Bacteriophages for ESKAPE: role in pathogenicity and measures of control

Amrita Patil, Rajashri Banerji, Poonam Kanojiya, Santosh Koratkar, Sunil Saroj

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

20 Scopus citations

Abstract

Introduction: The quest to combat bacterial infections has dreaded humankind for centuries. Infections involving ESKAPE (Enterococcus spp., Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter spp.) impose therapeutic challenges due to the emergence of antimicrobial drug resistance. Recently, investigations with bacteriophages have led to the development of novel strategies against ESKAPE infections. Also, bacteriophages have been demonstrated to be instrumental in the dissemination of virulence markers in ESKAPE pathogens. Areas covered: The review highlights the potential of bacteriophage in and against the pathogenicity of antibiotic-resistant ESKAPE pathogens. The review also emphasizes the challenges of employing bacteriophage in treating ESKAPE pathogens and the knowledge gap in the bacteriophage mediated antibiotic resistance and pathogenicity in ESKAPE infections. Expert opinion: Bacteriophage infection can kill the host bacteria but in survivors can transfer genes that contribute toward the survival of the pathogens in the host and resistance toward multiple antimicrobials. The knowledge on the dual role of bacteriophages in the treatment and pathogenicity will assist in the prediction and development of novel therapeutics targeting antimicrobial-resistant ESKAPE. Therefore, extensive investigations on the efficacy of synthetic bacteriophage, bacteriophage cocktails, and bacteriophage in combination with antibiotics are needed to develop effective therapeutics against ESKAPE infections.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)845-865
Number of pages21
JournalExpert Review of Anti-Infective Therapy
Volume19
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jan 2021
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Bacteriophage
  • ESKAPE
  • lysogenic cycle
  • lytic cycle
  • pathogenicity
  • treatment

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Microbiology
  • Microbiology (medical)
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Virology

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