Phage therapy

Posted by kathyhg @kathyhg, Jan 12 7:34am

I just saw a commercial about a woman who had phage therapy for mycobacterium abscesses at the Mayo Clinic, with really good results. I’ve read a bit about phage therapy here, I think, but never paid much attention to it until now.

Has anyone had experience with phage therapy and/or know more about it? Is it a legitimate alternative to the medications, airway clearance, etc to treating NTM (I have Mac)?

Thanks in advance

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the MAC & Bronchiectasis Support Group.

@kthyhg At this point phage therapy for MAC is still in development, which generally means it is only available after traditional therapies (ie. Big 3, IV antibiotics (in the case of M. Abscessis) & Arikayce) have been tried and failed.
Where did you see this commercial?
Sue

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It was on CNN (International) and a commercial for the Mayo Clinic.

I believe the woman in the commercial had mycobacterium abscesses and it was found in her urine (I think) - I saw it a few days ago and don’t remember that detail. The commercial made it sound like it was an available treatment at the Mayo Clinic and she and her family were so happy that she got treated with phage therapy.

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This recent article includes a mention of phage therapy (near the end), and a new drug for treatment resistant bacteria.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/jan/03/scientists-new-class-antibiotic-kill-drug-resistant-bacteria
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I contact Belgium for phage therapy. They arranged me an appointment for me this month, but when I check more details about the arrangement for international patients from USA, no one can really give any information.
I am a little bit disappointed as it is expensive for an international trip. I want to know more about the appointment like how they can decide whether phage is for me, whether there is any other tests to do during my stay there. I really hope the video visit is possible for international patients.

I may not go there this year unless there is any update about their service.

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Belgium provides an online option for me on April 17, and then decide whether I need to go there in person. I prepared a list of questions during this online consultation. For example, did ther ever treat Mac - NTM patients before? What is risk aoosiciated with it? Will they treat patients who did not receive antibiotics.
If anyone is interested in phage therapy, I can provide an update after it. If you have any questions for the doctor, please feel free to share it. If there is a chance , I can ask during this online consultation.

Best,

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@helen1000

Belgium provides an online option for me on April 17, and then decide whether I need to go there in person. I prepared a list of questions during this online consultation. For example, did ther ever treat Mac - NTM patients before? What is risk aoosiciated with it? Will they treat patients who did not receive antibiotics.
If anyone is interested in phage therapy, I can provide an update after it. If you have any questions for the doctor, please feel free to share it. If there is a chance , I can ask during this online consultation.

Best,

Jump to this post

Helen, are you doing phage therapy for MAC or psuedomonus? I am colonized with Burkholderia cepecia and my doctor said "hang in there, in the future there will be phage therapy" after I was told this bug is hard to eradicate. 🙁

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Following interested in phage therapy

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@helen1000

Belgium provides an online option for me on April 17, and then decide whether I need to go there in person. I prepared a list of questions during this online consultation. For example, did ther ever treat Mac - NTM patients before? What is risk aoosiciated with it? Will they treat patients who did not receive antibiotics.
If anyone is interested in phage therapy, I can provide an update after it. If you have any questions for the doctor, please feel free to share it. If there is a chance , I can ask during this online consultation.

Best,

Jump to this post

I would be interested to know what happens. How long does the therapy last?
Do the suggest places to stay during the time you need to be there? What records do they need? Are there things you must do to prepare before you arrive for your appointment? What does it cost?

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please share any information you are able to get.

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Phages are small viruses that can target and eliminate specific bacterial strains without compromising other microbial species within our bodies. Phage therapy is still in the experimental stage.

The promise of phages
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41587-023-01807-7

This article describes how phage (bacteriophage) therapy was used in drug resistant cases of mycobacteria. The conflict of interest statement is very long!

Phage Therapy of Mycobacterium Infections: Compassionate Use of Phages in 20 Patients With Drug-Resistant Mycobacterial Disease
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35676823/

There seem to be several clinical trials with completion dates in 2028.

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