PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Rita Costa AU - Mohammadali Khan Mirzaei AU - Jinling Xue AU - Li Deng TI - Newly isolated bacteriophage multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii inhibition in ex vivo precision cut lung slices AID - 10.1183/13993003.congress-2020.599 DP - 2020 Sep 07 TA - European Respiratory Journal PG - 599 VI - 56 IP - suppl 64 4099 - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/56/suppl_64/599.short 4100 - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/56/suppl_64/599.full SO - Eur Respir J2020 Sep 07; 56 AB - Hospital acquired and ventilator associated pneumonias are important causes of morbidity and mortality caused by pathogens such as Acinetobacter baumannii. Antibiotic treatment options are limited due to resistant bacteria strains and drug-related toxicity. Bacteriophages (phages) represent an alternative for critically ill patients. Despite the increase of phage therapy successful case reports and clinical trials, the understanding of molecular mechanisms of phage-delivered bactericidal action and of phage-mammalian cells interaction are largely unknown.With this study we aimed at isolating and characterizing phages specific for A. baumannii for preclinical evaluation of bacterial inhibition in ex vivo murine and porcine precision cut lung slices (PCLS).Phages were isolated from untreated sewage and effluent wastewater treatment plants. Lytic phages, active against a multidrug resistant A. baumannii strain (ATCC 17978), were sequenced and annotated. The complete genome analysis showed that the newly isolated phages consist of a 76 kbp linear DNA bacteriophages and belong to the well-characterized family of the Siphoviridae. Importantly, the superior bactericidal kinetics of those phages have the potential to open new doors for therapeutic products to control A. baumannii lung infections.Next, transcriptomics analysis of bacterial and mammalian tissue from our ex vivo PCLS infection model will help decipher mechanisms of host-pathogen interactions and their impact on the inflammatory environment. We will focus on the effect of phage therapy in the infected tissue to shed light on novel interventions for modulation of potential damaging effects.FootnotesCite this article as: European Respiratory Journal 2020; 56: Suppl. 64, 599.This abstract was presented at the 2020 ERS International Congress, in session “Respiratory viruses in the "pre COVID-19" era”.This is an ERS International Congress abstract. No full-text version is available. Further material to accompany this abstract may be available at www.ers-education.org (ERS member access only).