ArticlePLoS neglected tropical diseases2013
Phage therapy is effective against infection by Mycobacterium ulcerans in a murine footpad model.
Article in PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 46 papers.
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Who cites it
46 citing papers in PubMed, 129 citations in OpenAlex.
- Review
- Insight into Bacteriophage Therapy for Bacterial Infections and Cancer.Molecular biotechnology · 2026Review
- Spot-on phage therapy: stable formulations, smarter dosing for topical phage application.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2026Review
- Mycobacteriophage Yasnaya_Polyana and its engineered lytic derivative: specificity of regulatory motifs and lytic potential.Frontiers in microbiology · 2025Article
- Advancements in bacteriophage therapies and delivery for bacterial infection.Materials advances · 2023Review
- Phage therapy: a revolutionary shift in the management of bacterial infections, pioneering new horizons in clinical practice, and reimagining the arsenal against microbial pathogens.Frontiers in medicine · 2023Review
- A novel lytic phage potentially effective for phage therapy against Burkholderia pseudomallei in the tropics.Infectious diseases of poverty · 2022Article
- Mycobacteriophages: From Petri dish to patient.PLoS pathogens · 2022Review
- Bacteriophages as an Alternative Method for Control of Zoonotic and Foodborne Pathogens.Viruses · 2021Review
- Application of Bacteriophages for Mycobacterial Infections, from Diagnosis to Treatment.Microorganisms · 2021Review
- Phage Therapy for Mycobacterium Abscessus and Strategies to Improve Outcomes.Microorganisms · 2021Review
- Bacteriophage Therapy of Bacterial Infections: The Rediscovered Frontier.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Review
- Characteristics of a Bacteriophage, vB_Kox_ZX8, Isolated From ClinicalFrontiers in microbiology · 2021Article
- Animal Models of Phage Therapy.Frontiers in microbiology · 2021Review
- Article
- The Unexplored Virome of Two Atlantic Coast Fish: Contribution of Next-Generation Sequencing to Fish Virology.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2020Article
- Actinobacteriophages: Genomics, Dynamics, and Applications.Annual review of virology · 2020Review
- Complete Genome Sequences of Mycobacteriophages OKaNui and DroogsArmy.Microbiology resource announcements · 2020Article
- Animal Models to Translate Phage Therapy to Human Medicine.International journal of molecular sciences · 2020Review
- Unresolved swelling of the hand: Think ofTrauma case reports · 2020Article
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundBuruli Ulcer (BU) is a neglected, necrotizing skin disease caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans. Currently, there is no vaccine against M. ulcerans infection. Although the World Health Organization recommends a combination of rifampicin and streptomycin for the treatment of BU, clinical management of advanced stages is still based on the surgical resection of infected skin. The use of bacteriophages for the control of bacterial infections has been considered as an alternative or to be used in association with antibiotherapy. Additionally, the mycobacteriophage D29 has previously been shown to display lytic activity against M. ulcerans isolates. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL
findingsWe used the mouse footpad model of M. ulcerans infection to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of treatment with mycobacteriophage D29. Analyses of macroscopic lesions, bacterial burdens, histology and cytokine production were performed in both M. ulcerans-infected footpads and draining lymph nodes (DLN). We have demonstrated that a single subcutaneous injection of the mycobacteriophage D29, administered 33 days after bacterial challenge, was sufficient to decrease pathology and to prevent ulceration. This protection resulted in a significant reduction of M. ulcerans numbers accompanied by an increase of cytokine levels (including IFN-γ), both in footpads and DLN. Additionally, mycobacteriophage D29 treatment induced a cellular infiltrate of a lymphocytic/macrophagic profile. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our observations demonstrate the potential of phage therapy against M. ulcerans infection, paving the way for future studies aiming at the development of novel phage-related therapeutic approaches against BU.
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