Can tuberculosis be treated with phage therapy?
Phage therapy can be considered as an adjunct to antibiotic treatment alone or in combination for drug-resistant TB. Phage therapy includes the use of reported or newly isolated mycobacteriophages to treat TB.
What are the side effects of phage therapy?
Multiple side effects, including intestinal disorders, allergies, and secondary infections (e.g., yeast infections) have been reported (76). A few minor side effects reported (17, 58) for therapeutic phages may have been due to the liberation of endotoxins from bacteria lysed in vivo by the phages.
What happens in phage therapy?
Phages work against both treatable and antibiotic-resistant bacteria. They may be used alone or with antibiotics and other drugs. Phages multiply and increase in number by themselves during treatment (only one dose may be needed). They only slightly disturb normal “good” bacteria in the body.
What is a Mycobacterium phage?
Mycobacteriophages are viruses that infect mycobacterial hosts. A large number of mycobacteriophages have been isolated and genomically characterized, providing insights into viral diversity and evolution, as well as fueling development of tools for mycobacterial genetics.
How is phage therapy used to treat tuberculosis?
However, there are restricted data about phage therapy for treating mycobacterial infections. This review presents comprehensive data about phage therapy in the treatment of mycobacterial infection, specifically tuberculosis disease. Keywords: mycobacteriophage, tuberculosis, mycobacteria infection, phage therapy
How is phage therapy used to treat Mycobacterium abscessus?
Phage therapy is a promising afresh therapy, which uses viruses to lyse bacteria responsible for the infection. Bacteriophages have been recently administered under compassionate use to a 15-year-old patient infected with M. abscessus in combination with antibiotics with excellent results.
Can you use phage therapy to treat MDR?
Phage therapy can be considered as a significant alternative to antibiotics for treating MDR and XDR mycobacterial infections.
Why is phage therapy a good alternative to antibiotics?
Phage therapy is nature’s “antibiotics” and may be a good alternative treatment. It may also be beneficial for other uses such as a surgical and hospital disinfectant. More research is needed before its use is approved for people.
