Synergistic antibacterial activity of curcumin and phage against multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii

Acinetobacter baumannii is a major cause of nosocomial infections, particularly in ICUs. A study investigated the antibacterial activity of curcumin combined with phage vB_AbaSI_1 to combat multidrug-resistant A. baumannii in vitro. The study found that curcumin reduced MDR A. baumannii to undetectable levels 1 hour post-treatment at 37°C. The phage/curcumin synergy occurred exclusively with phage-susceptible strains, suggesting potential disruption of bacterial cell membrane during phage infection. Future work will focus on engineering the phage to make it therapeutically acceptable.