Phage Cocktail against Acinetobacter baumannii biofilm on EndotrachealTube: An in vitro study

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Susan Khanjani 1
Farhad Nikkhahi 1
Fatemeh Zeynali Kelishomi 2
Amir Javadi 3
Sara Sadeghi 4
Behzad Bijani 3
Hamid Sadeghi 1 , 5
Hediyeh Saghi Sarabi 1
Seyed Mahmoud Amin Marashi 1
1 Medical Microbiology Research Center, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran.
2 Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
3  Medical Microbiology Research Center, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran.
4  Department of Biological Sciences, Idaho State University, Pocatello, Idaho, USA
5 Student Research Committee, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran.
10.22088/IJMCM.BUMS.14.4.1059
Abstract
Although biofilms on endotracheal tube (ET) surfaces represent a major clinical
challenge, studies addressing the effect of lytic bacteriophages on these biofilms are
relatively scarce. This study focused on examining the anti-biofilm capability of three
specific phage against an XDR isolate of Acinetobacter baumannii in a 48-hour pre-
formed biofilm on an ET surface. For this purpose, crystal violet staining, colony
counting, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were employed. The results
demonstrated a significant decrease in biofilm mass and bacterial count after 24 hours of
exposure to the phage cocktail. SEM images confirmed a dramatic reduction in the
biofilm. Based on these findings, phage therapy has the potential to reduce and disrupt
biofilms on ET surfaces
Keywords
Bacteriophage
Biofilm
Acinetobacter baumannii
Endotracheal Tube