Bacteriophages as affordable solution for treatment of multidrug resistant bacteria, and their recent potential applications

Abstract

The impact of bacteriophages as antibacterial agents was known after their first discovery in 1915, and they were then employed to treat the bacterial infections. However, the discovery of penicillin in 1928 quickly overshadowed bacteriophage therapy, and paved the way for its large-scale production in the 1940s to enter the era of antibiotics. In recent years, resistant bacteria have contributed to increasing the studies on bacteriophages. A remarkable difference between phages and antibiotics is the remarkable phage's specificity to infect certain types of bacteria, which makes them excellent alternatives for treatment of the bacterial infections. Moreover, bacteriophages have different life cycles; knowing the differences between each cycle is essential to exploit the benefits of phages to humans. This review aimed to highlight the history of discovering the bacteriophages and their characteristics; discusses the numerous phages applications including phage therapy, and the limitations of their use.