Phage therapy

Phage therapy treats bacterial infections with bacteriophages, viruses that infect and kill bacteria. Treatment may use naturally occurring or genetically modified phages, alone or alongside antibiotics.

Bacteriophage: A virus that infects and replicates inside bacteria or archaea. These viruses are the active agents that recognize and infect target bacteria.
Phage typing: A method of distinguishing bacterial strains by their susceptibility to selected bacteriophages. Susceptibility patterns can help identify candidate phages for a bacterial isolate.
Frederick Twort: A British bacteriologist who reported an agent capable of destroying bacteria in 1915. His report preceded the independent identification of bacteriophages.
Antibiotic therapy: The treatment of bacterial infections with medicines that kill bacteria or inhibit their growth. It is the established alternative against which phage treatment is often evaluated.
Randomized controlled trial: A clinical study that randomly assigns participants to different interventions to compare outcomes. Controlled trials can establish how well phage treatment works beyond individual reports.
Lytic cycle: A viral replication cycle that produces new viruses and ruptures the infected host cell. Lytic phages kill bacteria by replicating inside them and breaking their cells open.
Phagogram: A laboratory test that measures whether bacterial isolates are susceptible to particular bacteriophages. This test helps select phages active against the infection's bacterial strain.
Félix d'Herelle: A French-Canadian microbiologist who named bacteriophages and promoted their therapeutic use. He developed early phage treatments and helped establish the field.
Broad-spectrum antibiotic: An antibiotic active against a wide range of bacterial species. Unlike broad-spectrum drugs, many therapeutic phages target a narrow range of bacteria.
Pharmacokinetics: The study of how a drug is absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and eliminated by the body. Phage distribution and clearance complicate dose selection and treatment duration.

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