Canada’s first study of using phages to treat superbug infections is underway, and scientists are reporting preliminary but promising early successes.
“You are considered clinically and biologically cured,” said Victoria Marshall as she read a text message from her doctor about the latest test results.
it made her cry.
“Well, I can get my life back. It was really hard.”
A 72-year-old former librarian, she began suffering from a urinary tract infection when she was 65. It is one of the most common infections in the world, affecting about 1 in 4 women in her lifetime. Marshall was in pain and felt an almost constant burning sensation, so she ran to the nearest bathroom.
“There was an intense burning sensation almost all the time, a sense of urgency and occasional dampness,” she told CTV News. “I couldn’t leave the house for more than an hour at a time because I didn’t know where the bathroom was.”
However, her urinary tract infection could not be cured by any of the six antibiotics prescribed.
It was a treatment-resistant E. coli infection, also known as a superbug infection. Even powerful drugs given by IV failed to eliminate the bacteria and caused side effects such as nausea and body aches.
There was no effective way to stop it, so the infection had to travel through the urinary tract to one of the kidneys, requiring the kidney to be removed. She feared that Victoria would endanger the other person as well.
“By the end, I was like, ‘I’m out of options. There’s nothing else. It’s scary,'” she told CTV News.
In May, Marshall became the number one patient in the world. First Canadian study Dr. Greg Germann, an infectious disease physician at St. Joseph’s Hospital, part of Unity Health in Toronto, is leading the use of phages for treatment-resistant urinary tract infections.
He has long been intrigued by phages as potential tools to combat the growing number of antibiotic-resistant infections.
“[Phages]shoot to kill, but they … have a natural ability to go to the source, create more of themselves, and remain there while the infection is still there.” said Dr German.
smart bomb
Phages live in water, soil, sewage, and anywhere bacteria are present and act like viral smart bombs. They target a bacterium and inject its DNA to produce more phages until the bacterium explodes, expelling billions more phages looking for new targets.
This clinical trial used three strains of phage that were selected to target the Marshall strain of E. coli infection. They were collected and purified in a laboratory at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. Phages for urinary tract infections are also being studied there.
This is a form of personalized medicine, Dr. German says. “They’re all targeting E. coli … drug-resistant E. coli that you couldn’t get rid of otherwise. Unless you’re on a daily drip of antibiotics. And that’s not a long-term solution.” he says Added.
Phage therapy is not currently available in Canada, but it was the French-Canadian scientist Felix Derel who co-discovered phage therapy in 1917.
Billions of phages were injected into Marshall’s bladder, sponged onto her vaginal area, and Marshall drank some of it and sent it down her urinary tract. She calls phage a “one-shot treatment,” compared to weeks of antibiotic therapy.
“Within about 48 hours, I started feeling better,” Marshall said.
Doctors saw that bacteria levels began to rise again shortly after treatment, so they gave him weak antibiotics that had previously been ineffective. Doctors suspect phages may make treatment-resistant bacteria more vulnerable to standard antibiotics.
“I feel like a new woman,” Marshall said. Tests confirmed that she remained free of infection after a month. Before phage therapy, the Marshall infection would return within days, Dr. German said.
From left: Ziten Jain, pharmacy manager at St. Joseph Health Center. Victoria Marshall, research patient. Dr. Greg Germann, Physician at the Chronic Infectious Diseases Clinic (Photo credit: Dr. Greg Germann)
“We’re excited about the progress we’ve made so far, and we’d like to see how the data is compiled and whether we get information from our collaborators that the infections are really gone,” he said. said, adding that research is ongoing. Early stage.
He presented Marshall’s case at a conference of phage scientists. microbial virus A conference is underway in Tbilisi, Georgia.
“I am very excited to see this going on in Canada, and now is the time,” said Stephanie Strathdie. she leads the Innovative phage application and therapeutic center (IPATH) University of California, San Diego.
Canadian scientist Strathdie also used the power of phages to save her husband, Tom Patterson, from a near-fatal superbug infection, as documented in her book.the perfect predator” was introduced in the CTVW5 documentary.
IPATH also connects patients suffering from treatment-resistant infections and their doctors with scientists who collect phages. The group has already treated dozens of people and has consulted on many international cases, including those with respiratory infections and those undergoing hip and knee replacements that have caused infections that are difficult to treat. ing.
Canadians interested in this therapy
Dr German said he has also received calls from Canadians with superbug infections wanting to try phage therapy.
It is available in the United States and parts of Europe on philanthropic grounds, but Canadian regulators require formal clinical trials to determine safety. That’s why Phase 1 research is so important, he says. He has now begun testing an additional 200 women with resistant urinary tract infections in Ontario and expects results on phage safety for Health Canada within two years. I hope.
“All that we have seen in the global experience with phage therapy indicates that it is safe and ready to take the next step,” Strady said.
Marshall, on the other hand, keeps a diary of her symptoms and side effects, but says she only had temporary fatigue. She not only sells phage, even at this early stage, but she is also an advocate for women like her who suffer without a solution.
“I want to tell you don’t be scared. It’s easy, has minimal side effects, and gives great results,” she said.
Discovery of Canada
Phage therapy may not be available in Canada, but it began in Canada over 100 years ago.
French-Canadian scientist Felix Derel co-discovered these microkillers in 1917. Early studies showed these to be very good at controlling outbreaks of dysentery and typhoid plague.
However, phages were abandoned in favor of mass-producible and much more profitable antibiotics. Eventually, Derell emigrated to the USSR to continue his work. And phages have been relegated to the fringes of mainstream medicine.
Bacteria have evolved over the years and many are now resistant to antibiotic magic bullets. Patients worldwide develop treatment-resistant infections after joint replacement surgery, organ transplantation, and cancer treatment.
A recent report predicts that superbugs will claim the lives of nearly 400,000 Canadians over the next 30 years.
And the World Health Organization warns that we are entering a post-antibiotic era, one in which even simple skin infections can be fatal.
Note:
Men also get urinary tract infections, but they are much more common in women and people with vaginas because the urethra is shorter and bacteria can easily enter the urinary tract.
You can watch the Avis Favaro report on CTV National News tonight (July 4th) at 11pm. The Avis documentary “Super Bug Killers”, which aired on CTVW5, can be viewed in the video player at the top of this article.
