Optimizing phage therapy for carbapenem-resistant Enterobacter cloacae bacteremia: insights into dose and timing

ABSTRACT The increase in multidrug-resistant (MDR) Enterobacter cloacae complex (ECC) infections, particularly those resistant to carbapenems, underscores the urgent need for alternative therapies. Phage therapy, with its specific bactericidal action, offers a promising solution. However, there remains a shortage of well-characterized ECC-targeting phages, and dosing and timing optimization for ECC-specific phage cocktails is largely unexplored. In this study, we isolated and characterized three novel lytic phages with diverse genome sizes and host ranges. Notably, ФEBU8 demonstrated broad-spectrum activity, lysing both Enterobacter species and Acinetobacter baumannii . ФECL22 displayed stability across a wide temperature range (4–50°C), pH tolerance (6–10), and a burst size of 19 PFU/cell, with OmpA identified as its receptor. Our formulated phage cocktail, comprising ФEBU8, ФECL22, and ФECL30, effectively rescued mice with E. cloacae bacteremia in a dose-dependent manner, with a mid-dose regimen showing particularly strong efficacy. Immediate phage administration achieved full survival, whereas a combined prophylactic and therapeutic regimen (“−24 + 6”) also resulted in 100% survival. These findings highlight the critical roles of dosing and timing in optimizing phage therapy for carbapenem-resistant Enterobacter infections, with prophylactic use providing a valuable window for delayed treatment and a promising strategy for combating severe bacterial infections.