Therapeutic applications of lytic phages in human medicine

Zhimin Guo; Hua Lin; Xufeng Ji; Guangmou Yan; Liancheng Lei; Wenyu Han; Jingmin Gu; Jing Huang

doi:10.1016/j.micpath.2020.104048

Therapeutic applications of lytic phages in human medicine

Microb Pathog. 2020 Feb 5:142:104048. doi: 10.1016/j.micpath.2020.104048. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Zhimin Guo¹, Hua Lin¹, Xufeng Ji¹, Guangmou Yan², Liancheng Lei², Wenyu Han², Jingmin Gu³, Jing Huang⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China.
² Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Research, Ministry of Education, College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Xi'an Road 5333, Changchun, 130062, China.
³ Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Research, Ministry of Education, College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Xi'an Road 5333, Changchun, 130062, China. Electronic address: jingmin0629@163.com.
⁴ Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China. Electronic address: huangj@jlu.edu.cn.

PMID: 32035104
DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2020.104048

Abstract

The emergence and spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria constitute a critical issue for modern medicine. Patients with antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections consume more healthcare resources and have worse clinical outcomes than patients with antibiotic-sensitive bacterial infections. Phages are natural predators of bacteria and may therefore be a source of useful antibacterial drugs. Phage therapy possess availability for oral administration, penetration through the bacteria cell wall, and eradication bacterial biofilms. All of these advantages give phage therapy the possibility to turn into applications for infectious diseases. In this mini-review, we focus on the brief history of lytic phage therapy, the life cycles of lytic phages and the therapeutic effects of lytic phages.

Keywords: Bacteria; Lytic phage; Phage; Phage therapy.

Publication types

Review