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Phage therapy in the Covid-19 era: Advantages over antibiotics

Atif Khan1,2, T Subba Rao1,2, Hiren M Joshi1,2

  • 1Water & Steam Chemistry Division, BARC Facilities, Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu, India.

Current Research in Microbial Sciences
|February 21, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Overuse of antibiotics for COVID-19 patients risks antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Phage therapy offers a targeted, anti-inflammatory alternative to combat COVID-19 and prevent AMR.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • The global response to COVID-19 has prioritized rapid therapeutic solutions.
  • Concerns exist regarding the long-term consequences of current treatment strategies, particularly antibiotic overuse.
  • Prophylactic antibiotic administration in COVID-19 patients (74.6%) far exceeds the incidence of secondary bacterial infections (8.4%).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To highlight the detrimental impact of excessive antibiotic use in COVID-19 management.
  • To explore phage therapy as a viable alternative treatment for COVID-19.
  • To advocate for rational antibiotic use and the exploration of novel therapeutic approaches.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on COVID-19 treatment and antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
  • Analysis of the risks associated with broad-spectrum antibiotic use in viral infections.
  • Evaluation of phage therapy's properties and potential application in COVID-19 treatment.

Main Results:

  • Overuse of broad-spectrum antibiotics contributes to AMR development.
  • Antibiotic administration can negatively impact patient recovery via the gut-lung axis.
  • Phage therapy presents a narrow-spectrum, targeted killing mechanism.
  • Phages possess anti-inflammatory properties beneficial for COVID-19 treatment.

Conclusions:

  • Rationalizing antibiotic use in COVID-19 is crucial to mitigate AMR.
  • Phage therapy emerges as a promising alternative, offering targeted action and anti-inflammatory benefits.
  • Adopting phage therapy can improve COVID-19 treatment outcomes while preventing further AMR proliferation.
Keywords:
AntibioticsBacteriophagesCytokinesImmunomodulationMultidrug resistanceSARS-CoV-2

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