Application of Bacteriophages for Human Health: An Old Approach against Contemporary “Bad Bugs”

Abstract

The breadth of the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) problem exposes humankind to serious threats, which could lead, in the near future, to a worrisome raising of mortality and morbidity rates due to infections by “bad bugs” [...]

Phage Delivery Strategies for Biocontrolling Human, Animal, and Plant Bacterial Infections: State of the Art

“…The scope of the antimicrobial resistance crisis exposes humanity to grave risks and may soon result in an alarming increase in the rates of infection by pathogenic bacteria that cause death and illness. Even though the acquisition and spread of resistance genes require time, the overuse and abuse of antibiotics greatly speed up the evolution of bacterial resistance [ 12 ].…”

“…Due to their ecological safety and specificity, phages are ideal tools for killing bacteria [15]. Therefore, the use of phages for combating bacteria may constitute a relevant weapon, in the short-term, for the battle against bacterial pathogens responsible for difficult-to-treat infections, considering the rapid loss of effectiveness of the current antimicrobial armamentarium that we are facing [12]. Briefly, it can be said that the use of phage therapy has some advantages, such as the following: (i) their ability to selectively target host bacteria, minimizing the disruption of During the last decades, the emergence of multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria has been reported as a result of the common and frequent use of antibiotics in human and veterinary medicine, as well as in industry and agriculture [11].…”