Stroich V. Experimental substantiation and development of a bacteriophage drug for the treatment of pyoderma in dogs.

In canine pyoderma, pathogenic agents are always present in the focus of inflammation, and for their destruction, the use of drugs that are safe for animals and the environment is promising and relevant. The feasibility of developing a phage preparation for the treatment of pyoderma in dogs as an alternative to reducing the use of antibiotics in veterinary medicine is substantiated. For the first time in Ukraine, lytic phages were isolated for staphylococci, the causative agents of canine pyoderma, they were characterized by cultural and physical properties, and the bacteriophage preparation Phagoderm was developed for the treatment of areas affected by canine pyoderma. The staphylococcal bacteriophage preparation Fagoderm contains four specific phages in the amount of 107‒108 CFU/ml, in particular phage S.a 4 is active against S. aureus; phage S.p 2 is lytic against S. pseudintermedius; phage S.she 3 ‒ in relation to S. schleiferi subsp. coagulans; phage S.e 5 ‒ for S. epidermidis. The content of lytic phages in the preparation Fagoderm is stable during 6 months of storage at a temperature of + 5 ± 1 °C, it does not cause acute and chronic toxicity, irritant, sensitizing, skin resorptive effects. Effective modes of application of Fagoderm in complex therapy of superficial and deep pyoderma of dogs have been developed. It was established that during the treatment of pyoderma by irrigation of the affected areas, the number of staphylococci decreases by 4‒5 orders of magnitude to 102 CFU/ml of wash, which corresponds to the content of normomicrobiocenosis. Therefore, the use of a bacteriophage preparation instead of antibiotics for the treatment of pyoderma in dogs, even locally, allows to reduce the general use of antibiotics and, thereby, contribute to the reduction of the formation of antibiotic-resistant strains in veterinary medicine.