Scientists Unveil Virus Cocktail to Combat Deadly Superbugs

Researchers from Monash University and The Alfred in Melbourne, Australia, have made a significant breakthrough in the fight against antimicrobial-resistant bacteria by developing a new treatment known as a “virus cocktail.” This innovative approach employs bacterial viruses, or bacteriophages, to specifically target pathogens that have become resistant to conventional antibiotics. The treatment, named Entelli-02, is designed to combat the Enterobacter cloacae complex (ECC), a group of bacteria responsible for severe infections that are often difficult to treat.

Professor Jeremy J. Barr, who led the study published in Nature Microbiology, emphasized the importance of this development. “This is the first time we’ve designed and developed a clinical-ready phage therapy product tailored to an AMR bacterial pathogen at a local hospital,” he stated. Barr highlighted that Entelli-02 is not merely a scientific achievement but a clinical tool aimed at addressing the urgent need for effective treatments against drug-resistant bacteria.

The challenge posed by Enterobacter infections is significant, with over 200,000 deaths globally linked to these bacteria in 2019 alone. These infections, which have emerged predominantly in hospital settings, can quickly develop resistance to last-line antibiotics. Professor Barr noted, “Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest challenges in modern medicine,” adding that Entelli-02 demonstrates that phage therapy can be both precise and powerful, ready for clinical use.

Development Process and Efficacy

The creation of Entelli-02 involved a decade’s worth of research on bacterial isolates. Lead author Dr. Dinesh Subedi explained the rigorous process undertaken by the research team to produce this treatment. “We initially began with three phages in our cocktail, but through iterative design, we improved the cocktail by genetically adapting the viruses to expand their host range, followed by the selection of two additional phages with improved treatment outcomes,” he clarified.

The final formulation of Entelli-02 includes five phages capable of killing a broad spectrum of Enterobacter isolates. In preclinical testing, this cocktail reduced bacterial loads in infected mice by over 99 percent, demonstrating its potential effectiveness against these resistant pathogens.

With infection rates from drug-resistant bacteria, often referred to as “nightmare bacteria,” rising nearly 70 percent between 2019 and 2023, the need for new treatment options is critical. A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) highlighted that the increase in difficult-to-treat infections is largely driven by bacteria possessing the NDM gene, which was once considered rare and primarily associated with patients receiving medical care abroad.

Implications for Public Health

The CDC researchers noted that only two antibiotics are effective against infections caused by these resistant bacteria, and they are both expensive and require intravenous administration. The rise of NDM gene-associated infections in the United States has escalated more than fivefold in recent years, raising serious public health concerns. “The rise of NDMs in the US is a grave danger and very worrisome,” stated David Weiss, an infectious diseases researcher at Emory University.

Researchers cautioned that many individuals may unknowingly carry these drug-resistant bacteria, posing a risk for community spread. As the global health landscape continues to evolve, the introduction of phage therapies like Entelli-02 represents a promising step forward in combating antibiotic resistance and safeguarding public health.