Bacteriophages (phages) have been proposed as candidates for the treatment of bacterial infections in light of emerging antibiotic-resistant microorganisms. Bacterial growth within thin tubes is a particular concern, such as in urinary tract infections and colonization of catheters. However, it is not clear whether phage administration to the urinary tract or in catheters could be effective in the context of flow to the outside (i.e. voiding or saline flush). Here, we adapt a previous model of phage infection to a thin tube geometry mimicking the spatial organization of the urinary tract, including bacterial motility and episodic flow during which phages are washed out of the system. We show that density-dependent dynamics permit propagation of the phage infection and that washout has little effect on the timing of bacterial clearance. In addition, instillation of phage at the bottom ~0.1 mm of the tract is effective in our computational model, suggesting that therapeutic phage introduced non-invasively could be efficacious in such situations.

中文翻译：

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一项模拟研究：无创地进行噬菌体疗法，尽管有冲洗现象，但在细管中仍可有效治疗发作性血流。

已经提出了噬菌体（噬菌体）作为针对正在出现的抗生素抗性微生物的细菌感染的治疗的候选者。细管内的细菌生长是一个特别关注的问题，例如在尿路感染和导管定植中。然而，尚不清楚在向外部流动（即排尿或盐水冲洗）的情况下，将噬菌体施用于尿道或导管是否有效。在这里，我们将以前的噬菌体感染模型改编为模仿尿路的空间组织的细管几何结构，包括细菌运动和间歇性流动，在此过程中噬菌体被冲出系统。噬菌体感染和冲洗对细菌清除时间的影响很小。此外，