Topical Bacteriophage Therapy for Staphylococcal Superficial Pyoderma in Horses: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Pilot Study.
Abstract: Increased antimicrobial resistance highlights the need for alternatives to antibiotics. Bacteriophages, which are benign viruses that kill bacteria, are promising. We studied the efficacy of topical bacteriophages for treating equine staphylococcal superficial pyodermas. Eight isolates were tested against a bacteriophage bank, and a cocktail consisting of two bacteriophages was prepared. Twenty horses with clinical and cytological evidence of superficial pyoderma and confirmed infection based on swabbed culture were enrolled in the study. Each horse received both the bacteriophage cocktail and the placebo at two different infection sites, once daily for four weeks. Clinical lesions and cytology were evaluated weekly by an investigator who was unaware of the treatment sites. All infection sites were swabbed and cultured at the end of the study. A linear mixed model showed no significant differences between the placebo and treatment sites in terms of clinical signs, cytological scores of inflammation, and bacterial counts at the end of the study. It is possible that the bacteriophage cocktail killed , but cytology scores did not change as new populations of cocci took over. The study limitations included a small sample size and inconsistent control of the underlying causes of pyodermas.
Publication Date: 2023-06-14 PubMed ID: 37375518PubMed Central: PMC10304242DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12060828Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.
This study tested the effectiveness of using bacteriophage (viruses that kill bacteria) treatment on horses with non-threatening skin infections caused by staph bacteria. It found that there was no significant difference in recovery between the horses treated with the bacteriophage and those who had received a placebo treatment.
Research Methodology
- The researchers implemented a double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study which is important in reducing bias and producing reliable results. This means neither the horse owners nor the researchers knew which horses were treated with the bacteriophobia cocktail and which received the placebo.
- The study involved 20 horses, all of whom were clinically and cytologically diagnosed with superficial pyoderma, a skin infection caused by staphylococci bacteria.
- Eight staphylococcal isolates were evaluated against a bank of bacteriophages. From this test, a bacteriophage cocktail consisting of two different bacteriophages was created.
- Each horse in the study then received both the bacteriophage treatment and a placebo treatment, at separate infection sites. Treatments were administered once daily for four weeks.
Findings and Interpretation
- While there was no noticeable difference observed between the placebo and bacteriophage treatment in recovery rates or bacterial counts, this does not necessarily mean the bacteriophages were not effective.
- The researchers posit that the bacteriophage cocktail could have killed the staphylococci bacteria, but the cytology scores did not change due to new populations of cocci bacteria taking over. This possibility suggests that phage therapy might need other complementary treatments addressing the root causes of these pyodermas to be totally effective.
Limitations of the Study
- This study had a small sample size of only 20 horses, which may not be representative of the wider population. Therefore, the conclusions drawn from this study may need further testing on a bigger sample size to confirm their validity.
- Another limitation was the inconsistent control over the underlying causes of the pyodermas in the different horses. Controlling for this variable in future studies could provide a clearer picture of the effectiveness of bacteriophage treatment.
Cite This Article
APA
Marshall K, Marsella R.
(2023).
Topical Bacteriophage Therapy for Staphylococcal Superficial Pyoderma in Horses: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Pilot Study.
Pathogens, 12(6), 828.
https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12060828 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, 2015 SW 16th Avenue, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.
- Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, 2015 SW 16th Avenue, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.
Grant Funding
- NA / ACVD and the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists Dermatology Chapter.
Conflict of Interest Statement
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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Citations
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