title: Modified phages: novel antimicrobial agents to combat infectious diseases.
abstract: Researchers increasingly believe that microbial, molecular and synthetic biology techniques along with genetic engineering will facilitate the treatment of persistent infectious diseases. However, such therapy has been plagued by the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, resulting in significant obstacles to treatment. Phage therapy is one promising alternative to antibiotics, especially now that recent modifications to ubiquitous phages have made them more controllable. Additionally, convincing in vitro and in vivo studies of genetically modified lytic phages and engineered non-lytic phages have confirmed the advantages of novel, specific bactericidal agents over antibiotics in some cases. There is still a need for a better understanding of phage therapy, however, before it can be adopted widely.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Faculty of Pharmacy, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
authors.forename: Zahra
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Moradpour
authors.forename: Abdollah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ghasemian
mesh_terms: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D001435:Bacteriophages; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000628:therapy*; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D015316:Genetic Therapy
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents