Phage in the diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis

Abstract

The serious global TB epidemic coupled with limited diagnostic and therapeutic technologies necessitate the study of the role phage in TB treatment. Mycobacterium phage have been used for TB diagnosis, but the accuracy of such methods needs to be improved. Phage have various advantages in treating many kinds of bacterial infection, and coupled with the abuse and misuse of antibiotics, and the increasing prevalence of drug-resistant bacteria, they have been studied as a novel therapy to support antibiotics. The study of phage in TB therapy has developed from the selection of appropriate phage to the simultaneous use of multiple phage and even the use of purified lyase proteins. Though phage have great potential in TB therapy, the technology is still in the in vitro and animal experiment stages, and needs further study.