Morris, Jodie, Kelly, Natasha, Elliott, Lisa, Grant, Andrea, Wilkinson, Matthew, Hazratwala, Kaushik, and McEwen, Peter (2019) Evaluation of bacteriophage anti-biofilm activity for potential control of orthopedic implant-related infections caused by Staphylococcus Aureus. Surgical Infections, 20 (1). pp. 16-24.

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Abstract

Background: Despite significant advancements in surgical protocols and biomaterials for orthopedics, periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) remains a leading cause of implant failure. Staphylococcus aureus nasal colonization is an established risk factor for PJI, with methicillin-sensitive S. aureus a leading cause of orthopedic implant-related infections. The purpose of these in vitro studies was to investigate the antibacterial activity of a tailored bacteriophage cocktail against planktonic and biofilm-associated S. aureus.

Methods: The S. aureus strains (n = 30) were screened for their susceptibility to a library of S. aureus-specific bacteriophage (n = 31). Five bacteriophage preparations that demonstrated bactericidal activity against > 90% of S. aureus strains tested were combined as a StaPhage cocktail and assessed for their antibacterial activity toward planktonic and biofilm-associated S. aureus, with biofilms established on three-dimensional-printed porous titanium scaffolds.

Results: StaPhage treatment immediately after bacterial inoculation inhibited growth of S. aureus by > 98% in eight hour cultures when multiplicity of infection of phages to bacteria was greater than 1: 1 (p < 0.01). Viable bacterial numbers within biofilms on titanium surfaces were significantly reduced (6.8 log(10) to 6.2 log(10) colony forming units [CFU]; p < 0.01) after exposure to the StaPhage cocktail, in vitro. No significant reduction was observed in biofilms exposed to 100 times the minimal inhibitory concentration of cefazolin (log10 6.81 CFU).

Conclusions: Combined, these data demonstrate the in vitro efficacy of S. aureus-specific bacteriophage cocktails against S. aureus growing on porous titanium and warrant further in vivo studies in a clinically relevant animal model to evaluate the potential application of bacteriophage in the management of PJI caused by S. aureus.

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