Bacteriophages

Bacteriophages (or phages) are viruses that can only infect bacterial cells. They are divided into two main types, lytic phages and temperate phages. Lytic bacteriophages can be used as antibacterial agents because they do not integrate into the host bacterial genome and active infection results in bacterial dissolution (cell lysis).

Research

Phage therapy

The increase in antibiotic-resistant germs poses a major challenge to medical professionals worldwide. The development and spread of antibiotic resistance has led to the emergence of multi- and even pan-resistant bacteria.
In 2017, the World Health Organization (WHO) published a list of bacteria for which new antibacterial drugs are urgently needed. One of the possible alternatives to established antibiotic therapy is the use of lytic bacteriophages.

Despite the proven efficacy of lytic bacteriophage therapy, bacteriophages are approved as drugs only in the following countries: Russia, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Slovakia. In other countries, including the Federal Republic of Germany, bacteriophage application is only possible as ultima ratio therapy according to § 37 of the Declaration of Helsinki.
To date, we have successfully treated 24 patients with phages who were no longer able to benefit from conventional antiobiotic therapy. An example of this is this 59-year-old patient with severe chronic Staphylococcus aureus infection of his aortic arch prosthesis. Already 5 days after termination of the local phage therapy, via inserted suction irrigation drains, a decrease of the infection signs was recognizable and no more bacteria were detectable in the irrigation fluid. The PET-CT scan after 7 months showed the high efficacy of the phage therapy.

GROUP LEADER

Prof. Dr.

Christian Kühn

Clinic for Heart, Thorax, Transplant and Vascular Surgery

Selected publications

Rubalskii E, Ruemke S, Salmoukas C, Boyle EC, Warnecke G, Tudorache I, Shrestha M, Schmitto.
JD, Martens A, Rojas SV, Ziesing S, Bochkareva S, Kuehn C, Haverich A. Bacteriophage Therapy for.
Critical Infections Related to Cardiothoracic Surgery. Antibiotics (Basel). 2020 May 5;9(5):232. doi:
10.3390/antibiotics9050232. PMID: 32380707; PMCID: PMC7277081.

Rubalskii E, Ruemke S, Salmoukas C, Aleshkin A, Bochkareva S, Modin E, Mashaqi B, Boyle EC,
Boethig D, Rubalsky M, Zulkarneev E, Kuehn C, Haverich A. Fibrin glue as a local drug-delivery.
system for bacteriophage PA5. Sci Rep. 2019 Feb 14;9(1):2091. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-38318-4. PMID:
30765740; PMCID: PMC6376040.

Fursov MV, Abdrakhmanova RO, Antonova NP, Vasina DV, Kolchanova AD, Bashkina OA, Rubalsky.
OV, Samotrueva MA, Potapov VD, Makarov VV, Yudin SM, Gintsburg AL, Tkachuk AP, Gushchin.
VA, Rubalskii EO. Antibiofilm Activity of a Broad-Range Recombinant Endolysin LysECD7: In Vitro
and In Vivo Study. Viruses. 2020 May 15;12(5):545. doi: 10.3390/v12050545. PMID: 32429199; PMCID:
PMC7291189.

Salmoukas C, Ruemke S, Rubalskii E, Burgwitz K, Haverich A, Kuehn C. Vascular Graft Pre-.
Treatment with Daptomycin Prior to Implantation Prevents Graft Infection with Staphylococcus
aureus in an In Vivo Model. Surg Infect (Larchmt). 2020 Mar;21(2):161-168. doi: 10.1089/sur.2019.124.
Epub 2019 Oct 1. PMID: 31573423.

Ruemke S, Rubalskii E, Mashaqi B, Burgwitz K, Haverich A, Salmoukas C, et al. Evaluation of Gram-.
Positive and Gram-Negative Bacterial Adherence on Four Different Vascular Prosthetic Grafts In
Vitro. Austin J Surg. 2019; 6(15): 1200.

Keywords

Bacteriophages

Contact

Prof. Dr. Christian Kühn

kuehn.christian(at)mh-hannover.de

Hanover Medical School
Clinic for Cardiac, Thoracic, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery
Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1
30625 Hanover

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