Title : Phage Therapy against Bacterial Pathogens of Aquatic and Terrestrial Organisms
Abstract:
Bacteriophage are commonly referred to as phage and are defined as viruses that infect bacteria. Phage are ubiquitous and require a bacterial host. Recently, there is renewed interest in phage therapy, where phages are used as novel therapeutic agents in the treatment of pathogenic bacteria. Since the discovery of bacteriophage in the early 1900s, many attempts have been made to exploit their inherent ability to kill bacteria. The purpose of this report is to review current findings and new developments in phage therapy with an emphasis on bacterial diseases of marine organisms, humans and plants. The body of evidence includes data from studies examining bacteriophages in marine and terrestrial environments as modern antimicrobial agents against harmful bacteria. Phages are natural components of all ecosystems. However, the high concentration of phage used in phage therapy is likely to exceed the concentration of any type of phage found in nature. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of phage therapy, the use of phage-derived protein therapy, and the hosts against which bacteriophages are currently used, with an emphasis on the use of bacteriophages against marine, human, animal, and plant pathogens.
