Bacteriophage-Antibiotic Combination Strategy: an Alternative against Methicillin-Resistant Phenotypes of Staphylococcus aureus

Abstract

Comparative time-kill experiments with <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> bacteriophage (phage) Sb-1 alone and phage-antibiotic combinations (PACs) against two methicillin-resistant <i>S. aureus</i> (MRSA) strains have shown synergy with both daptomycin-phage and vancomycin-phage combinations. PACs prevented development of phage resistance and demonstrated bactericidal activity for all triple combinations. In addition, the extracellular membrane vesicle (MV) formation and the potential impact of phage on MV suppression were examined. Our results demonstrate the potential of PAC for combating MRSA infections.