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Bacteriophages and Their Enzymes: Allies Against Microbial Biofilms
Fohad Mabood Husain1, Andaleeb Zahra2, Asghar Ali3
1Department of Food Science and Nutrition, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia.
Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland)
|December 31, 2025
Summary
Bacteriophages and their enzymes offer new ways to fight resilient bacterial biofilms, showing promise as alternatives or complements to antibiotics for persistent infections.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Biotechnology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Bacterial biofilms present significant challenges due to their resilience and antibiotic resistance.
- Biofilm formation involves microbial communities within an extracellular matrix, leading to persistent infections.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the emerging roles of bacteriophages and their derived enzymes in combating bacterial biofilms.
- To evaluate bacteriophage-based strategies as alternatives or adjunct therapies for biofilm control.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of current research on bacteriophages and biofilm disruption.
- Analysis of bacteriophage specificity and enzymatic mechanisms (endolysins, depolymerases).
- Assessment of synergistic effects between bacteriophages and antibiotics.
Main Results:
- Bacteriophages specifically target and lyse bacteria within biofilms.
- Enzymes like endolysins and depolymerases effectively disrupt biofilm matrices.
- Synergy between bacteriophages and antibiotics enhances antimicrobial activity.
Conclusions:
- Bacteriophage-based strategies show significant potential for controlling bacterial biofilms.
- These approaches offer a multifaceted strategy against biofilm-associated infections.
- Further research is needed to fully realize the therapeutic potential of bacteriophages and their enzymes.
Keywords:
antibiotic resistancebacteriophage-derived enzymesbiofilmsdepolymerasesendolysinsmicrobial communitiesMore Related Videos
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