Limitations of Phage Therapy and Corresponding Optimization Strategies: A Review |
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| Authors: | Jiaxi Lin Fangyuan Du Miao Long Peng Li |
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| Institution: | 1.College of Animal Science & Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China; (J.L.); (F.D.); (M.L.);2.Key Laboratory of Ruminant Infectious Disease Prevention and Control (East), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shenyang 110866, China |
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| Abstract: | Bacterial infectious diseases cause serious harm to human health. At present, antibiotics are the main drugs used in the treatment of bacterial infectious diseases, but the abuse of antibiotics has led to the rapid increase in drug-resistant bacteria and to the inability to effectively control infections. Bacteriophages are a kind of virus that infects bacteria and archaea, adopting bacteria as their hosts. The use of bacteriophages as antimicrobial agents in the treatment of bacterial diseases is an alternative to antibiotics. At present, phage therapy (PT) has been used in various fields and has provided a new technology for addressing diseases caused by bacterial infections in humans, animals, and plants. PT uses bacteriophages to infect pathogenic bacteria so to stop bacterial infections and treat and prevent related diseases. However, PT has several limitations, due to a narrow host range, the lysogenic phenomenon, the lack of relevant policies, and the lack of pharmacokinetic data. The development of reasonable strategies to overcome these limitations is essential for the further development of this technology. This review article described the current applications and limitations of PT and summarizes the existing solutions for these limitations. This information will be useful for clinicians, people working in agriculture and industry, and basic researchers. |
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| Keywords: | bacteriophage phage therapy limitations applications existing solutions |
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