Phage therapy.
There is a renaissance of interest in the antimicrobial potential of phages as more pathogens become multiply antibiotic resistant. Phage therapy is not a new concept, and it is important to ask why it is not part of the current repertoire of western medicine despite the fact that it has been continuously and extensively used in Eastern Europe for almost a century. Answering this question successfully will, largely, determine whether phage therapy can gain the credibility needed to overcome the scientific, financial and regulatory hurdles facing its adoption in mainstream clinical practice. Despite a paucity of such information from human studies, pharmacokinetic data and clinical outcomes from animal studies are currently providing convincing evidence for the safety and efficacy of phage therapy.
Housby
John N
JN
Novolytics Ltd., Barclays Venture Centre, Coventry, UK. j.n.housby@novolytics.co.uk
Mann
Nicholas H
NH
D000818:Animals; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000628:therapy* / Q000821:virology*; D001435:Bacteriophages / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology; D004345:Drug Industry / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends; D005822:Genetic Vectors / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional