Phage therapy for infection: An alternative to antibiotics?

As a consequence of their widespread use, a critical limitation in current antibiotic therapy is bacterial resistance. In the case of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI), current antibiotic regimens may not necessarily suffer due to drug resistance, though they have become increasingly ineffective due to the dysbiosis they induce, resulting in notoriously high recurrence rates. As a result, interest in alternative treatment modalities has recently surfaced. Amongst these emerging treatments, newer investigations are being invested in the older concept of bacteriophage therapy.

Source: Seminars in Colon and Rectal Surgery - May 12, 2014 Category: Gastroenterology Authors: William Sangster, John P. Hegarty, David B. Stewart Source Type: research