ArticlePloS one2007
Phage-Antibiotic Synergy (PAS): beta-lactam and quinolone antibiotics stimulate virulent phage growth.
Article in PloS one, 2007. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 252 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
252 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 452 citations in OpenAlex.
- Reassessment of Historical Clinical Trials Supports the Effectiveness of Phage Therapy.Clinical microbiology reviews · 2022Pooled it
- Antibiotic-induced cellular enlargement drives phage synergy and resensitizes carbapenem-resistantMicrobiology spectrum · 2026Article
- Calciphylaxis complicated by NDM-1-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa: first experience with cefepime-zidebactam alongside phage therapy in the USA.The Lancet. Infectious diseases · 2026Review
- Harnessing phage-ciprofloxacin synergy to overcome multidrug-resistant infections and biofilm persistence.Archives of microbiology · 2026Article
- A Biological Approach to Antimicrobial Resistance in New and Old Bacterial Pathogens.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Synergistic effects of a lytic Salmonella bacteriophage cocktail and selected antimicrobial agents on Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis.Folia microbiologica · 2026Review
- [Bacteriophage Therapy in Orthopaedics and Trauma].Acta chirurgiae orthopaedicae et traumatologiae Cechoslovaca · 2026Review
- A new Kayvirus vB_SauM-MUHD-1 combats Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus wound infections.Applied microbiology and biotechnology · 2026Article
- Bacteriophage therapy for multidrug-resistant bacterial infections: recent advances, clinical evidence, and translational challenges.Archives of microbiology · 2026Review
- New Finnlakevirus Isolate FLiP-2 Provides Insight Into the Ecology of ssDNA Phages in Flavobacterium Hosts.Environmental microbiology · 2026Article
- The combination of mupirocin and Kayvirus broadens the decolonization effect against Staphylococcus aureus.Applied microbiology and biotechnology · 2026Article
- Bacteriophage and Fusidic Acid Have Synergistic Effect Against Meticillin-Resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius in Ex Vivo Canine Dermis Model.Veterinary dermatology · 2026Article
- Systematic evaluation of phage cocktail-ciprofloxacin combination therapy against multidrug-resistantMicrobiology spectrum · 2026Article
- Phage-antibiotic synergy restores β-lactam efficacy in MDR Klebsiella quasipneumoniae biofilms and suppresses resistance.Journal of biomedical science · 2026Article
- Review
- Can phage-antibiotic combinations overcome uropathogenic Escherichia coli regrowth? evidence from in vitro and in vivo models.Virology journal · 2026Article
- Characterization of broad-host-range bacteriophages targeting multidrug-resistant E. coli and Shigella spp.: in vitro potential.BMC microbiology · 2026Article
- Combination of bacteriophage-probiotics alleviates intestinal barrier dysfunction by regulating gut microbiome in a chick model of multidrug-resistant Salmonella infection.Journal of animal science and biotechnology · 2026Article
- Bacteriophage Therapy AgainstMicroorganisms · 2026Review
- Broth Optical Density-Based Assessment for Phage Therapy: Turbidity Reduction, Antibacterial Virulence, and Time-Kill.Viruses · 2026Review
192 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Although the multiplication of bacteriophages (phages) has a substantial impact on the biosphere, comparatively little is known about how the external environment affects phage production. Here we report that sub-lethal concentrations of certain antibiotics can substantially stimulate the host bacterial cell's production of some virulent phage. For example, a low dosage of cefotaxime, a cephalosporin, increased an uropathogenic Escherichia coli strain's production of the phage PhiMFP by more than 7-fold. We name this phenomenon Phage-Antibiotic Synergy (PAS). A related effect was observed in diverse host-phage systems, including the T4-like phages, with beta-lactam and quinolone antibiotics, as well as mitomycin C. A common characteristic of these antibiotics is that they inhibit bacterial cell division and trigger the SOS system. We therefore examined the PAS effect within the context of the bacterial SOS and filamentation responses. We found that the PAS effect appears SOS-independent and is primarily a consequence of cellular filamentation; it is mimicked by cells that constitutively filament. The fact that completely unrelated phages manifest this phenomenon suggests that it confers an important and general advantage to the phages.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.