Artículos científicos

Natural Killers: Opportunities and Challenges for the Use of Bacteriophages in Microbial Food Safety from the One Health Perspective

31 de julio de 2023

by SCIPHAGE with No Comment Artículos científicos

By Maria Lavilla, Pilar Domingo Calap, Sandra Sevilla Navarro and Amaia Lasagabaster

Published: 26 January 2023

Abstract:

Ingestion of food or water contaminated with pathogenic bacteria may cause serious diseases. The One Health approach may help to ensure food safety by anticipating, preventing, detecting, and controlling diseases that spread between animals, humans, and the environment. This concept pays special attention to the increasing spread and dissemination of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which are considered one of the most important environment-related human and animal health hazards. In this context, the development of innovative, versatile, and effective alternatives to control bacterial infections in order to assure comprehensive food microbial safety is becoming an urgent issue. Bacteriophages (phages), viruses of bacteria, have gained significance in the last years due to the request for new effective antimicrobials for the treatment of bacterial diseases, along with many other applications, including biotechnology and food safety. This manuscript reviews the application of phages in order to prevent food- and water-borne diseases from a One Health perspective. Regarding the necessary decrease in the use of antibiotics, results taken from the literature indicate that phages are also promising tools to help to address this issue. To assist future phage-based real applications, the pending issues and main challenges to be addressed shortly by future studies are also taken into account.

Current Clinical Landscape and Global Potential of Bacteriophage Therapy

31 de julio de 2023

by SCIPHAGE with No Comment Artículos científicos

By Nicole Marie Hitchcock, Danielle Devequi Gomes Nunes, Job Shiach, Katharine Valeria Saraiva Hodel, Josiane Dantas Viana Barbosa, Leticia Alencar Pereira Rodrigues, Brahm Seymour Coler, Milena Botelho Pereira Soares and Roberto Badaró

Published: 21 April 2023

Abstract:

In response to the global spread of antimicrobial resistance, there is an increased demand for novel and innovative antimicrobials. Bacteriophages have been known for their potential clinical utility in lysing bacteria for almost a century. Social pressures and the concomitant introduction of antibiotics in the mid-1900s hindered the widespread adoption of these naturally occurring bactericides. Recently, however, phage therapy has re-emerged as a promising strategy for combatting antimicrobial resistance. A unique mechanism of action and cost-effective production promotes phages as an ideal solution for addressing antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections, particularly in lower- and middle-income countries. As the number of phage-related research labs worldwide continues to grow, it will be increasingly important to encourage the expansion of well-developed clinical trials, the standardization of the production and storage of phage cocktails, and the advancement of international collaboration. In this review, we discuss the history, benefits, and limitations of bacteriophage research and its current role in the setting of addressing antimicrobial resistance with a specific focus on active clinical trials and case reports of phage therapy administration.

Fagoterapia, alternativa para el control de las infecciones bacterianas, perspectivas en Colombia

31 de julio de 2023

by SCIPHAGE with No Comment Artículos científicos

By Catalina Prada Peñaranda, Angela Victoria Holguin Moreno, Andres Fernando González Barrios and Martha Josefina Vives Florez

Published: 14 August 2014

Abstract:

Bacteria easily acquire resistance to antimicrobial agents; this reduces the number of effective antibiotics available to treat bacterial infections. Food contamination by bacteria also generates important economic losses and health risks. Products for human consumption must be free of antibiotics used in clinical treatments, and the control of bacteria with antimicrobials is strictly regulated; however, there is a lack of development of new antibiotics. As a result, the development of new antimicrobial strategies is vital. Viruses that infect bacteria called bacteriophages (phages) have been proposed as an alternative treatment in an approach known as phage-therapy. Several studies have evaluated and demonstrated their effectiveness against pathogenic bacteria; currently, there are private companies dedicated to the development of new products based on phage cocktails, to control some bacterial infections. In Colombia, there is no previous information about the use of phages, but phage-therapy represents a great opportunity to use the diversity of the native microbiota. In this review, we present the perspectives for phage-therapy in Colombia as a treatment against bacterial infections.

Phages in Anaerobic Systems

31 de julio de 2023

by SCIPHAGE with No Comment Artículos científicos

By Santiago Hernandez and Martha J. Vives

Published: 26 September 2020

Abstract:

Since the discovery of phages in 1915, these viruses have been studied mostly in aerobic systems, or without considering the availability of oxygen as a variable that may affect the interaction between the virus and its host. However, with such great abundance of anaerobic environments on the planet, the effect that a lack of oxygen can have on the phage-bacteria relationship is an important consideration. There are few studies on obligate anaerobes that investigate the role of anoxia in causing infection. In the case of facultative anaerobes, it is a well-known fact that their shifting from an aerobic environment to an anaerobic one involves metabolic changes in the bacteria. As the phage infection process depends on the metabolic state of the host bacteria, these changes are also expected to affect the phage infection cycle. This review summarizes the available information on phages active on facultative and obligate anaerobes and discusses how anaerobiosis can be an important parameter in phage infection, especially among facultative anaerobes.