@article{mbs:/content/journal/micro/10.1099/00221287-128-2-307, author = "Smith, H. Williams and Huggins, M. B.", title = "Successful Treatment of Experimental Escherichia coli Infections in Mice Using Phage: its General Superiority over Antibiotics", journal= "Microbiology", year = "1982", volume = "128", number = "2", pages = "307-318", doi = "https://doi.org/10.1099/00221287-128-2-307", url = "https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/micro/10.1099/00221287-128-2-307", publisher = "Microbiology Society", issn = "1465-2080", type = "Journal Article", abstract = "SUMMARY: Anti-K1 phages were more active in vitro and in vivo against an O18:K1:H7 ColV+ Escherichia coli strain, designated MW, than were other phages. A single intramuscular dose of one anti-K 1 phage was more effective than multiple intramuscular doses of tetracycline, ampicillin, chloramphenicol, or trimethoprim plus sulphafurazole in curing mice of a potentially lethal intramuscularly or intracerebrally induced infection of MW; it was at least as effective as multiple intramuscular doses of streptomycin. When MW and the phage were inoculated into different gastrocnemius muscles of the same mice, a rapid reduction in numbers of MW organisms occurred in the MW-inoculated muscle and in other tissues; the numbers of phage particles in the MW-inoculated muscle increased rapidly and greatly. MW failed to proliferate in the brains of intracerebrally infected mice that had been inoculated intramuscularly with the phage at the same time; many more phage particles were found in the brains of these mice than in other sites. The few phage-resistant mutants of MW found in the phage-treated mice were K1−; previous studies had shown such mutants to be of greatly reduced virulence. The phage administered intramuscularly 3–5 d before challenge with a potentially lethal intramuscularly induced infection of MW was protective, the protective effect varying between phage propagated on different bacterial strains.", }