School of Basic Medical Sciences, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, 750004 P.R. China.
General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, 750004 P.R. China.
J Appl Microbiol. 2024 Aug 5;135(8). doi: 10.1093/jambio/lxae208.
Tuberculosis (TB) is a serious and fatal disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). The World Health Organization reported an estimated 1.30 million TB-related deaths in 2022. The escalating prevalence of Mtb strains classified as being multi-, extensively, extremely, or totally drug resistant, coupled with the decreasing efficacies of conventional therapies, necessitates the development of novel treatments. As viruses that infect Mycobacterium spp., mycobacteriophages may represent a strategy to combat and eradicate drug-resistant TB. More exploration is needed to provide a comprehensive understanding of mycobacteriophages and their genome structure, which could pave the way toward a definitive treatment for TB. This review focuses on the properties of mycobacteriophages, their potential in diagnosing and treating TB, the benefits and drawbacks of their application, and their use in human health. Specifically, we summarize recent research on mycobacteriophages targeted against Mtb infection and newly developed mycobacteriophage-based tools to diagnose and treat diseases caused by Mycobacterium spp. We underscore the urgent need for innovative approaches and highlight the potential of mycobacteriophages as a promising avenue for developing effective diagnosis and treatment to combat drug-resistant Mycobacterium strains.
结核病（TB）是由结核分枝杆菌（Mtb）引起的严重和致命疾病。世界卫生组织报告称，2022 年有估计 130 万人死于与结核病相关的疾病。不断增加的多药耐药、广泛耐药、极端耐药或完全耐药的 Mtb 菌株流行率，加上常规疗法疗效下降，都需要开发新的治疗方法。作为感染分枝杆菌属的病毒，分枝杆菌噬菌体可能是对抗和根除耐药性结核病的一种策略。需要更多的探索来提供对分枝杆菌噬菌体及其基因组结构的全面了解，这可能为结核病的治疗铺平道路。本综述重点介绍了分枝杆菌噬菌体的特性、它们在诊断和治疗结核病方面的潜力、它们应用的优缺点以及它们在人类健康中的应用。具体来说，我们总结了最近针对 Mtb 感染的分枝杆菌噬菌体的研究和新开发的基于分枝杆菌噬菌体的工具，用于诊断和治疗分枝杆菌属引起的疾病。我们强调了需要创新方法的紧迫性，并强调了分枝杆菌噬菌体作为开发有效诊断和治疗方法的有前途途径的潜力，以对抗耐药性分枝杆菌菌株。
