Faculty mentor/PI email address
carabetta@rowan.edu
Keywords
bacteriophage therapy, Streptococcus pyogenes, antibiotic resistance, pediatric phage therapy
Date of Presentation
5-6-2026 12:00 AM
Poster Abstract
Background: Antibiotic resistance poses a growing threat to pediatric infectious disease management, particularly in the treatment of Streptococcus pyogenes (GAS) infections.1 While β-lactam antibiotics remain the first-line standard of care, their utility is limited by allergy prevalence and rising resistance among alternative antibiotic agents, such as macrolides, lincosamides, and tetracycline.2,3 Given these trends, bacteriophage therapy has emerged as a promising adjunctive treatment modality, offering targeted bacterial lysis while sparing commensal microbiota.4
Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted across PubMed and Embase (2000–2025) using terms related to antibiotic resistance, Streptococcus pyogenes, bacteriophage therapy, and pediatric populations. Studies were included if they addressed antimicrobial resistance patterns in S. pyogenes or evaluated bacteriophage therapy in pediatric patients. A total of 5 studies met final inclusion criteria, encompassing randomized controlled trials, genomic surveillance studies, and observational cohorts.
Results: Surveillance data confirmed β-lactam susceptibility in S. pyogenes while identifying resistance to macrolides, lincosamides, and tetracycline.3,5,6 A randomized controlled trial of adjunctive bacteriophage therapy in pediatric S. pyogenes-caused acute tonsillitis demonstrated 1.4-fold faster resolution of clinical findings and significantly reduced S. pyogenes detection as compared to standard therapy alone.7
Conclusion: Current evidence continues to support β-lactams as the first-line treatment for S. pyogenes infections in children; however, early evidence suggests that bacteriophage therapy shows promise as a safe adjunctive treatment. The limited scope and small sample sizes in available studies necessitate large-scale, multicenter randomized controlled trials specifically targeting pediatric S. pyogenes infections in order to establish evidence-based guidelines for bacteriophage therapy.
Disciplines
Bacterial Infections and Mycoses | Chemicals and Drugs | Medicine and Health Sciences | Pediatrics
Included in
Bacterial Infections and Mycoses Commons, Chemicals and Drugs Commons, Pediatrics Commons
Bacteriophage Therapy vs. Standard Antibiotics: A Review of Treatment Efficacy for Recurrent Pediatric S. pyogenes (GAS) Infections
Background: Antibiotic resistance poses a growing threat to pediatric infectious disease management, particularly in the treatment of Streptococcus pyogenes (GAS) infections.1 While β-lactam antibiotics remain the first-line standard of care, their utility is limited by allergy prevalence and rising resistance among alternative antibiotic agents, such as macrolides, lincosamides, and tetracycline.2,3 Given these trends, bacteriophage therapy has emerged as a promising adjunctive treatment modality, offering targeted bacterial lysis while sparing commensal microbiota.4
Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted across PubMed and Embase (2000–2025) using terms related to antibiotic resistance, Streptococcus pyogenes, bacteriophage therapy, and pediatric populations. Studies were included if they addressed antimicrobial resistance patterns in S. pyogenes or evaluated bacteriophage therapy in pediatric patients. A total of 5 studies met final inclusion criteria, encompassing randomized controlled trials, genomic surveillance studies, and observational cohorts.
Results: Surveillance data confirmed β-lactam susceptibility in S. pyogenes while identifying resistance to macrolides, lincosamides, and tetracycline.3,5,6 A randomized controlled trial of adjunctive bacteriophage therapy in pediatric S. pyogenes-caused acute tonsillitis demonstrated 1.4-fold faster resolution of clinical findings and significantly reduced S. pyogenes detection as compared to standard therapy alone.7
Conclusion: Current evidence continues to support β-lactams as the first-line treatment for S. pyogenes infections in children; however, early evidence suggests that bacteriophage therapy shows promise as a safe adjunctive treatment. The limited scope and small sample sizes in available studies necessitate large-scale, multicenter randomized controlled trials specifically targeting pediatric S. pyogenes infections in order to establish evidence-based guidelines for bacteriophage therapy.