Antibacterial Bioagents Based on Principles of Bacteriophage Biology: An Overview

Abstract

Bacteriophages were discovered almost a century ago. With the advent of antibiotics, the use of bacteriophages for treatment of infections fell out of favor in Western medicine. In light of the rise of antibiotic resistance, phages and their products (lysins) are rediscovered as antibacterial bioagents. This overview summarizes principles of phage biology and their translation for therapeutic and preventive applications. Examples are presented to highlight their therapeutic promise for prophylaxis and treatment of bacterial infections including multidrug-resistant organisms in humans and animals, and their use as decontaminants of food supplies and environments. Besides research on the in vivo behavior of phages and lysins, dialogues between researchers and regulatory agencies are necessary to publish guidelines for bacteriophage manufacturing and formulation for human use. Only well-designed, double-blind randomized controlled trials will determine if phages and lysins are safe and effective adjuncts or alternatives to antibiotic therapy for infections with multidrug-resistant organisms.

Targeting Enterococcus faecalis Biofilms with Phage Therapy

“…In summary, our results support the notion that bacteriophages can be easily isolated and characterized and that phage therapy, when used with caution (54), is a promising complementary strategy to conventional antibiotic treatment, especially when treatment fails, e.g., in the case of biofilm and multidrug resistance strains. In the particular case of E. faecalis, we demonstrate that EFDG1 is a candidate for phage therapy against problematic E. faecalis infections after root canal treatment and perhaps also in endocarditis and other infections of E. faecalis.…”

Disrupting the mixed-species biofilm of Klebsiella pneumoniae B5055 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO using bacteriophages alone or in combination with xylitol

“…Reports on the emergence of phage-resistant mutants have necessitated a need for combination therapies to tackle pathogens in a mixed community (Knoll & Mylonakis, 2014). Xylitol has been used for inhibiting planktonic cells as well as biofilms formed by various organisms (Ichikawa et al, 2008;Ammons et al, 2009;Abbas et al, 2012;Ghezelbash et al, 2012).…”

Actualidades en terapéutica: nuevos antibacterianos

“…re del de los antibacterianos, esto le permite tener actividad contra bacterias multirresistentes (posiblemente, al interferir con los biofilmes bacterianos) [46,93,97,98] Considerando la especificidad en su espectro de acción, ocurre poca alteración de la flora normal señalan que esta ventaja tiene el potencial de convertirse en una desventaja si no se cuenta con las herramientas necesarias para la identificación del microorganismo. Al respecto se proponen las siguientes medidas de bacteriófagos con el consecuente costo en su manufactura [46,93,98]. El efecto farmacológico del bacteriófago se extiende más allá de la dosis administrada, tomando en cuenta el carácter vestigaciones realizadas señalan una baja incidencia de efectos adversos [93,97].…”

“…Es necesario su estudio a través de ensayos clínicos doble ciego, aleatorizados y controlados acerca de la dosis óptima, la n del tratamiento [46,93,98]. Existe la posibilidad de que el bacteriófago logre transferir, a través de transducción, ADN de una bacteria a otra (incluyendo factores de virulencia); por lo tanto, se deben buscar opciones terapéuticas que carezcan de esta Los fagos son virus que pueden ser reconocidos por el sistema inmune y, por tanto, eliminados.…”

“…re del de los antibacterianos, esto le permite tener actividad contra bacterias [46,93,97,98]. a flora normal [97].…”