Resolving Digital Staphylococcal Osteomyelitis Using Bacteriophage—A Case Report

Abstract

Infections involving diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) are a major public health problem and have a substantial negative impact on patient outcomes. Osteomyelitis in an ulcerated foot substantially increases the difficulty of successful treatment. While literature suggests that osteomyelitis in selected patients can sometimes be treated conservatively, with no, or minimal removal of bone, we do not yet have clear treatment guidelines and the standard treatment failure fallback remains amputation. The authors report on the successful treatment, with a long term follow up, of a 63 YO diabetic female with distal phalangeal osteomyelitis using bacteriophage, a form of treatment offering the potential for improved outcomes in this era of escalating antibiotic resistance and the increasingly recognized harms associated with antibiotic therapy.