Treatment with bacteriophages of various bacterial and other pathologies: scheme, course

Pathogenic bacteria, which are associated with many diseases, have existed for billions of years, but effective drugs against them began to appear no more than a century ago. Even children know about such antibacterial drugs as antibiotics. But not everyone knows that these antibacterial drugs have an equally effective replacement. This replacement is bacteriophages, which can hardly be called a medicine, like various vaccines. However, practice shows that treatment with bacteriophages is akin to antibiotic therapy, only much safer for humans, since it has virtually no side effects.

What are bacteriophages?

Bacteria are the cause of various human diseases, which, if not treated effectively, can even lead to death. This is an indisputable truth that no one will argue with. But for some reason, few of us have seriously thought about the question of whether bacteria themselves have pests that can lead to their death?

The question, by the way, is quite natural, because on our planet almost all living creatures have enemies. Bacteria have them too. The name of these microorganisms is bacteriophages, which are so small that they can penetrate microscopic bacterial cells, and so insidious that they can cause the bacterial cell to self-destruct.

Humanity learned about the phenomenon of bacteriophage exactly 100 years ago, although it has existed for a very, very long time. The name for the microorganisms was given by the French-Canadian microbiologist F. D'Herelle, and it means "bacteria eater". Further study of bacteriophages cast doubt on the validity of such a name for microorganisms, but nothing has been changed.

So what are bacteriophages in essence? They are a non-cellular form of life akin to viruses. And their actions are somewhat reminiscent of these parasites, penetrating living cells and ultimately leading to their destruction. In other words, these are viruses that do not infect humans or animals, but bacteria that parasitize living organisms, which led to the idea in 1921 to conduct an experiment in treating severe diarrhea in a child with bacteriophages. The experiment was successful, which gave scientists the impetus to continue working in this direction.

What are bacteriophages? A viral particle (virion) is a microscopic tadpole whose body consists of a head and a long tail. As already mentioned, this is a non-cellular form of a living organism that cannot imagine existence outside the host cell.

The head of the bacteriophage carries some genetic information (program) contained in a nucleic acid molecule (DNA or RNA), which is protected by a protein shell (capsid). The tail of the bacteriophage is nothing more than an extension of the capsid. It is used to move the virus inside a living organism and "program" the host cells (inject genetic material into the bacterial cell). There are also atypical forms of bacteriophages: tailless and filamentous.

The size of bacteriophages is incredibly small. They are tens and hundreds of times smaller than the microscopic microorganisms in which they parasitize. Thus, the head of the largest bacteriophage is 140 nanometers in diameter (for comparison, 1 mm is equal to 1 million nanometers).

There are many varieties of bacteriophages. It can be said that there are as many types as there are different forms and strains of bacteria. Moreover, each strain has its own bacteriophage, which is capable of destroying only these bacteria and is indifferent to others. The number of bacteriophages on the planet is approximately the same as the number of bacteria on it. In numbers, this is about 10 ³⁰ -10 ³² virions.

The mechanism of action of bacteriophages is to transfer genetic information to a cell within which the virus can reproduce. They themselves do not produce energy and cannot synthesize protein to build a cell within which the bacteriophage could produce offspring (and this is the meaning of their existence). For this purpose, bacteriophages (or simply phages) use foreign cells, in this case bacterial cells, including pathogenic strains.

What was the mistake in the name "bacteriophage"? The thing is that the virus does not devour bacterial cells (this would be very problematic, given the size of the virion), but acts differently. It transmits genetic information to the bacterial cell (programs the cell), forcing it to act contrary to common sense. The cell does not fight, but on the contrary gives energy and protein from its shell so that the bacteriophage can reproduce hundreds and thousands of its own kind.

Within a short time (it could be a few minutes or a few hours), the protein shell of the cell is destroyed, and new bacteriophages go beyond it in search of a new host cell. Without energy and a protective shell, the bacterial cell dies, effectively killing itself. And all the new bacteriophages, fully matured inside the host cell, begin to rush around the living organism in search of other bacterial cells that are suitable for reproduction.

This is the kind of parasite these bacteriophages are. But what a useful one for people. After all, if you introduce even one bacteriophage into the human body, in a few hours it will reproduce thousands of "heirs" capable of destroying the same number of bacterial cells. Moreover, human cells will not interest this selective parasite, as well as the cells of beneficial bacteria that are also present in our body. The main thing for each disease is to select a bacteriophage that is active against the pathogen.

Indications for the use of bacteriophages

In medicine, bacteriophages are not just viruses that parasitize bacterial cells. They are drugs containing virions of one type, active against certain strains of bacteria. In other words, they are antibacterial drugs with a narrow action, so their use is justified only if the pathogen is precisely known.

