The Age of Phage: Friend or Foe in the New Dawn of Therapeutic and Biocontrol Applications?
Extended overuse and misuse of antibiotics and other antibacterial agents has resulted in an antimicrobial resistance crisis. Bacteriophages, viruses that infect bacteria, have emerged as a legitimate alternative antibacterial agent with a wide scope of applications which continue to be discovered a...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2021-02-01
|
| Series: | Pharmaceuticals |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/14/3/199 |
| _version_ | 1797417189474566144 |
|---|---|
| author | Ahmad Y. Hassan Janet T. Lin Nicole Ricker Hany Anany |
| author_facet | Ahmad Y. Hassan Janet T. Lin Nicole Ricker Hany Anany |
| author_sort | Ahmad Y. Hassan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Extended overuse and misuse of antibiotics and other antibacterial agents has resulted in an antimicrobial resistance crisis. Bacteriophages, viruses that infect bacteria, have emerged as a legitimate alternative antibacterial agent with a wide scope of applications which continue to be discovered and refined. However, the potential of some bacteriophages to aid in the acquisition, maintenance, and dissemination of negatively associated bacterial genes, including resistance and virulence genes, through transduction is of concern and requires deeper understanding in order to be properly addressed. In particular, their ability to interact with mobile genetic elements such as plasmids, genomic islands, and integrative conjugative elements (ICEs) enables bacteriophages to contribute greatly to bacterial evolution. Nonetheless, bacteriophages have the potential to be used as therapeutic and biocontrol agents within medical, agricultural, and food processing settings, against bacteria in both planktonic and biofilm environments. Additionally, bacteriophages have been deployed in developing rapid, sensitive, and specific biosensors for various bacterial targets. Intriguingly, their bioengineering capabilities show great promise in improving their adaptability and effectiveness as biocontrol and detection tools. This review aims to provide a balanced perspective on bacteriophages by outlining advantages, challenges, and future steps needed in order to boost their therapeutic and biocontrol potential, while also providing insight on their potential role in contributing to bacterial evolution and survival. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:15:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f356336279994319909ee9197a77820b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1424-8247 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:15:14Z |
| publishDate | 2021-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Pharmaceuticals |
| spelling | doaj.art-f356336279994319909ee9197a77820b2023-12-03T11:54:25ZengMDPI AGPharmaceuticals1424-82472021-02-0114319910.3390/ph14030199The Age of Phage: Friend or Foe in the New Dawn of Therapeutic and Biocontrol Applications?Ahmad Y. Hassan0Janet T. Lin1Nicole Ricker2Hany Anany3Guelph Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Guelph, ON N1G 5C9, CanadaDepartment of Molecular and Cellular Biology, College of Biological Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, CanadaDepartment of Pathobiology, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, CanadaGuelph Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Guelph, ON N1G 5C9, CanadaExtended overuse and misuse of antibiotics and other antibacterial agents has resulted in an antimicrobial resistance crisis. Bacteriophages, viruses that infect bacteria, have emerged as a legitimate alternative antibacterial agent with a wide scope of applications which continue to be discovered and refined. However, the potential of some bacteriophages to aid in the acquisition, maintenance, and dissemination of negatively associated bacterial genes, including resistance and virulence genes, through transduction is of concern and requires deeper understanding in order to be properly addressed. In particular, their ability to interact with mobile genetic elements such as plasmids, genomic islands, and integrative conjugative elements (ICEs) enables bacteriophages to contribute greatly to bacterial evolution. Nonetheless, bacteriophages have the potential to be used as therapeutic and biocontrol agents within medical, agricultural, and food processing settings, against bacteria in both planktonic and biofilm environments. Additionally, bacteriophages have been deployed in developing rapid, sensitive, and specific biosensors for various bacterial targets. Intriguingly, their bioengineering capabilities show great promise in improving their adaptability and effectiveness as biocontrol and detection tools. This review aims to provide a balanced perspective on bacteriophages by outlining advantages, challenges, and future steps needed in order to boost their therapeutic and biocontrol potential, while also providing insight on their potential role in contributing to bacterial evolution and survival.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/14/3/199bacteriophagephage therapybiocontroltransductionantibiotic resistance |
| spellingShingle | Ahmad Y. Hassan Janet T. Lin Nicole Ricker Hany Anany The Age of Phage: Friend or Foe in the New Dawn of Therapeutic and Biocontrol Applications? Pharmaceuticals bacteriophage phage therapy biocontrol transduction antibiotic resistance |
| title | The Age of Phage: Friend or Foe in the New Dawn of Therapeutic and Biocontrol Applications? |
| title_full | The Age of Phage: Friend or Foe in the New Dawn of Therapeutic and Biocontrol Applications? |
| title_fullStr | The Age of Phage: Friend or Foe in the New Dawn of Therapeutic and Biocontrol Applications? |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Age of Phage: Friend or Foe in the New Dawn of Therapeutic and Biocontrol Applications? |
| title_short | The Age of Phage: Friend or Foe in the New Dawn of Therapeutic and Biocontrol Applications? |
| title_sort | age of phage friend or foe in the new dawn of therapeutic and biocontrol applications |
| topic | bacteriophage phage therapy biocontrol transduction antibiotic resistance |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/14/3/199 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ahmadyhassan theageofphagefriendorfoeinthenewdawnoftherapeuticandbiocontrolapplications AT janettlin theageofphagefriendorfoeinthenewdawnoftherapeuticandbiocontrolapplications AT nicolericker theageofphagefriendorfoeinthenewdawnoftherapeuticandbiocontrolapplications AT hanyanany theageofphagefriendorfoeinthenewdawnoftherapeuticandbiocontrolapplications AT ahmadyhassan ageofphagefriendorfoeinthenewdawnoftherapeuticandbiocontrolapplications AT janettlin ageofphagefriendorfoeinthenewdawnoftherapeuticandbiocontrolapplications AT nicolericker ageofphagefriendorfoeinthenewdawnoftherapeuticandbiocontrolapplications AT hanyanany ageofphagefriendorfoeinthenewdawnoftherapeuticandbiocontrolapplications |