Phage diversity in One Health.

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Virology
• One Health Initiative

Background:

• One Health integrates human, animal, and environmental health research.
• Bacteriophages (phages) are bacterial viruses with potential applications in medicine and biocontrol.
• Phage therapy and environmental biocontrol are key to achieving One Health objectives.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the diversity of phages utilized in One Health applications over the past five years.
• To contextualize current phage usage within global phage diversity.
• To identify limitations and biases in current phage isolation and application methods.

Main Methods:

• Review of scientific literature on phage applications in human, animal, and environmental health from the last 5 years.
• Comparative analysis of phage diversity in One Health applications versus overall sequenced phage diversity.
• Identification of phage classes and types used in biocontrol and therapy.

Main Results:

• 98% of phages applied in One Health belong to the class Caudoviricetes, slightly higher than the 85% found in general phage sequencing data.
• Only three RNA phages have been used commercially for environmental biocontrol or human therapy.
• A significant underrepresentation of non-Caudoviricetes phages (e.g., ssDNA, RNA phages) in current applications.

Conclusions:

• The diversity of phages used in One Health is limited, primarily due to biases in isolation and selection methods.
• Expanding the use of diverse phage types, including ssDNA and RNA phages, is crucial for realizing their full potential.
• Further research into phage genomics and novel culture techniques is needed to harness the full potential of phage diversity for One Health goals and antimicrobial resistance reduction.