AST of phages
Phage Susceptibility Testing (PST): Advancing Standards with EUCAST
Lytic bacteriophages, or phages, are viruses that infect and kill bacteria. Phage therapy is emerging as a promising adjuvant to traditional antimicrobials for combatting difficult-to-treat bacterial infections. However, implementation of phage-based treatments requires standardized methods for testing their efficacy to select the optimal therapeutic phages.
To address this, EUCAST has established the EUCAST Phage Susceptibility Testing (PST) Subcommittee, which focuses on four key objectives:
- Developing standardized reference methods to ensure uniform and reproducible in vitro phage susceptibility testing across laboratories worldwide,
- Establishing criteria for interpretation of PST results, providing clinicians and researchers with evidence-based guidelines to assess phage efficacy and monitor phage activity.
- Promoting quality assurance by implementing stringent quality control measures to maintain high standards in all phases of bacteriophage testing.
- Education and training to enhance the knowledge and skills of healthcare and scientific communities, enabling the relevant application of PST methodologies.
These efforts aim to harmonize laboratory practices, support clinical trials, and facilitate regulatory approval processes, contributing significantly to the development and broader use of phage-based therapies.
The PST currently consists of 23 members from 16 countries (see member list) and meets on a monthly basis. Currently, involving laboratories of diverse Subcommittee members, a pilot trial is conducted to define the next steps towards a comprehensive standardization trial.
The Steering Committee of the PST committee consists of Frederic Laurent (chair), Annika Classen (scientific secretary), Christian Giske (representative from EUCAST Steering Committee), Ran Nir-Paz (representative from ESGNTA), Martha Clokie, Gregory Resch, and Jean-Paul Pirnay.
