April 5, 2010

Belgian project to eliminate MRSA in pigs

A three-year project is being undertaken by the Veterinary and Agrochemical Research Centre (VARC) and the Free University Brussels (VUB) with the aim to eliminate methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) from pigs.

A new reservoir of MRSA was discovered recently in pigs, but different domestic and non-domestic studies show that other species may be colonised as well.

The aim of this project is to eliminate MRSA in pigs, or at least achieve a significant reduction in the level of colonisation. To achieve this, phage endolysins are over-produced in E. coli or Pichia pastoris. They are purified for use in the in vivo treatment of experimentally infected animals.

The specific objectives of the project are: 

• to isolate and over-produce a representative collection of phage-coded lysins acting against specific MRSA clones from pigs;
  
  
• to characterise the host range of these enzymes;
  
  
• to study the efficiency, in vitro and in animal models, of the bactericide action of these phage enzymes;
  
  
• to test methods for administering the phage enzyme preparation in the nose and on the skin of pigs, and;
  
  
• to test the efficiency of the phage enzyme treatment in eliminating MRSA colonization in pigs.