A bacteriophage cocktail targeting <i>Yersinia pestis</i> provides strong post-exposure protection in a rat pneumonic plague model.

ABSTRACT: Yersinia pestis, one of the deadliest bacterial pathogens ever known, is responsible for three plague pandemics and several epidemics, with over 200 million deaths during recorded history. Due to high genomic plasticity, Y. pestis is amenable to genetic mutations as well as genetic engineering that can lead to the emergence or intentional development of pan-drug-resistant strains. Indeed, antibiotic-resistant strains (e.g., strains carrying multidrug-resistant or MDR plasmids) have been isolated in various countries and endemic areas. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop novel, safe, and effective treatment approaches for managing Y. pestis infections. This includes infections by antigenically distinct strains for which vaccines (none FDA approved yet) may not be e

SUBMITTER: Kilgore PB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11537065 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature