Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 23, 2025
11:20
Phage Therapy Application to Counteract Pseudomonas aeruginosa Infection in Cystic Fibrosis Zebrafish Embryos
Published on: May 12, 2020
6.7K
Phage Therapy for Antibiotic-Resistant Bacterial Infections
Graham F Hatfull1, Rebekah M Dedrick1, Robert T Schooley2
1Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, USA; email: gfh@pitt.edu, dedrick@pitt.edu.
Annual Review of Medicine
|August 24, 2021
Summary
Bacteriophage therapy offers a promising alternative to antibiotics for combating resistant bacterial infections. Despite challenges like bacterial resistance, phages show potential to enhance existing treatments and serve as a last resort.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Antibiotic resistance is a growing global health crisis, limiting treatment options for bacterial infections.
- The development of new antibiotics has slowed, creating an urgent need for novel antimicrobial strategies.
- Bacteriophage therapy, using viruses that infect bacteria, has a long history and is regaining interest.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent advancements in bacteriophage therapy.
- To analyze the opportunities and challenges associated with phage therapeutics.
- To assess the potential of phages as an alternative or adjunct to antibiotics.
Main Methods:
- Review of current literature on bacteriophage therapy.
- Analysis of clinical case studies and ongoing trials.
- Discussion of factors influencing phage therapeutic efficacy and limitations.
Main Results:
- Phage therapy has demonstrated clinical success in case studies, with ongoing trials showing promise.
- Phages possess a strong safety profile.
- Key challenges include pathogen strain variation, phage resistance, and host immune responses.
Conclusions:
- Phage therapy presents significant opportunities to enhance current antibiotic efficacy and protect new antibiotic development.
- Phages can serve as a crucial last-resort treatment option when antibiotics fail.
- Further research and clinical trials are essential to fully realize the potential of bacteriophage therapeutics.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:30Lytic Cycle of Bacteriophages
73.4K
Bacteriophages, also known as phages, are specialized viruses that infect bacteria. A key characteristic of phages is their distinctive “head-tail” morphology. A phage begins the infection process (i.e., lytic cycle) by attaching to the outside of a bacterial cell. Attachment is accomplished via proteins in the phage tail that bind to specific receptor proteins on the outer surface of the bacterium. The tail injects the phage’s DNA genome into the bacterial cytoplasm. In the...
73.4K
00:43Lysogenic Cycle of Bacteriophages
64.4K
In contrast to the lytic cycle, phages infecting bacteria via the lysogenic cycle do not immediately kill their host cell. Instead, they combine their genome with the host genome, allowing the bacteria to replicate the phage DNA along with the bacterial genome. The incorporated copy of the phage genome is called the prophage. Some prophages can re-activate and enter the lytic cycle. This often occurs in response to a perturbation, such as DNA damage, but can also transpire in the absence of...
64.4K
01:26DNA Bacteriophages
288
Bacteriophages, or phages, are viruses that specifically infect bacteria, utilizing their genetic material to hijack host cellular machinery for replication. DNA bacteriophages employ single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) or double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) genomes. These phages exhibit diverse replication strategies and host interactions, influencing their ecological roles and applications in biotechnology and medicine.ssDNA BacteriophagesssDNA phages, with their small genomes, utilize unique strategies to...
288
01:16Viral Replication: Lysogenic Cycle
473
The lysogenic cycle is a crucial viral replication strategy that allows bacteriophages to persist within host cells without immediately destroying them. This process is primarily observed in temperate phages, such as bacteriophage lambda (λ), which infects Escherichia coli. The cycle allows the viral genome to persist across bacterial generations while keeping host cells viable.Integration of the Viral GenomeUpon infection, bacteriophage lambda attaches to the bacterial surface and injects...
473
01:30Acute Pharyngitis
2.2K
Introduction
Acute pharyngitis is the inflammation of the back of the throat (pharynx), commonly resulting in a sore throat. It is a frequently encountered condition that prompts individuals to seek medical advice.
Classification
Acute pharyngitis can be categorized based on its underlying cause:
Acute pharyngitis is the inflammation of the back of the throat (pharynx), commonly resulting in a sore throat. It is a frequently encountered condition that prompts individuals to seek medical advice.
Classification
Acute pharyngitis can be categorized based on its underlying cause:
2.2K
01:31Defense Against Bacterial Pathogens
1.7K
The human immune system is a complex network of cells, tissues, and organs that work together to defend the body against bacterial infections. It consists of various immune cells, each playing a specific role in the defense mechanism.
Phagocytes
Phagocytes are the frontline soldiers of the immune system. They include neutrophils and macrophages. Neutrophils are the most abundant type of white blood cell and are quickly mobilized to the site of infection. Macrophages are larger cells that patrol...
Phagocytes
Phagocytes are the frontline soldiers of the immune system. They include neutrophils and macrophages. Neutrophils are the most abundant type of white blood cell and are quickly mobilized to the site of infection. Macrophages are larger cells that patrol...
1.7K