Bacteriophage therapy reduces Staphylococcus aureus in a porcine and human ex vivo burn wound infection model | Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy
Annually, an estimated 11 million people require medical treatment for burn wounds globally. Mortality rates of burn wounds requiring treatment are high and can even reach up to 25%, depending on many factors, including age, socioeconomic factors, and the size of the wound (1). It is estimated that bacterial infections account for 75% of this mortality (2, 3). Burn wounds are especially prone to infection due to the disruption of the skin barrier, leading to impaired host defenses. Consequently, wound healing is delayed, and hospital stays are prolonged (4). Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is one of the major causative agents of burn wound infections. To treat burn wound infections, wound debridement is typically performed to remove the affected tissue, and topical antimicrobial therapy is initiated, usually together with systemic antibiotic administration (5). For topical treatment, antimicrobial ointments (e.g., silver sulfadiazine) or antibiotics are often used, with mupirocin and
