Ottawa Hospital first in Canada to try new therapy for chronic artificial joint infection

A research team led by one of the Ottawa Hospital's physicians has treated the first patient in Canada with a new therapy for chronic artificial joint infection.

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The therapy is called bacteriophage -- phage. It is an experimental treatment for artificial joint infections and is only availalbe through clinical trials, the University of Ottawa (uOttawa) said in a news release.

“Periprosthetic joint infections (PJI) happen when bacteria infect an artificial joint and create a slimy film called a biofilm. About one percent of all knee and hip replacements will become infected. PJI is treated with antibiotics and surgery, but it is hard to get rid of as a single bacterial cell can start another flare-up,” reads the release.

The patient who participated in this clinical trial was referred to Dr. Marisa Azad, an infectious disease physician and associate scientist at The Ottawa Hospital and assistant professor at uOttawa.

“My heart broke for this patient – we had nothing left to give them,” said Dr. Azad.

“It’s unacceptable to have such a severe infection and there’s nothing we can do. We needed to think outside the box.”

What is phage therapy?

Azad says phage therapy not only makes antibiotics more effective, but also targets and kills bacteria directly.

“Phages are viruses that target bacteria and replicate inside them. So many phages are made that the bacterium explodes, sending out many phages that go in search of more bacteria,” reads the release.

“In addition to killing bacteria directly, phages also make antibiotics more effective by reducing the biofilm that surrounds and protects the bacteria.”

Phage used in this therapy was sourced from a biotechnology company based in Winnipeg -- Cytophage Technologies Ltd.. The patient received their first dose of phage in February. It was given regularly over two weeks, reads the release.

“Cytophage produced phage to use in Dr. Azad’s therapy which was specialized to the patient’s needs; specifically, phage to attack the staphylococcus epidermidis bacteria that was infecting the patient’s implant,” uOttawa said.

The university says this therapy is generally considered safe with few side-effects, as “phages only infect bacteria and not human cells.”

The research team received approval from Health Canada to treat this patient with phage therapy, as part of a single-patient clinical trial, as the therapy is still in the clinical and experimental stages.