Effects of Phage Cocktail Compared to Antibiotic Treatments on Host Bacterial Cell (Pseudomonas Chlororaphis)

Name: Minjin Lee
Major: Biology
Advisor: Stephanie Strand

Currently, antibiotics are losing their ability to treat pathogens, which is becoming a huge issue that impacts the current health hazards (Gurney, et al. 2020). This is highly due to the resistance that is being developed by the pathogens, which is caused by the overuse of antibiotics. Newly developed studies have suggested using bacteriophages that are useful for treating bacterial pathogens. Phage cocktails are a drug that is created by combining various different types of phages, that would target the different structures of the bacterial host (Abedon & Wozniak, 2021). The type of phage that contributes to the phage cocktail, and the multiplicity of infection (MOI) determines how efficient the cocktail is, as a treatment for the host bacteria. (Pires & Azeredo, 2015). In this study, comparing the effects of antibiotics and phage cocktail, and determining the method of treatment was the main point. Using the previously done experiments on the Pseudomonas family, the experiment was designed to apply certain antibiotics (Gentamicin) and designed phage cocktails with an MOI level of 0.1 (multiple phages used to target single species), until Pseudomonas chlororaphis, the bacterial host, obtained resistance (Camens, et al., 2021). Contrary to expectations, the phage cocktail was not as effective as the antibiotics. However, it did show good evidence that the phage cocktail treated first, was more effective than the antibiotics treated first. Comparing efficiency and how to use it more efficiently could be useful once figuring out the pharmaceutical method to apply each treatment on the microbiological component, especially for the bacterial family.

Posted in Comments Enabled, Independent Study, Symposium 2023 on April 14, 2023.

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