We have been studying bacteriophages as model systems for the study of such topics as gene regulation, host-virus interaction and macromolecular assembly. We are taking advantage of the base of information of phage genetics and physiology for the purpose of bacteriophage therapy of multi-drug resistant-bacterial pathogens. Colonization of the gastrointestinal tract with vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE) has become endemic in many hospitals and nursing homes in the United States. Such colonization predisposes the individual to VRE bacteremia and/or endocarditis, and immunocompromised patients are at particular risk for these conditions. The emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains requires the exploration of alternative antibacterial therapies, which lead our group to study the ability of bacterial viruses (bacteriophages, or phages) to rescue mice with VRE bacteremia. The phage strain used in this study has lytic activity against a wide range of clinical isolates of VRE.One of these VRE strains was used to induce bacteremia in mice by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of 109 CFU. The resulting bacteremia was fatal within 48 h. A single i.p. injection of 3 x 108 PFU of the phage strain, administered 45 min after the bacterial challenge, was sufficient to rescue 100% of the animals. Even when treatment was delayed to the point where all animals were moribund, approximately 50% of them were rescued by a single injection of this phage preparation. The ability of this phage to rescue bacteremic mice was demonstrated to be due to the functional capabilities of the phage and not to a nonspecific immune effect. The rescue of bactermic mice could be effected only by phage strains able to grow in vitro on the bacterial host used to infect the animals, and when such strains are heat inactivated they lose their ability to rescue the infected mice.
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