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Gene & Protein in Disease Phage therapy for Mycobacterium infections

Table 1. Description of some potential mycobacteriophages infecting M. tuberculosis
Mycobacteriophage Cluster Origin Infect Life cycle References
L5 A Lysogenic strain of M. tuberculosis Temperate 19,20
M. smegmatis
StarStuff A Soil M. tuberculosis Lytic 14
D29 A Soil M. tuberculosis Lytic 21
BPs G Soil M. tuberculosis Temperate 22
Kampy A Soil M. tuberculosis Temperate 14
Halo G Soil M. tuberculosis Temperate 22
ZoeJ K Soil M. tuberculosis Temperate 23
CRB2 B Unknown M. tuberculosis Lytic 24
SWU1 A Soil M. tuberculosis Lytic 25
TM4 K Unknown M. tuberculosis Temperate 23,26
Fruitloop F Unknown Tuberculosis; H37Rv Lytic 17
Giles Q Unknown M. tuberculosis; H37Rv Lytic 16
Che12 A Soil M. tuberculosis; H37Rv Temperate 27
DS6A Singleton Soil Tuberculosis H37Rv and M. tuberculosis; complex Temperate 28,29
Abbreviations: M. tuberculosis: Mycobacterium tuberculosis; M. smegmatis: Mycobacterium smegmatis.

Compared to antibiotics, bacteriophages offer numerous bacteriophages with the desired specificity can be time-
substantial advantages in treating bacterial infections. consuming and labor-intensive. Another challenge is
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First, bacteriophages exhibit a high degree of specificity the evolution of bacterial resistance to bacteriophages.
in their action, selectively targeting pathogenic bacteria Similar to the development of resistance to antibiotics,
while leaving the beneficial bacteria present in the body bacteria have the ability to evolve various mechanisms
unharmed. Another point to consider is that lytic phages to evade phage infections. By altering surface receptors
have distinct mechanisms of killing bacteria compared to prevent bacteriophages from attaching, producing
to antibiotics. They are highly effective against MDR enzymes that degrade bacteriophage DNA, and developing
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pathogens and can be used in conjunction with antibiotics, defense mechanisms to limit bacteriophage reproduction,
often achieving synergistic effects. Bacteriophages can bacteria exhibit various abilities to combat bacteriophages.
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replicate within their bacterial targets and concentrate at Difficulties in delivery present another hurdle for
the infection site, effectively functioning as self-replicating bacteriophage therapy. Successfully transporting infection
medicine. Furthermore, they also have the capacity to sites within the body is a complex task, as they must
evolve and adapt to variations in bacterial strains, making traverse multiple barriers, including the immune system
them a potent treatment choice for combating antibiotic- and biofilms, to access the specific bacteria they target.
resistant bacteria. In addition, bacteriophage therapy has Finally, regulatory barriers can impede the progress and
fewer adverse effects compared to antibiotics, making it a implementation of bacteriophage therapies. The varying
safer treatment option for patients. Finally, bacteriophages regulatory frameworks pertaining to bacteriophages
are abundant in nature, allowing for isolation and among different countries pose challenges in navigating
customization to create targeted, personalized treatments through them. This complexity and time-intensive process
for each patient. 32 involves establishing universally accepted guidelines for
While the benefits of bacteriophage therapy are the clinical utilization of bacteriophages and acquiring
intriguing, it still encounters certain evident challenges regulatory approval. 33
that must be addressed. One significant challenge is the For bacteriophages hosted by Mycobacterium, their
limited availability of bacteriophages that can target effectiveness still encounters unique challenges. The
specific bacterial strains. Bacteriophages have a narrow genetic diversity of mycobacteria presents a challenge
host range, meaning they can only infect certain bacterial in identifying lytic phages with a wide host range and
species or strains. This host specificity makes it difficult to high virulence, thereby complicating the development
find bacteriophages that can effectively target the specific of effective phage therapy for mycobacterial infections.
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bacteria causing an infection. Finding and isolating Moreover, the slow growth rate of mycobacteria hampers

Volume 3 Issue 3 (2024) 3 doi: 10.36922/gpd.2935