Why Are Alternative Options for Treating Chronic Bone and Joint Infections Needed?

Segment Description: Tristan Ferry, MD, PhD, co-head of the Infectious Diseases Unit at Lyon University Hospital in France, discusses why there is a need to develop alternatives to treat chronic bone and joint infections.

Interview transcript (modified slightly for readability):

Contagion®: Your talk covered alternative options to managing chronic bone and joint infections. Why are the alternative options needed?

Dr. Ferry: Patients with chronic bone and joint infections are very difficult to treat because they are infected with persisters bacteria and it's very difficult to eradicate. Most patients require surgery that could be associated with a loss of function such as explantation. It's very important to imagine the different options to limit the consequence of invasive surgery with some antibiotics or anti-persisters that could act on the bacteria to cure the patient.

The symposium, "Alternative options to rescue patients: novel anti-persister antibiotics, local antibiotic delivery, phage therapy," was presented Saturday, April 13, at ECCMID 2019.