Wu Sijia, Zachary Elisabeth, Wells Keenan, Loc-Carrillo Catherine
Department of Orthopaedics, School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah.
Postdoc J. 2013 Jun;1(6):24-35.
Western scientists have steadily been gaining interest in phage therapy since the mid-1980's due to the rising problem of antibiotic resistance. Its introduction in the 20 century by Felix d'Herelle marked the beginning for the uses of bacteriophages as antibacterial agents. However, a lack in understanding phage biology, as well as the arrival of broad-spectrum antibiotics deprioritized using phage therapy to treat bacterial infections in the West. With the advent of molecular biology, we are now better able to understand the predator-prey relationships with which phage co-evolve with their hosts as well as the specificity of phage-host interactions which could lend itself into personalized treatments for infection. These discoveries give us greater insights on how to most effectively use bacteriophage as potential therapeutic agents. It is encouraging to note that bacteriophages are used as food additives in the U.S., suggesting that the FDA acknowledges the positive potential of bacteriophages for human applications. Unfortunately, there are only a few examples to date of bacteriophages used on humans in controlled clinical trials. Rigorous studies and especially are critically important to avoid the mishaps of our predecessors. Phage biologists must strive to meet regulatory standards and to design thorough, rugged studies in order to establish a substantiated need for phage therapy in health care.
自20世纪80年代中期以来，由于抗生素耐药性问题日益严重，西方科学家对噬菌体疗法的兴趣一直在稳步上升。20世纪，费利克斯·德赫雷尔引入噬菌体疗法，标志着噬菌体作为抗菌剂应用的开端。然而，由于对噬菌体生物学缺乏了解，以及广谱抗生素的出现，在西方，噬菌体疗法治疗细菌感染的优先级降低。随着分子生物学的出现，我们现在能够更好地理解噬菌体与其宿主共同进化的捕食者 - 猎物关系，以及噬菌体 - 宿主相互作用的特异性，这可能为感染的个性化治疗提供依据。这些发现让我们对如何最有效地将噬菌体用作潜在治疗剂有了更深入的了解。值得欣慰的是，在美国，噬菌体被用作食品添加剂，这表明美国食品药品监督管理局认可噬菌体在人类应用方面的积极潜力。不幸的是，迄今为止，在受控临床试验中用于人类的噬菌体例子很少。严格的研究，尤其是严谨的研究对于避免重蹈前人的覆辙至关重要。噬菌体生物学家必须努力达到监管标准，并设计全面、可靠的研究，以便在医疗保健中确立对噬菌体疗法的切实需求。
