Phage therapy in overcoming antibiotic resistance in chronic rhinosinusitis

Abstract

To evaluate the effectiveness of phage therapy in the complex treatment of exacerbations of chronic rhinosinusitis. The study included 55 patients with a verified diagnosis of chronic rhinosinusitis and a history of periodic exacerbations throughout the year, hospitalized at the St. Petersburg State Budgetary Institution «Elizabeth Hospital» from January 2022 to February 2023.Depending on the antimicrobial treatment received, patients were divided into groups that received an antibiotic or a bacteriophage.All patients underwent puncture of the maxillary sinuses. All patients in the first group taking an antibiotic, underwent sinus rinse with saline, and in the second group, a bacteriophage sinus rinse was used. Material from the first puncture of the maxillary sinuses was used to determine sensitivity to antibiotics and bacteriophages. The average duration of treatment to positive outcome in the group receiving antibiotic therapy was 8±1.59 days, whereas in the group receiving bacteriophage therapy 7.69±1.35 days (p=0.3008). There were no significant differences between groups in the average duration of treatment until a favorable outcome was achieved. The high efficiency of phage therapy, the absence of its effect on the growth of antibiotic resistance allows us to recommend the use of bacteriophages in the treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis.