Phage Cocktail Targeting STEC O157:H7 Has Comparable Efficacy and Superior Recovery Compared with Enrofloxacin in an Enteric Murine Model
Yuxin Wang, Dinesh Subedi, Jin Li, Jiaoling Wu, Jianluan Ren, Feng Xue, Jianjun Dai, Jeremy J. Barr, Fang Tang
Abstract
With the increasing severity of antibiotic resistance and other adverse consequences, animal experiments and clinical trials investigating the use of phages for the control and prevention of enteric bacterial infections are growing. However, the effects of phages and antibiotics on organisms when treating intestinal infections have not been precisely studied. Here, we comprehensively compared the therapeutic efficacy of a phage cocktail to the antibiotic enrofloxacin in a mouse model of STEC O157:H7 EDL933 infection. We found that, despite a slightly lower protection rate, phage treatment contributed to a faster recovery of infected mice compared with enrofloxacin. These results highlight the potential benefits of phage therapy to combat enteric infections.