The control of Multi-Drug Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniaewound infection by Bacteriophage in a Rat Model

Background and Aim : Multi-drug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (MDR-KP) has persistentlyraised beyond antibiotic control. Wound infection kills many patients yearly due to the entry ofmultidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial pathogens into the skin gaps. However, a bacteriophage(phage) is a potential antibiotic alternative for treating bacterial infections. The aims of study toisolate and characterize a specific phage and evaluate its topical activity against MDR-KP isolatedfrom infected wounds.Methods : A lytic phage KshKPC-M was isolated using a clinical isolate KP(Ksh-۱) as a hoststrain and then characterized. Additionally, the phage was assessed for its in vitro host range,temperature, ultraviolet (UV), and pH sensitivity. The therapeutic efficiency of phage suspensionand a phage-impeded gel vehicle were assessed in vivo against a K. pneumoniae infected woundon a rat model.Results : The phage produced a clear plaque and was classified as Siphoviridae. The phageinhibited KP(Ksh-۱) growth in vitro in a dose-dependent pattern, and it was found to resist hightemperature (<۷۰ ◦C) and was primarily active at pH ۵; moreover, it showed UV stability for ۴۵min. Phage-treated K. pneumoniae inoculated wounds showed the highest healing efficiency bylowering the infection. The quality of the regenerated skin was evidenced via histologicalexamination compared to the untreated control group.Conclusion : This research represents the evidence of effective phage therapy against MDR-KP.

کلیدواژه ها:

Gram-negative ، Klebsiella pneumoniae ، antibiotics ، multi-drug resistance (MDR) ، bacteriophage ، phage therapy ، wound healing ، in vivo ، phage isolation ، phage haracterization ، bioinformatics ، wound infec