By Nancy Lapid

(Reuters) -Tiny viruses that only infect and kill bacteria can help treat deadly antibiotic-resistant bloodstream infections with Staphylococcus aureus, results from a mid-stage trial suggest.

Researchers tested the approach in 42 patients with S. aureus bacteremia that had spread from the blood into the tissues, which they called “one of the most serious and difficult-to-treat bacterial infections.”

Two-thirds were treated intravenously with a “cocktail” of such viruses, known as bacteriophages, being developed by Armata Pharmaceuticals. The others received a placebo. Everyone in the trial also received the best available antibiotic therapy.

At multiple time points, patients receiving the bacteriophage cocktail along with antibiotics had higher clinical success than tho

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