent infections.

Publication types

Review