The promise of bacteriophage therapy for Burkholderia cepacia complex respiratory infections

Abstract

In recent times, increased attention has been given to evaluating the efficacy of phage therapy, especially in scenarios where the bacterial infectious agent of interest is highly antibiotic resistant. In this regard, phage therapy is especially applicable to infections caused by the Burkholderia cepacia complex (BCC) since members of the BCC are antibiotic pan-resistant. Current studies in BCC phage therapy are unique from many other avenues of phage therapy research in that the investigation is not only comprised of phage isolation, in vitro phage characterization and assessment of in vivo infection model efficacy, but also adapting aerosol drug delivery techniques to aerosol phage formulation delivery and storage.

Keywords: Burkholderia; Burkholderia cepacia complex; aerosols; animal infection models; bacteriophage; dry powder inhalers; lung infections; phage therapy.

Figure 1

A phage cocktail is delivered via an aerosol to the site of the infection where the phage life cycle can be established. First, phage attach to receptors on the host. (Phage may need to degrade exopolysaccharide [EPS] in order to reach the phage receptor). After binding, the phage are able to transfer their nucleic acid into the host. Host systems are disrupted and the replication of the phage genome begins. Once mature phage particles have been assembled, the host is lysed and the phages are released.