ArticlePeerJ2014
Synergy as a rationale for phage therapy using phage cocktails.
Article in PeerJ, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 81 papers.
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
81 citing papers in PubMed.
- From hijackers to architects: the role of prophages in bacterial genome evolution.Journal of bacteriology · 2026Review
- Development andMicrobiology spectrum · 2026Article
- Bacteriophage cocktails and bacterial coevolution: a systematic review of resistance prevention strategies against multidrug-resistant pathogens in sewage water.Iranian journal of microbiology · 2026Article
- Phage Therapy in Plant Disease Management: 110 Years of History, Current Challenges, and Future Trends.Plants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Broth Optical Density-Based Assessment for Phage Therapy: Turbidity Reduction, Antibacterial Virulence, and Time-Kill.Viruses · 2026Review
- From Isolation to Application: Designing a Multi-Target Phage Cocktail for Bivalve Safety.Microorganisms · 2025Article
- Review
- Review
- Bacteriophages as Targeted Therapeutic Vehicles: Challenges and Opportunities.Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Bacteriophage therapy in women with chronic recurrent cystitis caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria: A prospective, observational, comparative study.Current urology · 2025Article
- Article
- Systematic bacteriophage selection for the lysis of multipleFrontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2025Article
- Characterization of two novel bacteriophages (PSV6 and PSV3) as biocontrol agents againstFrontiers in microbiology · 2025Article
- A New Insight into Phage Combination Therapeutic Approaches Against Drug-Resistant Mixed Bacterial Infections.PHAGE (New Rochelle, N.Y.) · 2024Review
- Isolation and Characterization of Three Lytic Bacteriophages to Overcome Multidrug-, Extensive Drug-, and Pandrug-ResistantPHAGE (New Rochelle, N.Y.) · 2024Article
- A blueprint for broadly effective bacteriophage-antibiotic cocktails against bacterial infections.Nature communications · 2024Article
- Review
- Targeting Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm with an evolutionary trained bacteriophage cocktail exploiting phage resistance trade-offs.Nature communications · 2024Article
- Review
- Broad host range phages target globalMicrobiology spectrum · 2024Article
21 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
3 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Where phages are used to treat bacterial contaminations and infections, multiple phages are typically applied at once as a cocktail. When two or more phages in the cocktail attack the same bacterium, the combination may produce better killing than any single phage (synergy) or the combination may be worse than the best single phage (interference). Synergy is of obvious utility, especially if it can be predicted a priori, but it remains poorly documented with few examples known. This study addresses synergy in which one phage improves adsorption by a second phage. It first presents evidence of synergy from an experimental system of two phages and a mucoid E. coli host. The synergy likely stems from a tailspike enzyme produced by one of the phages. We then offer mathematical models and simulations to understand the dynamics of synergy and the enhanced magnitude of bacterial control possible. The models and observations complement each other and suggest that synergy may be of widespread utility and may be predictable from easily observed phenotypes.
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What OpenQuestion holds
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.