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Limitations of Phage Therapy and Corresponding Optimization Strategies: A Review

Jiaxi Lin1,2, Fangyuan Du1,2, Miao Long1,2

  • 1College of Animal Science & Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China.

Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
|March 26, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Phage therapy (PT) offers a promising alternative to antibiotics for treating bacterial infections. This review explores PT applications, limitations like narrow host range, and strategies to overcome them for broader use.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology and infectious diseases
  • Virology
  • Biotechnology

Background:

  • Antibiotic resistance is a growing global health crisis, necessitating alternative treatments for bacterial infections.
  • Bacterial infectious diseases pose significant threats to human, animal, and plant health.
  • Bacteriophages, viruses that infect bacteria, present a potential alternative to conventional antibiotics.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the current applications of phage therapy (PT) in treating bacterial infections.
  • To identify and discuss the limitations hindering the widespread adoption of PT.
  • To summarize existing strategies for overcoming PT limitations.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of current research on phage therapy.
  • Analysis of applications across human, animal, and plant health.
  • Identification and categorization of PT limitations and proposed solutions.

Main Results:

  • Phage therapy is utilized in diverse fields, offering a novel approach to combatting bacterial infections.
  • Key limitations include narrow host specificity, potential for lysogeny, regulatory hurdles, and lack of pharmacokinetic data.
  • Various strategies are being developed to address these challenges.

Conclusions:

  • Phage therapy is a viable alternative to antibiotics, with ongoing research addressing its limitations.
  • Overcoming current challenges is crucial for the advancement and clinical implementation of phage therapy.
  • This review provides valuable insights for researchers, clinicians, and industry professionals.
Keywords:
applicationsbacteriophageexisting solutionslimitationsphage therapy

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