Synergy between Phage Sb-1 and Oxacillin against Methicillin-Resistant .

Methicillin-resistant (MRSA) is a notorious pathogen responsible for not only a number of difficult-to-treat hospital-acquired infections, but also for infections that are community- or livestock-acquired. The increasing lack of efficient antibiotics has renewed the interest in lytic bacteriophages (briefly phages) as additional antimicrobials against multi-drug resistant bacteria, including MRSA. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that a combination of the well-known and strictly lytic phage Sb-1 and oxacillin, which as sole agent is ineffective against MRSA, exerts a significantly stronger bacterial reduction than either antimicrobial alone.