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Bacteriophage therapy: a revitalized therapy against bacterial infectious diseases

Journal of Infection and Chemotherapy volume 11, pages 211–219 (2005)Cite this article

Abstract

Bacteriophage (phage) therapy involves using phages or their products as bioagents for the treatment or prophylaxis of bacterial infectious diseases. Much evidence in support of the effectiveness of phage therapy against bacterial infectious diseases has accumulated since 1980 from animal model studies conducted in Western countries. Reports indicate that appropriate administration of living phages can be used to treat lethal infectious diseases caused by gram-negative bacteria, such as Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Vibrio vulnificus, and Salmonella spp., and gram-positive bacteria, such as Enterococcus faecium and Staphylococcus aureus. The phage display system and genetically modified nonreplicating phages are also effective for treatment of Helicobacter pylori and P. aeruginosa, respectively. In addition to phage particles per se, purified phage-encoded peptidoglycan hydrolase (lysin) is also reported to be effective for the treatment of bacterial infectious diseases caused by gram-positive bacteria such as Streptococcus pyogenes, S. pneumoniae, Bacillus anthracis, and group B streptococci. All phage lysins that have been studied to date exhibit immediate and strong bacteriolytic activity when applied exogenously. Furthermore, phage-coded inhibitors of peptidoglycan synthesis (protein antibiotics), search methods for novel antibacterial agents using phage genome informatics, and vaccines utilizing phages or their products are being developed. Phage therapy will compensate for unavoidable complications of chemotherapy such as the appearance of multidrug resistance or substituted microbism.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Molecular Microbiology and Infections, Kochi Medical School, Kohasu, Oko-cho, Nankoku, Kochi, 783-8505, Japan

    Shigenobu Matsuzaki, Mohammad Rashel, Jumpei Uchiyama, Shingo Sakurai, Takako Ujihara, Masayuki Kuroda & Shosuke Imai

  2. Department of Orthopaedics, Kochi Medical School, Kochi, Japan

    Masahiko Ikeuchi & Toshikazu Tani

  3. Department of Pediatrics, Kochi Medical School, Kochi, Japan

    Mikiya Fujieda & Hiroshi Wakiguchi

Authors
  1. Shigenobu Matsuzaki
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  2. Mohammad Rashel
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  3. Jumpei Uchiyama
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  4. Shingo Sakurai
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  5. Takako Ujihara
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  6. Masayuki Kuroda
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  7. Masahiko Ikeuchi
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  8. Toshikazu Tani
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  9. Mikiya Fujieda
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  11. Shosuke Imai
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Shigenobu Matsuzaki.

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Matsuzaki, S., Rashel, M., Uchiyama, J. et al. Bacteriophage therapy: a revitalized therapy against bacterial infectious diseases. J Infect Chemother 11, 211–219 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10156-005-0408-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10156-005-0408-9

Key words

  • Phage therapy
  • Multidrug-resistant bacteria
  • Genetic modification
  • Lysin
  • Protein antibiotics