Synergistic effects of zP-1 phage and ampicillin against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated from hospital staff.

BACKGROUND

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains are a major cause of hospital-acquired infections, exacerbated by increasing antibiotic resistance.

AIM: This study aimed to isolate bacteriophages targeting MRSA and evaluate their antimicrobial activity in combination with antibiotics.

METHODS

Nasal samples from hospital staff (n = 50) were used to isolate MRSA strains, and sewage samples were processed for phage isolation using the double agar overlay technique. The microtitration plate method evaluated the synergistic effects of isolated phages and antibiotics.

RESULTS

Out of 50 samples, 11 MRSA strains were positive, showing high resistance to multiple antibiotics, including oxacillin (95%), and vancomycin (85%). Phage zP-1, belonging to the Myoviridae family, exhibited > 90% lytic activity, stable across temperatures (20-50 °C) and pH (6-8). A statistically significant synergistic effect was observed at a MIC of 0.137 μg/ml for gentamicin (p-value 0.02).

CONCLUSION

These findings suggest that phage-antibiotic synergy may offer a promising strategy to combat MRSA infections, warranting further in vivo studies to assess its clinical potential.