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Treating bacterial infections with bacteriophages in the 21st century

Bacteriophages (phages) were discovered in the early part of the 20th century, and their ability to eliminate bacterial infections as bacterial viruses gathered interest almost immediately. Bacteriophage therapy was halted in the Western world due to inconclusive results in early experiments and the...

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Autores principales: Opperman, Christoffel J., Wojno, Justyna M., Brink, Adrian J.
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: AOSIS 2022
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8991297/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35399556
http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/sajid.v37i1.346
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author Opperman, Christoffel J.
Wojno, Justyna M.
Brink, Adrian J.
author_facet Opperman, Christoffel J.
Wojno, Justyna M.
Brink, Adrian J.
author_sort Opperman, Christoffel J.
collection PubMed
description Bacteriophages (phages) were discovered in the early part of the 20th century, and their ability to eliminate bacterial infections as bacterial viruses gathered interest almost immediately. Bacteriophage therapy was halted in the Western world due to inconclusive results in early experiments and the concurrent discovery of antibiotics. The spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has elicited renewed interest in bacteriophages as a natural alternative to conventional antibiotic therapy. Interest in the application of bacteriophages has also expanded to include the environment, such as wastewater treatment, agriculture and aquaculture. Although the complete phage is important in bacteriophage therapy, the focus is shifting to purified phage enzymes. These enzymes are an attractive option for pharmaceutical companies with their patent potential. They can be bio-engineered for enhanced adjuvant properties, such as a broadened spectrum of activity or binding capability. Enzymes also eliminate the concern that the prophage might integrate resistance genes into the bacterial genome. From a clinical perspective, the first randomised clinical controlled phage therapy trial was conducted with more pioneering phase I/II clinical studies on the horizon. In this opinion paper, the authors outline bacteriophages as naturally occurring bactericidal entities, their therapeutic potential against antibiotic-resistant bacteria and compare them to antibiotics. Their potential multipurpose application in the medical field is also addressed, including the use of bacteriophages for vaccination, and utilisation of the antimicrobial enzymes that they produce.
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spelling pubmed-89912972022-04-09 Treating bacterial infections with bacteriophages in the 21st century Opperman, Christoffel J. Wojno, Justyna M. Brink, Adrian J. S Afr J Infect Dis Opinion Paper Bacteriophages (phages) were discovered in the early part of the 20th century, and their ability to eliminate bacterial infections as bacterial viruses gathered interest almost immediately. Bacteriophage therapy was halted in the Western world due to inconclusive results in early experiments and the concurrent discovery of antibiotics. The spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has elicited renewed interest in bacteriophages as a natural alternative to conventional antibiotic therapy. Interest in the application of bacteriophages has also expanded to include the environment, such as wastewater treatment, agriculture and aquaculture. Although the complete phage is important in bacteriophage therapy, the focus is shifting to purified phage enzymes. These enzymes are an attractive option for pharmaceutical companies with their patent potential. They can be bio-engineered for enhanced adjuvant properties, such as a broadened spectrum of activity or binding capability. Enzymes also eliminate the concern that the prophage might integrate resistance genes into the bacterial genome. From a clinical perspective, the first randomised clinical controlled phage therapy trial was conducted with more pioneering phase I/II clinical studies on the horizon. In this opinion paper, the authors outline bacteriophages as naturally occurring bactericidal entities, their therapeutic potential against antibiotic-resistant bacteria and compare them to antibiotics. Their potential multipurpose application in the medical field is also addressed, including the use of bacteriophages for vaccination, and utilisation of the antimicrobial enzymes that they produce. AOSIS 2022-03-29 /pmc/articles/PMC8991297/ /pubmed/35399556 http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/sajid.v37i1.346 Text en © 2022. The Authors https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Licensee: AOSIS. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License.
spellingShingle Opinion Paper
Opperman, Christoffel J.
Wojno, Justyna M.
Brink, Adrian J.
Treating bacterial infections with bacteriophages in the 21st century
title Treating bacterial infections with bacteriophages in the 21st century
title_full Treating bacterial infections with bacteriophages in the 21st century
title_fullStr Treating bacterial infections with bacteriophages in the 21st century
title_full_unstemmed Treating bacterial infections with bacteriophages in the 21st century
title_short Treating bacterial infections with bacteriophages in the 21st century
title_sort treating bacterial infections with bacteriophages in the 21st century
topic Opinion Paper
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8991297/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35399556
http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/sajid.v37i1.346
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