Phage Therapy in Bacterial Pneumonia Models: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background:: Phage therapy could play an important role in the bacterial pneumonia. However, the exact role of phage therapy in bacterial pneumonia is unclear to date. Aim:: The current study aims to find out the role of phage therapy in preclinical models of bacterial pneumonia. Methods:: The studies were searched in databases with proper MeSH terms along with Boolean operators and selected based on eligibility criteria as per the PRISMA guidelines. The Odd Ratio (OR) was calculated with a 95% confidence interval and the heterogeneity was also calculated. The funnel plot was used to conduct a qualitative examination of publication bias. Results:: The OR was observed to be 0.11 (0.04, 0.27)] after 24 hrs, 0.11 [0.03, 0.34] after 7 days and 0.04 [0.01, 0.15] after 10 days that showed a significant role of phage therapy in reduction of deaths in the bacterial pneumonia models as compared to the placebo group. However, after 48hrs, a non-significant reduction was observed. Conclusion:: There was a significant role of phage therapy in the reduction of deaths in the bacterial pneumonia models.