Safety and Efficacy of bacteriophages in the treatment of musculoskeletal infection

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are becoming a global health threat. Especially for (chronic) infections caused by resistant strains or biofilms in the case of musculoskeletal infections (MSI). Moreover, the overall infection rate after musculoskeletal trauma remains high and can rise up to 30% after severe open fractures, proving that this remains an important healthcare problem. It is clear that there is a great clinical need for alternative prevention and treatment strategies for these serious complications. One such strategy is bacteriophage (phage) therapy. Phages are viruses that are highly specific, as they infect only a subset of strains within a bacterial species. There are indeed a few major scientific hurdles that impede the clinical implementation of phage therapy. To address these issues, this thesis project’s main aim is gaining insight in the safety and efficacy of phage therapy as well as in phage kinetics when applied for the treatment of MSI. Overall, it aims at providing the much needed information on all scientific hurdles, with a specific focus on the optimization of local delivery of phage therapy.