Proof-of-Concept Standardized Approach Using a Single-Disk Method Analogous to Antibiotic Disk Diffusion Assays for Routine Phage Susceptibility Testing in Diagnostic Laboratories
Romy Skusa, Justus Groß, Juliane Kohlen, Clemens Schafmayer, Katharina Ekat, Andreas Podbielski, Philipp Warnke
Abstract
Application of bacteriophages in clinical therapies is attractive due to increasing rates of isolation of multidrug-resistant bacteria worldwide. As the phage effect is highly specific, prior susceptibility testing of target bacteria is mandatory. Of note, established standards are lacking. In this research, we adapted the single-disk method for antibiotic susceptibility testing to phage susceptibility testing (PST) in order to provide a standardized, easy-to-handle, reproducible, and reliable PST protocol for application in diagnostic routine laboratories.
Topics & Concepts
Clinical microbiologyProtocol (science)AntibioticsIsolation (microbiology)Phage therapyBiologyMicrobiologyComputational biologyBacteriophageEscherichia coliMedicineGeneticsPathologyAlternative medicineGeneBacteriophages and microbial interactionsBacterial Identification and Susceptibility TestingMicrobial infections and disease research