Phage therapy efficacy: a review of the last 10 years of preclinical studies

• Autor(a) principal: Melo, Luís Daniel Rodrigues
• Data de Publicação: 2020
• Outros Autores: Oliveira, Hugo Alexandre Mendes, Pires, Diana Priscila Penso, Dabrowska, Krystyna, Azeredo, Joana
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/1822/65136
• topic: Phage therapy; preclinical; respiratory tract infections; gastrointestinal tract infections; bacteraemia; Science & Technology

Due to the rise of multidrug-resistant infections in humans, phage therapy is gaining renewed attention in Western medicine. Despite the increasing number of publications focussed on the isolation, characterization and in vitro performance of different phages, there is still a lack of concise pre-clinical information to guide the application of phage therapy in clinical practice. Nevertheless, over the last decade, efforts have been made to conduct more detailed studies of the in vivo efficacy of phages. Here, we review the most relevant in vivo studies performed in the last decade covering phage efficacy in both preclinical and clinical trials. We compare different routes of administration, dosage effect and different animal models of distinct types of infections. Moreover, insights into case studies and results from clinical trials are presented. Challenges and limitations of phage use as evidenced by the current state of research are also discussed in order to improve both the trustworthiness and success of the implementation of phage therapy.