Viruses called phages are a promising treatment option for bacterial infections when antibiotics stop working, but they have limitations.
For years, a type of bacteria called Enterococcus faecium lurked in Lynn Cole’s bloodstream. Often found in hospitals, E. faecium is usually a gut-dwelling bacteria but can creep into other areas of the body. Her doctors tried various antibiotics, but the bacteria was zombie-like: It kept coming back. Running out of options after a month-long hospitalization in 2020, Cole and her family agreed to try an experimental treatment called phage therapy. Phages aren’t drugs in the traditional sense.
This is a potential liability with phage therapy, because the bacteria could evolve to evade the phage completely. So Van Tyne’s team reached out to Duerkop’s lab again to find a second phage they thought would work for longer. And this time, it did. The phage cleared the bacteria from Cole’s blood for four months—the longest she’d been infection-free since first coming down with it. She was well enough to travel out of state with her partner and daughter for a much-needed family beach vacation.
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