Abstract
Background
Formation of biofilms by bacteria is a major challenge in a clinical setting. The
importance of these biofilms increases in specialties where foreign bodies and prosthetic
material are used. Orthopaedics is such a speciality and phage therapy could offer
additional therapeutic options when dealing with biofilm infections.
Material and Methods
We conducted a systematic literature review using the PubMed database. We searched
for phage activity against biofilms of the most common pathogens found in orthopaedics.
Results
The results of the systematic review were broken down into different categories and
discussed accordingly. We concentrated on the time the biofilms were allowed to mature,
and the surface they were grown on. In addition, we checked the efficacy of bacteriophages
compared to antibiotics and when applied simultaneously with antibiotics. We also
investigated the source of the phages, how they were tested for sensibility against
the biofilms, as well the conditions (pH, temperature) under which they remained active
and stable.
Conclusion
The data suggests that the in vitro efficacy of phages does not change under a wide
spectrum of temperature and pH. To further explore the use of bacteriophages in orthopaedics,
we need further studies that test biofilms which matured for several weeks on surfaces
that are common in arthroplasty and traumatology.
Keywords
phage therapy - biofilm - periprosthetic joint infection - in vitro - bacteria
