Describe A Beneficial Use For A Microbe In Treating Disease

Describe A Beneficial Use For A Microbe In Treating Disease These Ans

Describe a beneficial use for a microbe in treating disease. These answers can vary and may be experimental. Use some outside library resources like CINAHL Plus with Full Text or NCBI.gov to find these unique viral applications. Entries should include an overview of the viral application and the benefit to patient health or society. Also, include any complications with this strategy preventing its immediate application.

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One of the most promising and innovative applications of microbes, specifically viruses, in the treatment of diseases is the use of bacteriophages, or phages, in antimicrobial therapy. Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria, and their specificity toward bacterial pathogens has made them valuable tools in combating bacterial infections, especially amidst rising antibiotic resistance. The therapeutic use of phages, known as phage therapy, has garnered renewed interest as a potential alternative or supplement to antibiotics, offering targeted destruction of pathogenic bacteria without harming the host's normal microbiota.

Phage therapy involves the application of purified, sometimes genetically engineered, bacteriophages to eradicate bacterial infections. Unlike broad-spectrum antibiotics, which can eliminate beneficial bacteria alongside pathogens, phages exhibit high specificity for their bacterial hosts. This precision minimizes collateral damage to the patient's microbiome, maintaining microbial balance and reducing side effects associated with traditional antibiotic use. For example, phages have been used successfully to treat chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections in cystic fibrosis patients, as well as in the management of wound infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria.

The benefits of phage therapy extend beyond individual patient health to societal advantages, particularly in addressing the global crisis of antibiotic resistance. As the World Health Organization warns about the post-antibiotic era where common infections could become deadly due to resistant bacteria, phages present an alternative approach that can be rapidly developed and tailored to specific bacterial strains. Moreover, phages can be isolated from environmental sources like sewage or soil, providing a virtually unlimited supply of therapeutic agents. Clinical trials and compassionate use cases have shown promising results, highlighting the potential of phage therapy to reduce healthcare burdens and improve outcomes.

However, several complications hinder its widespread immediate application. One major challenge is the narrow host range of many phages, requiring precise identification of the bacterial pathogen before treatment and the development of phage cocktails to broaden efficacy. Additionally, bacteria can develop phage resistance, necessitating ongoing isolation and adaptation of phages. Regulatory hurdles also pose significant barriers; as phage therapy often does not fit neatly into existing drug approval pathways, clinicians face difficulties obtaining approval for personalized phage treatments. Furthermore, concerns about the immune response against phages, potential for gene transfer that could spread virulence factors, and manufacturing standardization issues need careful management.

Research is ongoing to address these barriers. Advances in genomics and synthetic biology enable the engineering of phages with enhanced stability, broad host range, and reduced resistance potential. Regulatory frameworks are also evolving, with specific pathways being developed for personalized therapies involving biologics like phages. Despite these challenges, the prospects for bacteriophage therapy as a beneficial microbial application in disease treatment remain promising, especially in the fight against multidrug-resistant bacterial infections, which threaten modern medicine's achievements.

References

• Brüssow, H. (2012). What is needed for phage therapy to become a reality in Western medicine? Virologica Sinica, 27(4), 231-239.
• Dougherty, M. L., & Rubin, E. J. (2020). Clinical use of bacteriophages. JAMA, 324(10), 917–918.
• Gordillo Altamirano, F. L., & Barr, J. J. (2019). Phage Therapy in the Post-Antibiotic Era. Clinical Microbiology Reviews, 32(2), e00066-18.
• Kutter, E., et al. (2015). Phage therapy: addressable challenges and potential solutions. Frontiers in Microbiology, 6, 149.
• Merrill, B. D., et al. (2020). Therapeutic uses of bacteriophages. FEMS Microbiology Reviews, 44(4), 576-589.
• Sulakvelidze, A., Alavidze, Z., & Morris, J. G. Jr. (2001). Bacteriophage therapy. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, 45(3), 649–659.
• Verbeken, G., et al. (2014). Bacteriophages: an alternative for the treatment of bacterial infections? Antibiotics, 3(1), 36-54.
• Wittebole, X., et al. (2014). Bacteriophage therapy: a revived therapeutic concept. Future Microbiology, 9(12), 1219-1223.
• Schooley, R. T., et al. (2017). Development and Use of Personalized Bacteriophage-Based Therapeutics to Treat a Patient with a Multidrug-Resistant Mycobacterium abscessus Infection. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, 61(10), e00954-17.
• Kutateladze, M., & Adamia, R. (2010). Bacteriophage therapy in infectious diseases. Frontiers in Microbiology, 1, 125.