Possible Use of Bacteriophages Active againstBacillus anthracisand OtherB. cereusGroup Members in the Face of a Bioterrorism Threat

Abstract

Anthrax is an infectious fatal disease with epidemic potential. Nowadays, bioterrorism using Bacillus anthracis is a real possibility, and thus society needs an effective weapon to neutralize this threat. The pathogen may be easily transmitted to human populations. It is easy to store, transport, and disseminate and may survive for many decades. Recent data strongly support the effectiveness of bacteriophage in treating bacterial diseases. Moreover, it is clear that bacteriophages should be considered a potential incapacitative agent against bioterrorism using bacteria belonging to B. cereus group, especially B. anthracis. Therefore, we have reviewed the possibility of using bacteriophages active against Bacillus anthracis and other species of the B. cereus group in the face of a bioterrorism threat.

Approaches to optimize therapeutic bacteriophage and bacteriophage-derived products to combat bacterial infections

“…Most progress was made with Bacillus anthracis phage, which are able to interact with encapsidated, non-encapsidated, and spore forms of this pathogen [38]. Members of this phage group can be used for pathogen detection, spore decontamination, foodborne pathogen disinfection, and anthrax treatment [39]. Engineered B. anthracis reporter phages, which transduce bioluminescence markers to anthrax bacteria and their spores, were developed for pathogen detection [40].…”

The State of the Art in Biodefense Related Bacterial Pathogen Detection Using Bacteriophages: How It Started and How It’s Going

“…Bioprospecting for new phages is a robust method for discovery of new phages. There are dozens of phages for the four biothreat agents described in this review (Table S1) but other biothreats are lacking in numbers and diversity [91,92]. Expanding the host range of known phages is another strategy that could increase the number of phages available for biothreats.…”

Bacteriophages: Practical Applications for Nature's Biocontrol

“…The research effort is aimed at population protection against bacteria affecting skin, blood, lungs, muscles, etc. Antibiotic resistance in bacteria from environmental samples may cause serious problems in treating anthrax (Stroud et al 2012;Jończyk-Matysiak et al 2014). Currently there are more than 25,000 deaths each year in Europe , and in the US, at least 2 million people become infected with bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics resulting in 23,000 deaths as a direct result of these infections (CDC 2016).…”

“…However, in terms of bioterrorism and anti-bioterrorism, few reports have considered the use of phages as a potential incapacitative agent against bioterrorism, in particular for B. anthracis and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in bacteria (Inal 2003;Fan and Tong 2012;Jończyk-Matysiak et al 2014). In this regard, phages are introduced in genetic engineering and in exploring molecular biological processes.…”