Bacteriophages: the possible solution to treat infections caused by pathogenic bacteria

Abstract

Since their discovery in 1915, bacteriophages have been used to treat bacterial infections in animals and humans because of their unique ability to infect their specific bacterial hosts without affecting other bacterial populations. The research carried out in this field throughout the 20th century, largely in Georgia, part of USSR and Poland, led to the establishment of phage therapy protocols. However, the discovery of penicillin and sulfonamide antibiotics in the Western World during the 1930s was a setback in the advancement of phage therapy. The misuse of antibiotics has reduced their efficacy in controlling pathogens and has led to an increase in the number of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. As an alternative to antibiotics, bacteriophages have become a topic of interest with the emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria, which are a threat to public health. Recent studies have indicated that bacteriophages can be used indirectly to detect pathogenic bacteria or directly as biocontrol agents. Moreover, they can be used to develop new molecules for clinical applications, vaccine production, drug design, and in the nanomedicine field via phage display.Key words: bacteriophages, antibiotics, biocontrol, infection, pathogenesis.Résumé : Les bactériophages ont été utilisés pour traiter des infections bactériennes chez l'animal et l'humain depuis leur découverte en 1915, à cause de leur capacité unique d'infecter leurs hôtes bactériens spécifiques, sans affecter les autres populations bactériennes. La recherche réalisée dans ce domaine au cours du vingtième siècle, principalement en Géorgie, dans une partie de l'URSS et en Pologne, a mené à l'établissement de protocoles thérapeutiques à partir de phages. Cependant, la découverte de la pénicilline et des antibiotiques sulfamidés au cours des années 1930 a retardé l'avancement de la thérapie par les phages. Le mauvais usage des antibiotiques depuis leur découverte a résulté en une augmentation du nombre de bactéries résistantes aux antibiotiques et une réduction de leur efficacité à contrôler d'importants pathogènes. Les bactériophages sont devenus un sujet d'intérêt comme alternative aux antibiotiques avec l'émergence de bactéries multirésistantes qui constituent une menace à la santé publique. Des études récentes ont indiqué que les bactériophages peuvent être utilisés indirectement pour détecter les bactéries pathogènes, ou directement, comme agents de contrôle biologique. De plus, ils peuvent être utilisés pour développer de nouvelles molécules à des fins d'applications cliniques, de production de vaccins, dans la conception de médicaments et dans le domaine de la nanomédecine, par l'exposition sur phage. [Traduit par la Rédaction]

Using millimeter‐waves for rapid detection of pathogenic bacteria in food based on bacteriophage

“…In vitro studies showed that phage ZCEC5 was highly effective at reducing E. coli counts to below the detection limit when it is applied at MOI of 1 with producing high titers of phages. Our results are like the previous studies used bacteriophages to control bacterial infections . In this study, the most virulent phage was selected from an initial collection of 25 E. coli bacteriophages isolated from different environmental sources based on its strong ability to give lysis.…”

“…The application of bacteriophage to control food‐borne disease is a promising strategy and dependent on the selection of appropriate phage . Bacteriophages are highly specific to their host organism and can be isolated from different environments where their hosts are available.…”

“…The application of bacteriophage to control food-borne disease is a promising strategy and dependent on the selection of appropriate phage. 6,42,43 Bacteriophages are highly specific to their host organism and can be isolated from different environments where their hosts are available. This means that phages can be used to identify and detect specific food-borne microorganisms currently circulating in Egyptian environment.…”

“…Such bacteria increase the cost of healthcare (cost the US healthcare from about $51 to $77.7 billion annually), increase the rate of infection with serious antibiotic resistant bacteria among people, and result in treatment failure and sometimes even death. Bacteriophages, viruses that only infect bacteria, can be used to reduce and control the numbers of pathogenic bacteria . Bacteriophages occur naturally in any environment where their specific hosts proliferate.…”

Phage display as a tool for vaccine and immunotherapy development

“…,16 has been widely reviewed [17][18][19][20]. Phages are generally considered nontoxic to humans but not all phages are specific and unique advantages provided by nano-sized phages beginning with structure of the vectors, with a specific focus on display of foreign antigens on the phage surface.face of the phage where it retains its affinity and specificity for the target receptor.…”