Chung Ka Mun, Liau Xiew Leng, Tang Swee Seong
Division of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, University Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia.
Centre for Research in Biotechnology for Agriculture, University Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia.
Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2023 Oct 16;16(10):1467. doi: 10.3390/ph16101467.
The rapid emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria in recent times has prompted the search for new and more potent antibiotics. Bacteriophages (commonly known as phages) are viruses that target and infect their bacterial hosts. As such, they are also a potential alternative to antibiotics. These phages can be broadly categorized into monovalent (with a narrow host range spectrum and specific to a single bacterial genus) and polyvalent (with a broad host range and specific to more than two genera). However, there is still much ambiguity in the use of these terms, with researchers often describing their phages differently. There is considerable research on the use of both narrow- and broad-host range phages in the treatment of infections and diseases caused by MDR bacteria, including tuberculosis, cystic fibrosis, and carbapenem-resistant (CRE) infectious diseases. From this, it is clear that the host range of these phages plays a vital role in determining the effectiveness of any phage therapy, and this factor is usually analyzed based on the advantages and limitations of different host ranges. There have also been efforts to expand phage host ranges via phage cocktail development, phage engineering and combination therapies, in line with current technological advancements. This literature review aims to provide a more in-depth understanding of the role of phage host ranges in the effectiveness of treating MDR-bacterial diseases, by exploring the following: phage biology, the importance of phages in MDR bacteria diseases treatment, the importance of phage host range and its advantages and limitations, current findings and recent developments, and finally, possible future directions for wide host range phages.
近年来，多重耐药（MDR）细菌的迅速出现促使人们寻找新的、更有效的抗生素。噬菌体（通常称为噬菌体）是靶向并感染其细菌宿主的病毒。因此，它们也是抗生素的一种潜在替代品。这些噬菌体可大致分为单价噬菌体（宿主范围窄，特定于单一细菌属）和多价噬菌体（宿主范围广，特定于两个以上的属）。然而，这些术语的使用仍然存在很多模糊之处，研究人员对其噬菌体的描述往往各不相同。关于使用窄宿主范围和宽宿主范围的噬菌体治疗由MDR细菌引起的感染和疾病，包括结核病、囊性纤维化和耐碳青霉烯类（CRE）感染性疾病，已有大量研究。由此可见，这些噬菌体的宿主范围在决定任何噬菌体疗法的有效性方面起着至关重要的作用，并且通常根据不同宿主范围的优缺点来分析这一因素。随着当前技术的进步，人们还通过开发噬菌体鸡尾酒、噬菌体工程和联合疗法来努力扩大噬菌体的宿主范围。这篇文献综述旨在通过探讨以下内容，更深入地了解噬菌体宿主范围在治疗MDR细菌疾病有效性中的作用：噬菌体生物学、噬菌体在MDR细菌疾病治疗中的重要性、噬菌体宿主范围的重要性及其优缺点、当前的研究结果和最新进展，以及最后，宽宿主范围噬菌体可能的未来发展方向。
