Department of Clinical Immunology, Transplantation Institute, Warsaw Medical University, Poland.
BioDrugs. 2011 Dec 1;25(6):347-55. doi: 10.2165/11595610-000000000-00000.
Bacteriophages (phages) are viruses that specifically infect and kill bacteria. Lysins are enzymes of bacteriophage origin that cleave covalent bonds in peptidoglycan, thereby inducing rapid lysis of a bacterial cell. As potential antibacterial agents, phages and lysins have some important features in common, especially the capacity to kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria, a narrow antibacterial range, and lack of toxic effects on mammalian cells. In this article we present the staphylococcal phages and their lysins that can be used to combat methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), one of today's most dangerous pathogens. We also discuss the use of phages as vectors specifically delivering different antibacterial agents to bacterial cells. Experimental data show that both phages and lysins could be effective in the treatment of MRSA.
噬菌体（phages）是专门感染和杀死细菌的病毒。溶菌酶是噬菌体来源的酶，可裂解肽聚糖中的共价键，从而导致细菌细胞迅速裂解。作为潜在的抗菌剂，噬菌体和溶菌酶具有一些共同的重要特征，特别是能够杀死抗生素耐药菌、抗菌谱窄以及对哺乳动物细胞无毒副作用。本文介绍了可用于对抗目前最危险的病原体之一耐甲氧西林金黄色葡萄球菌（MRSA）的葡萄球菌噬菌体及其溶菌酶。我们还讨论了噬菌体作为载体专门将不同的抗菌剂递送到细菌细胞中的用途。实验数据表明，噬菌体和溶菌酶都可以有效地治疗 MRSA。
