Groningen – The UMCG will conduct research into the use of bacteriophages: viruses that can kill bacteria and that could be a solution for antibiotic resistance and difficult-to-treat infections. The research concerns the treatment with bacteriophages in patients with a chronic prosthetic joint infection caused by the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus.
‘A select group of patients is participating in this first study with bacteriophages’, says UMCG infectious disease specialist Marjan Wouthuyzen-Bakker: ‘patients who have been suffering from an infection of the joint prosthesis for a long time and who have no other option than to leave the joint prosthesis in place. to delete. By administering bacteriophages to the site of the infection, we hope to be able to keep the infection under control for longer and preserve the joint prosthesis.’
International cooperation
The PhagoDAIR study was started in France, where the bacteriophages are grown in a laboratory. This study is being conducted in France, Spain, Germany and the Netherlands. In the Netherlands, the UMCG is the only center participating in the study. ‘In addition to patients treated at the UMCG, patients who are referred to the UMCG from other centers can also participate,’ says Wouthuyzen-Bakker.
How do bacteriophages work?
Bacteriophages kill bacteria, just like antibiotics. The difference is that antibiotics work against multiple bacterial species at the same time, while a phage works against one specific species. The advantage of this is that they leave good bacteria alone and that you can use them in a very targeted manner. The disadvantage is that it takes time to find the right matching phage or phages for each bacterium. That may take a few days. Partly for this reason, the use of phages has faded into the background in the West, writes the RIVM.
Growing interest in bacteriophages
In recent years, there has been increasing interest in treatment with bacteriophages in the Netherlands and other Western countries. It can be a last option for patients who have an infection with bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics or for infections that are difficult to treat, such as infections of artificial materials. In the latter case, bacteriophages ensure that the effect of antibiotics is enhanced.
Because too few scientific studies have been conducted, treatments are not yet permitted in most countries. ‘But in Georgia, France and Belgium, for example, treatments with bacteriophages are already being done,’ says Wouthuyzen-Bakker. ‘Many patients now go there on their own.’ Experience from other countries has now made it clear that bacteriophages can be used safely and have few side effects.
Results and follow-up research
Wouthuyzen-Bakker hopes to be able to share the first results of the research in about a year. Once more is clear about the effectiveness, she hopes to expand the patient group
2023-11-29 11:47:06
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