scholarly journals Phage Therapy: Consider the Past, Embrace the Future

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (21) ◽  
pp. 7654
Author(s):  
Junwei Wei ◽  
Nan Peng ◽  
Yunxiang Liang ◽  
Keke Li ◽  
Yingjun Li
Keyword(s):  
Phage Therapy ◽  
Alternative Therapies ◽  
Resistant Bacteria ◽  
Application Process ◽  
Antibiotic Resistant ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Future ◽  
New Antibiotics ◽  
Potential Risks ◽  
Delivery Technology

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria infections pose a threat to public health. Considering the difficulty in developing new antibiotics, it is an urgent need to develop alternative therapies against bacterial pathogens. Bacteriophages (phages) are evaluated as potential substitutes or adjuncts of antibiotics because they are abundant in nature and could specifically lyse bacteria. In this review, we briefly introduce phage therapy and its advantages compared with traditional antibiotic therapy. We also summarize new emerging phage technologies, such as CRISPR-Cas, synthetic phages, etc., and discuss some possible obstacles and potential risks in the application process. We believe that, with the advancement in synthetic biology and delivery technology, phage therapy has broad prospects in the future.

scholarly journals Future Prospects for Neisseria gonorrhoeae Treatment

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beatriz Suay-García ◽  
María Teresa Pérez-Gracia
Keyword(s):  
Neisseria Gonorrhoeae ◽  
Treatment Guidelines ◽  
Transmitted Disease ◽  
Alternative Therapies ◽  
Resistant Bacteria ◽  
High Morbidity ◽  
Antibiotic Resistant ◽  
Priority List ◽  
New Antibiotics ◽  
Resistant Strains

Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted disease with a high morbidity burden. Incidence of this disease is rising due to the increasing number of antibiotic-resistant strains. Neisseria gonorrhoeae has shown an extraordinary ability to develop resistance to all antimicrobials introduced for its treatment. In fact, it was recently classified as a “Priority 2” microorganism in the WHO Global Priority List of Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria to Guide Research, Discovery and Development of New Antibiotics. Seeing as there is no gonococcal vaccine, control of the disease relies entirely on prevention, diagnosis and, especially, antibiotic treatment. Different health organizations worldwide have established treatment guidelines against gonorrhea, mostly consisting in dual therapy with a single oral or intramuscular dose. However, gonococci continue to develop resistances to all antibiotics introduced for treatment. In fact, the first strain of super-resistant N. gonorrhoeae was recently detected in the United Kingdom, which was resistant to ceftriaxone and azithromycin. This increasing detection of resistant gonococcal strains may lead to a situation where gonorrhea becomes untreatable. Seeing as drug resistance appears to be unstoppable, new treatment options are necessary in order to control the disease. Three approaches are currently being followed for the development of new therapies against drug-resistant gonococci: (1) novel combinations of already existing antibiotics, (2) development of new antibiotics and (3) development of alternative therapies which might slow down the appearance of resistances. N. gonorrhoeae is a public health threat due to the increasing number of antibiotic-resistant strains. Current treatment guidelines are already being challenged by this Superbug. This has lead the scientific community to develop new antibiotics and alternative therapies in order to control this disease.

Phage Therapy: A Potential Solution for Antibiotic Resistance

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chirag Choudhary ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Bacterial Infections ◽  
Phage Therapy ◽  
Biological Agents ◽  
Resistant Bacteria ◽  
Potential Solution ◽  
Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria ◽  
Antibiotic Resistant ◽  
The Future

The idea of using a virus to kill bacteria may seem counterintuitive, but it may be the future of treating bacterial infections. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the most frightening biological agents were so-called “superbugs” – antibiotic resistant bacteria – which could not be treated with conventional therapeutics. When antibiotics were first developed, they were hailed as a panacea. A panacea they were not.

scholarly journals Antibiotic Pipeline Coordinators

2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (S1) ◽  
pp. 25-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enrico Baraldi ◽  
Olof Lindahl ◽  
Miloje Savic ◽  
David Findlay ◽  
Christine Årdal
Keyword(s):  
Research And Development ◽  
World Health ◽  
Resistant Bacteria ◽  
Antibiotic Resistant ◽  
Priority List ◽  
Non Profit ◽  
Global Priority ◽  
The World ◽  
New Antibiotics ◽  
Health Organization

The World Health Organization (WHO) has published a global priority list of antibiotic-resistant bacteria to guide research and development (R&D) of new antibiotics. Every pathogen on this list requires R&D activity, but some are more attractive for private sector investments, as evidenced by the current antibacterial pipeline. A “pipeline coordinator” is a governmental/non-profit organization that closely tracks the antibacterial pipeline and actively supports R&D across all priority pathogens employing new financing tools.

