title: Prospects of Phage Application in the Treatment of Acne Caused byPropionibacterium acnes.
abstract: Propionibacterium acnesis associated with purulent skin infections, and it poses a global problem for both patients and doctors. Acne vulgaris (acne) remains a problem due to its chronic character and difficulty of treatment, as well as its large impact on patients' quality of life. Due to the chronic course of the disease, treatment is long lasting, and often ineffective. Currently there are data regarding isolation ofP. acnesphages, and there have been numerous studies on phage killing ofP. acnes, but no data are available on phage application specifically in acne treatment. In this review, we have summarized the current knowledge on the phages active againstP. acnesdescribed so far and their potential application in the treatment of acne associated withP. acnes. The treatment of acne with phages may be important in order to reduce the overuse of antibiotics, which are currently the main acne treatment. However, more detailed studies are first needed to understand phage functioning in the skin microbiome and the possibility to use phages to combatP. acnes.
authors.affiliation: Bacteriophage Laboratory, Ludwik Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences Wroclaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Ewa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jończyk-Matysiak
authors.affiliation: Bacteriophage Laboratory, Ludwik Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of SciencesWroclaw, Poland; Phage Therapy Unit, Ludwik Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of SciencesWroclaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Beata
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Weber-Dąbrowska
authors.affiliation: Bacteriophage Laboratory, Ludwik Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences Wroclaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Maciej
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Żaczek
authors.affiliation: Bacteriophage Laboratory, Ludwik Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of SciencesWroclaw, Poland; Phage Therapy Unit, Ludwik Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of SciencesWroclaw, Poland; Department of Clinical Immunology, Transplantation Institute, Medical University of WarsawWarsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Ryszard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Międzybrodzki
authors.affiliation: Phage Therapy Unit, Ludwik Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of SciencesWroclaw, Poland; Medical Sciences Institute, Katowice School of EconomicsKatowice, Poland.
authors.forename: Sławomir
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Letkiewicz
authors.affiliation: Bacteriophage Laboratory, Ludwik Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences Wroclaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Marzanna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Łusiak-Szelchowska
authors.affiliation: Bacteriophage Laboratory, Ludwik Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of SciencesWroclaw, Poland; Phage Therapy Unit, Ludwik Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of SciencesWroclaw, Poland; Department of Clinical Immunology, Transplantation Institute, Medical University of WarsawWarsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Górski
keywords: Propionibacterium acnes phages; antibiotic resistance; experimental phage therapy; topical application; treatment of infections