Potential for Bacteriophage Endolysins to Supplement or Replace Antibiotics in Food Production and Clinical Care

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Biotechnology
• Drug Discovery

Background:

• Antibiotic resistance is a significant global health threat, with multidrug-resistant bacteria rendering treatments ineffective.
• Conventional antibiotics face challenges due to widespread bacterial resistance, necessitating novel therapeutic strategies.
• Bacteriophage-encoded lytic enzymes (endolysins) are emerging as potential alternatives to antibiotics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the potential of bacteriophage endolysins as alternatives to conventional antibiotics.
• To investigate the efficacy and limitations of endolysins, particularly in Gram-negative bacteria.
• To highlight the prospects of bioengineering endolysins for enhanced therapeutic applications.

Main Methods:

• Review of preliminary studies on exogenous endolysin application.
• Analysis of endolysin efficacy in Gram-positive versus Gram-negative bacteria.
• Examination of endolysin modular structure for bioengineering possibilities.

Main Results:

• Endolysins show promise in disrupting bacterial cell walls, with greater efficacy observed in Gram-positive bacteria.
• The modular structure of endolysins allows for bioengineering of chimeric enzymes with optimized functions.
• Bacterial resistance to endolysins may be less likely compared to conventional antibiotics due to targeting conserved bonds.

Conclusions:

• Bacteriophage endolysins represent a viable alternative to antibiotics for combating bacterial infections in humans and animals.
• Bioengineering offers a pathway to enhance endolysin functionality and broaden their therapeutic spectrum.
• Targeting conserved bonds suggests endolysins may circumvent existing resistance mechanisms.