China-EU academic links will face closer scrutiny

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Research Output ◽  
Research Institutions ◽  
Independent Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Future ◽  
Potential Risks ◽  
National Governments

Significance European academic and research institutions have built increasingly close links with China over the past two decades. By doing so they have increased their incomes and research output, and reduced their costs. Benefits have been emphasised and the potential risks downplayed, both at the institutional and government levels. Impacts National governments will face calls to compensate for the reduction in funding and fees from China. European independent research on China will grow increasingly difficult. Researchers and institutions must prepare for potential Chinese sanctions in the future.

scholarly journals Bacteriophages: the possible solution to treat infections caused by pathogenic bacteria

2017 ◽  
Vol 63 (11) ◽  
pp. 865-879 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayman El-Shibiny ◽  
Salma El-Sahhar
Keyword(s):  
Bacterial Infections ◽  
Pathogenic Bacteria ◽  
Phage Therapy ◽  
Multidrug Resistant ◽  
Clinical Applications ◽  
Western World ◽  
Resistant Bacteria ◽  
Vaccine Production ◽  
Bacterial Populations ◽  
Antibiotic Resistant

Since their discovery in 1915, bacteriophages have been used to treat bacterial infections in animals and humans because of their unique ability to infect their specific bacterial hosts without affecting other bacterial populations. The research carried out in this field throughout the 20th century, largely in Georgia, part of USSR and Poland, led to the establishment of phage therapy protocols. However, the discovery of penicillin and sulfonamide antibiotics in the Western World during the 1930s was a setback in the advancement of phage therapy. The misuse of antibiotics has reduced their efficacy in controlling pathogens and has led to an increase in the number of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. As an alternative to antibiotics, bacteriophages have become a topic of interest with the emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria, which are a threat to public health. Recent studies have indicated that bacteriophages can be used indirectly to detect pathogenic bacteria or directly as biocontrol agents. Moreover, they can be used to develop new molecules for clinical applications, vaccine production, drug design, and in the nanomedicine field via phage display.

scholarly journals Thinking Outside the Bug: Molecular Targets and Strategies to Overcome Antibiotic Resistance

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 1255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Monserrat-Martinez ◽  
Yann Gambin ◽  
Emma Sierecki
Keyword(s):  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Bacterial Infections ◽  
Rational Design ◽  
Disease Onset ◽  
Resistant Bacteria ◽  
Antibiotic Resistant ◽  
New Antibiotics ◽  
Resistant Strains ◽  
Vancomycin Resistant ◽  
Antibiotic Discovery

Since their discovery in the early 20th century, antibiotics have been used as the primary weapon against bacterial infections. Due to their prophylactic effect, they are also used as part of the cocktail of drugs given to treat complex diseases such as cancer or during surgery, in order to prevent infection. This has resulted in a decrease of mortality from infectious diseases and an increase in life expectancy in the last 100 years. However, as a consequence of administering antibiotics broadly to the population and sometimes misusing them, antibiotic-resistant bacteria have appeared. The emergence of resistant strains is a global health threat to humanity. Highly-resistant bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus (methicillin-resistant) or Enterococcus faecium (vancomycin-resistant) have led to complications in intensive care units, increasing medical costs and putting patient lives at risk. The appearance of these resistant strains together with the difficulty in finding new antimicrobials has alarmed the scientific community. Most of the strategies currently employed to develop new antibiotics point towards novel approaches for drug design based on prodrugs or rational design of new molecules. However, targeting crucial bacterial processes by these means will keep creating evolutionary pressure towards drug resistance. In this review, we discuss antibiotic resistance and new options for antibiotic discovery, focusing in particular on new alternatives aiming to disarm the bacteria or empower the host to avoid disease onset.

