{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,28]],"date-time":"2026-07-28T13:37:13Z","timestamp":1785245833226,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":47,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,10,11]],"date-time":"2021-10-11T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1633910400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100004801","name":"Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["FR\/235\/7-25\/14"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["FR\/235\/7-25\/14"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100004801","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100003130","name":"Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["1S64720N"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["1S64720N"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100003130","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"Eliava Foundation","award":["1557\/2"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["1557\/2"]}]},{"name":"Royal Higher Institute for Defense","award":["HFM\/19-12"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["HFM\/19-12"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Viruses"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Since the beginning of the 20th century, bacteriophages (phages), i.e., viruses that infect bacteria, have been used as antimicrobial agents for treating various infections. Phage preparations targeting a number of bacterial pathogens are still in use in the post-Soviet states and are experiencing a revival in the Western world. However, phages have never been used to treat diseases caused by Bacteroides fragilis, the leading agent cultured in anaerobic abscesses and postoperative peritonitis. Enterotoxin-producing strains of B. fragilis have been associated with the development of inflammatory diarrhea and colorectal carcinoma. In this study, we evaluated the molecular biosafety and antimicrobial properties of novel phage species vB_BfrS_VA7 (VA7) lysate, as well as its impact on cytokine IL-8 production in an enterotoxigenic B. fragilis (ETBF)-infected colonic epithelial cell (CEC) culture model. Compared to untreated infected cells, the addition of phage VA7 to ETBF-infected CECs led to significantly reduced bacterial counts and IL-8 levels. This in vitro study confirms the potential of phage VA7 as an antibacterial agent for use in prophylaxis or in the treatment of B. fragilis infections and associated colorectal carcinoma.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/v13102044","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,10,11]],"date-time":"2021-10-11T21:45:32Z","timestamp":1633988732000},"page":"2044","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":11,"title":["In Vitro Evaluation of the Therapeutic Potential of Phage VA7 against Enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis Infection"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Nata","family":"Bakuradze","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Research & Development Department, George Eliava Institute of Bacteriophage, Microbiology and Virology, Tbilisi 0160, Georgia"},{"name":"Department of Biology, Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences, Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, Tbilisi 0179, Georgia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2566-0772","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maya","family":"Merabishvili","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research & Development Department, George Eliava Institute of Bacteriophage, Microbiology and Virology, Tbilisi 0160, Georgia"},{"name":"Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Technology, Queen Astrid Military Hospital, 1120 Brussels, Belgium"},{"name":"Laboratory Bacteriology Research, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Khatuna","family":"Makalatia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research & Development Department, George Eliava Institute of Bacteriophage, Microbiology and Virology, Tbilisi 0160, Georgia"},{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, Teaching University Geomedi, Tbilisi 0114, Georgia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8496-7849","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Elene","family":"Kakabadze","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research & Development Department, George Eliava Institute of Bacteriophage, Microbiology and Virology, Tbilisi 0160, Georgia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nino","family":"Grdzelishvili","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research & Development Department, George Eliava Institute of Bacteriophage, Microbiology and Virology, Tbilisi 0160, Georgia"},{"name":"Institute of Medical and Public Health Research, IIia State University, Tbilisi 0162, Georgia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2185-5724","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jeroen","family":"Wagemans","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Gene Technology, Department of Biosystems, KU Leuven, 3001 Leuven, Belgium"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7826-3378","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Cedric","family":"Lood","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Gene Technology, Department of Biosystems, KU Leuven, 3001 Leuven, Belgium"},{"name":"Centre of Microbial and Plant Genetics, Department of Microbial and Molecular Systems, KU Leuven, 3001 Leuven, Belgium"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Irakli","family":"Chachua","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Medical and Public Health Research, IIia State University, Tbilisi 0162, Georgia"},{"name":"School of Medicine, New Vision University, Tbilisi 0159, Georgia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4586-203X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mario","family":"Vaneechoutte","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory Bacteriology Research, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rob","family":"Lavigne","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Gene Technology, Department of Biosystems, KU Leuven, 3001 Leuven, Belgium"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6863-5219","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jean-Paul","family":"Pirnay","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Technology, Queen Astrid Military Hospital, 1120 Brussels, 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Georgia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,10,11]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"123","DOI":"10.1002\/jobm.201800412","article-title":"Bacteriophages: An overview of the control strategies against multiple bacterial infections in different fields","volume":"59","author":"Jamal","year":"2019","journal-title":"J. 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