[Some immunological changes in children with bacterial infections treated with bacteriophages]

Abstract

The aim of the study was to reveal the possible immunological changes in children with bacterial infections treated with commercial bacteriophage preparations administered per os. In case of medical indications (for treatment or diagnostic) blood sampling was carried out. In serum the antibodies against bacteriophage preparations - phage cocktail components (phages against Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Proteus vulgaris, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa) were investigated. The neutralisation reaction was used. There were processed samples from 65 children with following diagnoses: sepsis, bacterial pneumonia, urinary tract infection, bacterial infections of upper respiratory ways, bacterial diarrhea. In samples taken in the first days of treatment antibodies were revealed in infants up to one month (I group) in 0/29 cases - 0%, in infants aged from one month till one year (II group)- 1/25 - 4.0%, in children aged from 1 till 15 years (III group) - 3/9 - 33.3%; data after 14-20 days from the beginning of treatment - I group - 0/9 - 0%, II group - 4/15 - 26.7%, III group - 5/5 - 100%; data after 30-60 days from the beginning of the treatment - I group - 1/5 - 20.0%, II group - 6/10 - 60.0%, III group - 3/3 - 100%. Bacteriophages neitralisation degree varied between 50,7% and 97.3%. Any regularity regarding different components of used phage preparations was not established. In case of inclusion of commercial phage preparations administered per os in the treatment of bacterial infections in children, the anti-phage neutralizing antibodies are produced by the macroorganism. This fact limits the duration of phage therapy and its usage in the treatment of future bacterial infections in treated patients. Production of anti-phage antibodies in young infants is substantially less expressed and this indicates to purposefulness and presumably higher efficacy of bacteriophage therapy in this age period.