The journal "Medical Perspectives" No. 4, 2020 , published* the results of a study on the sensitivity of Staphylococcus aureus , pathogens causing purulent-inflammatory diseases, with and without the mecA gene, to the drug "Pyofag® polyvalent bacteriophage." It was found that the total number of bacterial strains sensitive to the drug was 95 ± 0.2%. The use of the drug for the treatment of furunculosis caused by a methicillin-resistant strain of S. aureus had a positive result.

S. aureus is one of the most common opportunistic pathogens, capable of causing a variety of illnesses, from minor skin infections to life-threatening sepsis, meningitis, and pneumonia. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), which is resistant to many antimicrobial drugs, poses a particular public health concern.

The study was conducted by staff of the Department of Microbiology, Virology and Immunology and the Department of Surgery No. 2 of the Bogomolets National Medical University (NMU), as well as the Kyiv City Clinical Hospital No. 4 (Kyiv) under the supervision of the head of the Department of Microbiology, Virology and Immunology of the NMU, Academician of the National Academy of Sciences and the Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, Doctor of Medicine, Professor V.P. Shirobokov.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the sensitivity of clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus, including methicillin-resistant strains, to a bacteriophage preparation and to determine the potential use of this agent for the treatment of staphylococcal infections. A number of classical and modern microbiological methods for the isolation and identification of microorganisms were used. The genes responsible for antibiotic resistance were identified (PCR analysis), and the sensitivity of isolated cultures to antibiotics (disc diffusion method) and bacteriophages (spot test, Grazia method, and Appelman method) was determined. An analysis of the sensitivity of S. aureus , with or without the mecA gene, to the bacteriophage-based preparation "Pyofag® polyvalent bacteriophage" was conducted.

The study found that the overall percentage of bacterial strains sensitive to the drug was 95±0.2%. The use of Pyofag® Polyvalent Bacteriophage for the treatment of furunculosis caused by MRSA also yielded positive results. After just one week of treatment with the bacteriophage preparation, the patient's clinical symptoms regressed. No side effects were observed during the treatment period. Thus, the use of bacteriophages may become an important tool in the fight against antibiotic-resistant strains that cause various human infections.

* Poniatovskyi VA, Bondarchuk OL, Prystupiuk MO, Smikodub OO, Shyrobokov VP Bacteriophages against methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains. Medicni perspektivi / Medical Perspectives, 2020, 25 (4): 73-80. https://doi.org/10.26641/2307-0404.2020.4.221232