scholarly journals Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria Isolated from Different Aquatic Environments in the North of Spain and South of France

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 1425
Author(s):  
Lara Pérez-Etayo ◽  
David González ◽  
José Leiva ◽  
Ana Isabel Vitas
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Multidrug Resistant ◽  
World Health ◽  
Resistant Bacteria ◽  
Aquatic Environments ◽  
Multidrug Resistant Bacteria ◽  
Antibiotic Resistant ◽  
The North ◽  
New Antibiotics ◽  
Health Organization

Due to the global progress of antimicrobial resistance, the World Health Organization (WHO) published the list of the antibiotic-resistant “priority pathogens” in order to promote research and development of new antibiotics to the families of bacteria that cause severe and often deadly infections. In the framework of the One Health approach, the surveillance of these pathogens in different environments should be implemented in order to analyze their spread and the potential risk of transmission of antibiotic resistances by food and water. Therefore, the objective of this work was to determine the presence of high and critical priority pathogens included in the aforementioned list in different aquatic environments in the POCTEFA area (North Spain–South France). In addition to these pathogens, detection of colistin-resistant Enterobacteriaceae was included due its relevance as being the antibiotic of choice to treat infections caused by multidrug resistant bacteria (MDR). From the total of 80 analyzed samples, 100% of the wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and collectors (from hospitals and slaughterhouses) and 96.4% of the rivers, carried antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) against the tested antibiotics. Fifty-five (17.7%) of the isolates were identified as target microorganisms (high and critical priority pathogens of WHO list) and 58.2% (n = 32) of them came from WWTPs and collectors. Phenotypic and genotypic characterization showed that 96.4% were MDR and resistance to penicillins/cephalosporins was the most widespread. The presence of bla genes, KPC-type carbapenemases, mcr-1 and vanB genes has been confirmed. In summary, the presence of clinically relevant MDR bacteria in the studied aquatic environments demonstrates the need to improve surveillance and treatments of wastewaters from slaughterhouses, hospitals and WWTPs, in order to minimize the dispersion of resistance through the effluents of these areas.

scholarly journals Potential risks of antibiotic resistant bacteria and genes in bioremediation of petroleum hydrocarbon contaminated soils

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 1110-1124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colin J. Cunningham ◽  
Maria S. Kuyukina ◽  
Irena B. Ivshina ◽  
Alexandr I. Konev ◽  
Tatyana A. Peshkur ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Contaminated Soil ◽  
Contaminated Soils ◽  
Petroleum Hydrocarbon ◽  
Resistant Bacteria ◽  
Careful Selection ◽  
Bacterial Strains ◽  
Antibiotic Resistant ◽  
Potential Risks ◽  
Selection Of

The problems associated with potential risks of antibiotic resistance spreading during bioremediation of oil-contaminated soil are discussed. Careful selection of bacterial strains and pretreatment of organic wastes used as fertilizers are suggested.

scholarly journals Phage Therapy -- Everything Old Is New again

2006 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 297-306 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew M Kropinski
Keyword(s):  
Bacterial Infections ◽  
Phage Therapy ◽  
Therapeutic Modality ◽  
Resistant Bacteria ◽  
Pathogenic Potential ◽  
Microbial Genetics ◽  
Antibiotic Resistant ◽  
Vector Systems ◽  
Variable Success ◽  
Bacterial Viruses

The study of bacterial viruses (bacteriophages or phages) proved pivotal in the nascence of the disciplines of molecular biology and microbial genetics, providing important information on the central processes of the bacterial cell (DNA replication, transcription and translation) and on how DNA can be transferred from one cell to another. As a result of the pioneering genetics studies and modern genomics, it is now known that phages have contributed to the evolution of the microbial cell and to its pathogenic potential. Because of their ability to transmit genes, phages have been exploited to develop cloning vector systems. They also provide a plethora of enzymes for the modern molecular biologist. Until the introduction of antibiotics, phages were used to treat bacterial infections (with variable success). Western science is now having to re-evaluate the application of phage therapy -- a therapeutic modality that never went out of vogue in Eastern Europe -- because of the emergence of an alarming number of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The present article introduces the reader to phage biology, and the benefits and pitfalls of phage therapy in humans and animals.

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