A phage cocktail for drug-resistant mycobacteria

Access through your institution Buy or subscribe Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) cause chronic pulmonary infections in individuals with cystic fibrosis, and antibiotic-resistant NTM (for

example, _Mycobacterium abscessus_) is widespread. The use of phages to treat drug-resistant bacterial infections is a potential alternative strategy. Dedrick et al. report the use of a

three-phage cocktail in the treatment of disseminated drug-resistant _M. abscessus_. After an uncomplicated bilateral lung transplant in a 15-year-old patient with cystic fibrosis, the

patient was diagnosed with a disseminated drug-resistant _M. abscessus_ subsp. _massiliense_ infection, necessitating an alternative treatment strategy. The authors used screening, genome

engineering and forward genetics to develop a cocktail of three lytic phage derivatives that efficiently kill the infectious _M. abscessus_ strain. Intravenous administration of the cocktail

was well-tolerated and resulted in clinical improvements — sternal wound closure, improved liver function and substantial resolution of infected skin lesions. This is a preview of

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Buy this article * Purchase on SpringerLink * Instant access to full article PDF Buy now Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout ADDITIONAL ACCESS OPTIONS:

* Log in * Learn about institutional subscriptions * Read our FAQs * Contact customer support REFERENCES ORIGINAL ARTICLE * Dedrick, R. M. et al. Engineered bacteriophages for treatment of a

patient with a disseminated drug-resistant _Mycobacterium abscessus_. _Nat. Med._ https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-019-0437-z (2019) Article  PubMed  Google Scholar  Download references

AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * Nature Reviews Microbiology http://www.nature.com/nrmicro/ Ashley York Authors * Ashley York View author publications You can also search for

this author inPubMed Google Scholar CORRESPONDING AUTHOR Correspondence to Ashley York. RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE York, A. A phage

cocktail for drug-resistant mycobacteria. _Nat Rev Microbiol_ 17, 399 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41579-019-0216-3 Download citation * Published: 14 May 2019 * Issue Date: July 2019 *

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