The perspectives of the application of phage therapy in chronic bacterial prostatitis

Abstract

Chronic bacterial prostatitis (CBP) is a long-lasting and crippling disease that strongly impacts the patient's quality of life. The diagnosis of CBP is difficult and the treatment regimens are not always successful. Poor penetration of antibiotics to the prostate tissue, the drug resistance of uropathogens, the adverse events associated with antibiotic treatment, the persistence of prostatic calculi, and biofilm formation in the prostate gland are factors that contribute toward decreasing the cure rate of CBP. The phenomenon of increasing antibiotic resistance, which has also been called a clinical super-challenge, has revived interest in therapy using bacterial viruses (bacteriophages or phages). Because of their mechanism of action, which is completely different from those of all antibiotics, phages are effective even against multidrug-resistant bacteria. Here, we describe the current perspectives on the possible application of phage therapy (PT) in treating CBP. The advantages of therapeutic phages, including their interactions with bacterial biofilm, as well as the safety of PT are discussed.

Phage treatment of human infections

“…A number of reviews address issues of phage therapy safety in some detail. 3,22,105,115,116 Non-antimicrobial chemical drugs are generally intended to interact with and modify body tissues in some manner over the shorter or longer term. Drugs that interact with multiple tissues, however, run the risk of interacting with non-target tissues, which can result in changes that would not be considered clinically favorable.…”

Isolation and characterisation of six novel mycobacteriophages and investigation of their antimicrobial potential in milk

“…The current antibiotic crisis has coincided with a revival of phage therapy research worldwide. Phages have successfully contributed to the control of various bacterial pathogens including Pseudomonas, Staphylococcus, Klebsiella, Proteus and Escherichia coli and have proved effective in treating skin and soft tissue infections, osteomyelitis, prosthetic joint infections, lower respiratory tract infections and chronic bacterial prostatitis Hudson, Billington, Carey-Smith, & Greening, 2005;Letkiewicz, Miedzybrodzki, Fortuna, Weber-Dabrowska, & Górski, 2009;Letkiewicz et al, 2010).…”

Optimizing the European Regulatory Framework for Sustainable Bacteriophage Therapy in Human Medicine

“…Furthermore, experimental therapy may only be applied by a qualified doctor and when other available treatment has failed. 18 In Poland, this type of treatment is also covered by the Helsinki Declaration (Kutter et al 2010;Letkiewicz et al 2010).…”