NHS Tayside’s orthopaedic department has become the first in the UK to treat an infection using viruses.
Doctors and surgeons at Ninewells Hospital used a process called phage therapy, which uses viruses to target and kill bacteria in an infected area.
The treatment was used on an 81-year-old patient with an infected hip replacement – who was not responding to antibiotics.
It is the first time the procedure has been successful in the UK.
What are phages?
Phage therapy was commonly used in the 20th century but went out of favour following the discovery of antibiotics.
However, as resistance to antibiotics increases, it is hoped phage therapy my provide a solution.
The treatment works by exposing the infection to specifically selected viruses.
Once they kill the infection, the body’s immune system then eradicates them – making it a safe procedure.
Over 50 billion phages were used to kill the 81-year-old Blairgowrie patient’s hip infection after they spent most of last year in hospital.
Since receiving the therapy, their hip has shown no signs of infection – with hopes they will leave Ninewells by mid-July.
‘Remarkable treatment’ cures hip infection
Mr Graeme Nicol, consultant trauma and orthopaedic surgeon, said: “This remarkable treatment works independent of antibiotic resistance and may potentially offer hope for patients with infections in many regions of the body – not just joint and bone infection.
“This is a huge step forward, not just for the population of Tayside but the UK as a whole, by offering a solution to antibiotic resistance.”
