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Phages amid antimicrobial resistance

Juliet Roshini Mohan Raj1, Indrani Karunasagar1

  • 1Nitte University Centre for Science Education and Research, Nitte (Deemed to be University), Mangaluru, India.

Critical Reviews in Microbiology
|November 29, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Bacteriophages show promise as therapies against antibiotic-resistant infections. However, their role in spreading antimicrobial resistance requires careful consideration for effective phage therapy strategies.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Genetics
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Rising antimicrobial resistance poses a global health crisis, rendering many infections untreatable with conventional antibiotics.
  • Bacteriophages (phages) are viruses that infect bacteria and are being explored as alternative therapeutic agents.
  • Phages are significant genetic mobile elements, influencing bacterial evolution and the spread of resistance genes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To comprehensively evaluate the dual role of bacteriophages in both treating infections and potentially mediating antimicrobial resistance.
  • To address the gap in understanding phage contributions to bacterial adaptation and multidrug-resistance emergence.
  • To weigh the therapeutic potential of phage therapy against the risks of phage-mediated resistance.

Main Methods:

  • Review of current literature on bacteriophage therapy and antimicrobial resistance.
  • Analysis of the genetic exchange capabilities of phages within bacterial populations.
  • Examination of recent studies on phage roles in pathogen adaptation and multidrug-resistance.

Main Results:

  • Successful clinical applications of phage therapy for life-threatening infections are increasingly reported.
  • Phages contribute to bacterial genetic diversity and can facilitate the transfer of resistance genes.
  • Understanding phage-host interactions is crucial for predicting their impact on resistance dynamics.

Conclusions:

  • Phage therapy offers a viable alternative to antibiotics, but its efficacy can be influenced by phage-mediated resistance.
  • Accurate assessment of phage roles in resistance requires advanced metagenomic analysis.
  • Balancing the benefits and risks of bacteriophages is essential for developing robust phage therapy strategies.
Keywords:
Antimicrobial resistancebacteriophageshorizontal gene transferphage therapy

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