Bacteriophage Applications in Antimicrobial Therapies

Bacteriophages—viruses that infect and lyse bacteria—have re-emerged as precision antimicrobials in response to the global rise of drug-resistant infections. Their specificity for bacterial hosts, capacity for self-amplification at sites of infection and minimal impact on the commensal microbiota distinguish phages from broad-spectrum antibiotics. Contemporary approaches combine empirical isolation of naturally occurring lytic phages with genetic and bioinformatic methods to ensure safety, efficacy and reproducibility. Therapeutic strategies range from single-phage preparations targeting defined pathogens to complex cocktails designed to pre-empt resistance by covering diverse strain repertoires. Advances in genome sequencing, metagenomic mining and high-throughput screening have accelerated identification of candidate phages, while engineered or synthetic phages are being explored to broaden host range or deliver antimicrobial payloads. Clinical applications now encompass topical treatments for wound infections, inhalation therapies for pulmonary pathogens and systemic administration against invasive multidrug-resistant bacteria. Despite regulatory and manufacturing challenges, recent compassionate-use case studies and early-phase trials underscore the potential of phage therapy to complement, and in some cases restore, antibiotic effectiveness on a global scale.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Rapid computational classification of viral genomes from large sequencing datasets is critical for sourcing therapeutic phages. A novel framework integrates deep learning and gene-content models to distinguish plasmids and diverse viruses, including bacteriophages, at high accuracy and scale. By processing trillions of base pairs, this tool has uncovered millions of viral sequences, enriching public repositories with candidate therapeutic phage genomes and enabling functional gene annotation to screen out lysogeny or undesirable elements. Complementary advances in genome-quality assessment now automate the identification of complete viral genomes and removal of host-derived contaminant sequences. This ensures that phage preparations are fully characterised, with high-confidence genomic termini and minimal host-associated genes, facilitating regulatory compliance and robust downstream therapeutic development.

Bacteriophage Applications in Antimicrobial Therapies publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in bacteriophage applications in antimicrobial therapies across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Bacteriophage: A virus that specifically infects and replicates within bacterial cells.

Lytic phage: A bacteriophage that replicates within a host and causes cell lysis to release progeny.

Temperate phage: A bacteriophage capable of integrating its genome into the host chromosome, existing as a prophage.

Host range: The spectrum of bacterial strains or species that a phage can infect and lyse.

Phage cocktail: A formulated mixture of multiple phages chosen to target a wider range of bacterial pathogens or prevent resistance.

References

1. Phage therapy: From biological mechanisms to future directions. Cell (2023).
2. Identification of mobile genetic elements with geNomad. Nature Biotechnology (2023).
3. CheckV assesses the quality and completeness of metagenome-assembled viral genomes. Nature Biotechnology (2020).
4. Isolation of Phages for Phage Therapy: A Comparison of Spot Tests and Efficiency of Plating Analyses for Determination of Host Range and Efficacy. PLOS ONE (2015).