Combatting intracellular pathogens using bacteriophage delivery

Crit Rev Microbiol. 2021 Apr 5:1-18. doi: 10.1080/1040841X.2021.1902266. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTIntracellular pathogens reside in specialised compartments within the host cells restricting the access of antibiotics. Insufficient intracellular delivery of antibiotics along with several other resistance mechanisms weaken the efficacy of current therapies. An alternative to antibiotic therapy could be bacteriophage (phage) therapy. Although phage therapy has been in practice for a century against various bacterial infections, the efficacy of phages against intracellular bacteria is still being explored. In this review, we will discuss the advancement and challenges in phage therapy, particularly against intracellular bacterial pathogens. Finally, we will highlight the uptake mechanisms and approaches to overcome the challenges to phage therapy against intracellular bacteria.PMID:33818246 | DOI:10.1080/1040841X.2021.1902266
Source: Critical Reviews in Microbiology - Category: Microbiology Authors: Source Type: research