With the alarming rise in antimicrobial resistance, phage therapy represents a new paradigm for combating antibiotic-resistant infectious diseases that is worth exploring for its clinical success. With this scenario, the present study aimed at evaluating the in vivo potential of phage MR-5 (broad host range Staphylococcus aureus phage) against soft tissue infections induced by methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). Also, the usefulness of relatively simple murine air pouch as a dual-purpose model (to study both anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory parameters) in the field of phage therapeutics has been put to test. Murine air pouch model was established with experimental skin infection induced by S. aureus ATCC 43,300 followed by subcutaneous administration of phage alone as well as along with linezolid. Phage MR-5 alone and in combination with linezolid (showing synergy) brought significant reduction in the bacterial load (both extracellular as well as intracellular) that led to faster resolution of pouch infection. The main conclusions surfaced from the present study include the following: (a) murine air pouch model represents a simple useful model (mimicking subcutaneous skin infection) for studying anti-bacterial potencies of drug candidates. Therefore, its use and further adaptations especially in field of phage therapeutics is highly advocated and (b) phage MR-5 proved to be a potential therapeutic candidate against treatment of MRSA-induced skin and soft tissue infections and use of combination therapy is strongly recommended.

随着抗菌素耐药性的惊人上升，噬菌体疗法代表了对抗抗生素耐药性传染病的新范式，其临床成功值得探索。在这种情况下，本研究旨在评估噬菌体 MR-5（宽宿主范围金黄色葡萄球菌噬菌体）对耐甲氧西林金黄色葡萄球菌(MRSA)诱导的软组织感染的体内潜力。此外，在噬菌体治疗领域，相对简单的鼠气囊作为一种双用途模型（研究抗菌和抗炎参数）的有用性已经过测试。金黄色葡萄球菌引起的实验性皮肤感染建立小鼠气囊模型ATCC 43,300 随后单独皮下注射噬菌体以及与利奈唑胺一起注射。单独的噬菌体 MR-5 和与利奈唑胺联合使用（显示出协同作用）显着减少了细菌负荷（细胞外和细胞内），从而更快地解决了小袋感染。本研究得出的主要结论包括：(a) 鼠气囊模型代表了一个简单有用的模型（模拟皮下皮肤感染），用于研究候选药物的抗菌效力。因此，它的使用和进一步调整，特别是在噬菌体治疗领域受到高度提倡，并且 (b) 噬菌体 MR-5 被证明是治疗 MRSA 诱导的皮肤和软组织感染的潜在候选药物，强烈建议使用联合疗法.