AN OVERVIEW OF BACTERIOPHAGE THERAPY OVER ANTIBIOTICS; AS AN ALTERNATIVE FOR CONTROLLING BACTERIAL INFECTIONS

Bacteriophages are particular infective agents of diverse bacteria. They are separated into different groups according to their life cycle. The lytic phages kill their host cells; this property can be applied for the selective elimination of pathogenic bacteria. The first bacteriophage treatment was described one hundred years ago, and phage therapy had been extensively used until the Second World War. Upon the appearance of antibiotics, the medical application of phages retrograded in most parts of the world. In the last decades, owing to the costs of development of new antibiotics and the rapid emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria, this old approach was revitalized and phage-based treatment was legalized from the middle of the last decade. Here, they summarize the current knowledge on phage therapy, its advantages and potential drawbacks. The current status of phage therapy against food-borne, animal and human pathogens is also presented. Among these, special focus is set on phages E. Amy of Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhimurium and Listeria monocytogenes. Phage cocktails against Listeria monocytogenes and E. amylovora have already been commercialized.