Research Article Volume 14 Issue 7 - 2026

The Potential of Bacteriophages in the Treatment of Atopic Dermatitis in Children and the Possibility of Controlling Atopic March

Gladkov SF1*, Perevoshchikova NK2, Levanova LA3, Lyachina NV4 and Ivanov VI5

1Allergologist-Immunologist: “Clinic of Allergology and Immunology” Kemerovo Region, Assistant of the Department of Polyclinic Pediatrics, Propaedeutics of Pediatric Diseases and Postgraduate Training, “Kemerovo State Medical University” of the Ministry of Health of Russia, Yurga, Russia
2Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor, Head of the Department of Polyclinic Pediatrics, Propaedeutics of Pediatric Diseases and Postgraduate Training, “Kemerovo State Medical University”, Ministry of Health of Russia, Kemerovo Region, Kemerovo, Russia
3Doctor of Medical Sciences, Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology and Virology, “Kemerovo State Medical University”, Ministry of Health of Russia, Kemerovo Region, Kemerovo, Russia
4Chief Regional Specialist of the Ministry of Health of the Kemerovo Region - Kuzbass, Pediatrician, Chief Physician of the State Autonomous Healthcare Institution “Kemerovo Regional Children's Clinical Hospital Named After Y. A. Atamanov”, Kemerovo Region, Kemerovo, Russia
5Candidate of Biological Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Normal Physiology Named After Prof. N.A. Barbarash, Kemerovo State Medical University, Ministry of Health of Russia, Kemerovo Region, Kemerovo, Russia

*Corresponding Author: Gladkov SF, Allergologist-Immunologist: “Clinic of Allergology and Immunology” Kemerovo Region, Assistant of the Department of Polyclinic Pediatrics, Propaedeutics of Pediatric Diseases and Postgraduate Training “Kemerovo State Medical Univer- sity” of the Ministry of Health of Russia, Yurga, Russia.
Received: June 11, 2026; Published: July 17, 2026



Rationale: One of the pressing issues in modern pediatrics today is the lack of a tool to manage the AM.

Objective of the Study: To determine the effectiveness of using bacteriophages in patients with AtD and the possibility of interrupting the AM at the AtD stage.

Materials and Methods: A single-center prospective randomized controlled study was conducted from 2019 to 2021. The study included 90 children diagnosed with AtD, divided into two groups. The main group included 53 children, with an average age at initial presentation of 2,87 ± 0,91 months. All patients in the main group underwent stool culture with bacterial identification and antibiotic + bacteriophage susceptibility testing. The presence of associations of Staphylococcus aureus with Klebsiella pneumoniae or Klebsiella oxytoca was an indication for phage therapy (PT). The control group consisted of 37 children diagnosed with AtD, with an average age at initial presentation of 2,89 ± 2,78 months. After stool culture with bacterial identification and antibiotic + bacteriophage susceptibility testing and identification of associations of Staphylococcus aureus with Klebsiella pneumoniae or Klebsiella oxytoca, PT was not performed.

Results: Comparative microbiological analysis of feces did not reveal any differences in the lg CFU/g of Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Klebsiella oxytoca associations in children from the study groups. The lg CFU/g level of Staphylococcus aureus in children of the main group was 5,85 ± 1,34, Klebsiella pneumoniae 5,42 ± 1,31, Klebsiella oxytoca 4,11 ± 0,93; in the control group, Staphylococcus aureus was 5,22 ± 1,49, U = 1,78, p = 0,0758, Klebsiella pneumoniae 5,00 ± 1,56, U = 1,07, p = 0,2856, Klebsiella oxytoca 4,00 ± 0,93, U = 0,24, p = 0,8096. The performed physiotherapy in children of the main group allowed achieving a significant clinical effect and substantially reduced the lg CFU/g levels of Staphylococcus aureus from 5,85 ± 1,34, Klebsiella pneumoniae 5,42 ± 1,31, Klebsiella oxytoca 4,11 ± 0,93 to Staphylococcus aureus 1,68 ± 1,19, U = 8,87, p = 0,0000, Klebsiella pneumoniae 1,84 ± 1,10, U = 7,76, p = 0,0000, Klebsiella oxytoca 2,33 ± 1,00, U = 2,92, p = 0,0035. The use of probiotics in children of the control group did not achieve the desired result. The lg CFU/g levels of Staphylococcus aureus before use were 5,22 ± 1,49, Klebsiella pneumoniae 5,00 ± 1,56, Klebsiella oxytoca 4,00 ± 0,93; at the end of the course, Staphylococcus aureus was 5,76 ± 1,23, U = 1,42, p = 0,1551, Klebsiella pneumoniae 5,41 ± 1,21, U = 1,06, p = 0,2902, Klebsiella oxytoca 5,25 ± 1,49, U = 1,63, p = 0,1031.

Conclusion: Phage therapy aimed at decontaminating the excessive growth of the associations of S. aureus, K. pneumoniae, and K. oxytoca is currently one of the promising alternative methods for properly influencing the intestinal biotope of a child in the first weeks, subsequently preventing the development of IgE-mediated hypersensitivity.

Keywords: Atopic Dermatitis; Atopic March; Gut Microbiota; Bacteriophages; Decontamination

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Gladkov SF., et al. “The Potential of Bacteriophages in the Treatment of Atopic Dermatitis in Children and the Possibility of Con- trolling Atopic March”. EC Pharmacology and Toxicology 14.7 (2026): 01-12.