ISSN : 2663-2187

PHAGE THERAPY AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO ANTIBIOTICS

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Jiwon Hwang , Joohee Kim
ยป doi: 10.48047/AFJBS.6.7.2024.1151- 1164

Abstract

Antibiotics are currently administered as a bacterial treatment, however, the emergence of multi-drug resistant bacteria has resulted in a need for alternative treatments. Development of alternative therapies is of particular importance in the effort to control the growth of microorganisms. Bacteriophages (phages), which have an inherent capacity for destruction of bacteria, are regarded as useful tools due to their specificity and their use is considered ecologically safe. Phage therapy is typically reliant on the use of naturally occurring phages capable of infecting and dissolving bacteria at the site of infection. Advances in biotechnology have led to an expanded range of potential phage therapies including biotechnology phages as well as newly developed strategies for using purified phage lysis proteins. Current studies on the use of phage and lytic proteins, particularly for treatment of multidrug-resistant bacterial infections, have suggested that phage therapy may be useful as a replacement or supplement for antibiotic therapy. Therefore, there are many considerations when designing therapies for prevention and treatment of bacterial infections. Knowledge regarding the interaction between phage, bacteria, and human host is limited. However, considering evidence indicating that there are no significant side effects when used as a phage therapy, acceptance of phage therapy as a stepwise treatment to minimize suffering from infectious disease can be expected.

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