Overview
- The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Infektiologie published a 60-recommendation guideline on Monday that gives clinicians a national framework for when and how to use bacteriophages.
- The guideline says phages are an option when standard antibiotics fail but stresses they are not a cure-all and that clinical evidence remains limited.
- Authors recommend case-by-case decisions by teams of clinicians, microbiologists, and pharmacists and favor individualized, pharmacy-compounded phage preparations under defined quality controls.
- Early real-world use began in February at Universitätsklinikum Frankfurt where ten patients with Pseudomonas or Staphylococcus aureus have been treated by IV, nasal spray, and sterile hydrogel.
- The guideline warns of treatment risks such as fever from rapid bacterial lysis and the emergence of phage resistance while advising against unregulated online products and medical tourism.