[S12] Brave New World of Phage

[S12-5] Bacteriophage therapy – research and application at the Eliava Institute

○Mzia Kutateladze (Director of the G. Eliava Institute of Bacteriophages, Microbiology and Virology, Tbilisi, Georgia)

Discovery of bacteriophages, particularly their ability to replicate and lyse pathogenic bacteria may have been among the most important milestones in the history of biomedical sciences. In the pre-antibiotic era of the early 20th century, phage therapy was becoming a powerful weapon against infectious diseases of bacterial etiology in many different countries. Unfortunately, phage treatment and research was largely forgotten as antibiotics became widely available. Nowadays, the rapid propagation and spread of multi-drug resistant bacterial strains is leading to renewed interest in phage therapy Worldwide. Phage therapy remained a standard part of the healthcare systems in Eastern Europe and the USSR during the second half of the 20th century. Phage preparations were used for diagnostic, therapeutic and prophylactic purposes to combat various bacterial infections.
George Eliava Institute of Bacteriophages, Microbiology and Virology (Tbilisi, Georgia) is perhaps the most famous institution in the world focused on the study and application of bacteriophages. Study of causative bacterial agents of infection and elaboration of phage-based preparations against infectious diseases are the main focus of the Eliava Institute today.
Main application of the Eliava phages is directed for treatment and prophylaxis of human bacterial diseases. Phages are successfully used to treat acute, as well chronic infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains. The author will present several case reports after application of bacteriophages for treatment of various infectious complications.