By the way, during the Great Patriotic War there was even an attempt to create a complex drug that included bacteriophages of different types that were capable of destroying bacteria that caused severe wound infections. It was the treatment with bacteriophages that helped save the lives of many wounded soldiers.

Today, there are more than a dozen bacteriophage drugs. Many of them have a narrow focus, i.e. are effective only against one type of bacteria. But there are also complex drugs that can be called an analogue of broad-spectrum antibiotics. However, their action is also limited to 3-6 bacterial pathogens. Therefore, before prescribing a particular drug to a patient, it is necessary to conduct a study to identify the pathogen, especially if it is a narrow-focused drug.

The indications for the use of this type of antibacterial drugs necessarily contain information about which bacteria (or bacteria) the bacteriophage is effective against, as well as a list of pathologies for which it can be used. In principle, everything is the same as for antibiotics.

Perhaps one day a drug will be developed that is effective against all bacteria that can cause a particular disease, but this is still in the development stage. Today, the same bacteriophage can be used to treat many diseases caused by a specific type and strain of bacteria.

It is recommended to prescribe medications after a preliminary analysis of the pathogen, based on the results of a laboratory study. The name of most bacteriophages can tell you what bacteria it is designed to fight.

The course of treatment with bacteriophage usually lasts from 5 to 20 days, which is indicated in the instructions for various bacteriophage drugs. The drugs can have different forms of release, so they can be taken orally, administered into the rectum (enemas) or used as a local remedy that will act directly at the site of infection.

The use of bacteriophages is advisable in the case of a bacterial infection. These may be diseases of the ENT organs and respiratory system, inflammatory pathologies of the genitourinary and digestive systems and many other diseases. The most interesting thing is that some bacteriophages can help even where bacteria, it would seem, are not even being discussed. For example, they are used to treat a non-infectious disease from the category of dermatoses called "psoriasis" and a fungal pathology known to many as thrush or candidiasis.

The use of innovative antibacterial viral drugs, according to multiple studies, is quite safe, which justifies the treatment with bacteriophages not only of adults, but also of children. Moreover, such treatment is allowed from the very birth of the baby, if there is a need for it. The doses of drugs are calculated based on the age of the child.

As for the treatment of adult patients with bacteriophages, it is safe to say that the drugs are approved for use at any age and condition. They are safe to treat both the elderly and pregnant or nursing women, because the effect of the drugs is generally physiological. It is quite possible that they have already helped people fight infections more than once, but people themselves did not even suspect this, because such a culture as bacteriophages has existed on the planet for many hundreds and thousands of years.

Types of bacteriophages

Based on the fact that each specific bacteriophage can have a detrimental effect on only one type of bacteria, and the drugs are used for various pathologies caused by different pathogens, we can conclude that there are several types of such antimicrobial drugs.

Let's start with narrowly targeted drugs. These include:

• Klebsiella bacteriophage, polyvalent, purified, effective against Klebsiella pneumoniae, Klebsiella ozaenae, Klebsiella rhinoscleromatis.

It can be used to treat fetid rhinitis (ozena), scleromatous disease, bacterial diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, surgical and urogenital infections, purulent-inflammatory pathologies of the ENT organs and eyes associated with the above pathogens. The drug is also used for various inflammatory pathologies in newborns and children of the first year of life, as well as for the prevention of nosocomial infections caused by Klebsiella.

• Salmonella bacteriophage of groups A, B, C, D, E (all those groups of salmonella that can be isolated from humans).

Indications for the use of the drug are diseases or carriage of bacteria associated with salmonella of 5 groups.

• Bacteriophage pseudomonas aeruginosa (pseudomonas aeruginosa).

The drug is prescribed for inflammatory pathologies of the ENT organs and respiratory system, surgical and urogenital infections, bacterial pathologies of the digestive organs, generalized septic diseases and other pathologies caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This bacteriophage is used to treat purulent pathologies in newborns associated with this pathogen. It is also used for preventive purposes.

• Staphylococcal bacteriophage

Treatment with staphylococcal bacteriophage is prescribed for the same diseases in the treatment of which the previous drug is used, but only if they are caused by staphylococcal infection (the entire spectrum of staphylococci).

• Streptococcal bacteriophage

The same indications, but the diseases are associated with streptococcal bacteria.

• Bacteriophage dysentery polyvalent

It is used to treat dysentery caused by shingella flexneri of all serotypes except 5 and shingella sonnei.

• Liquid Proteus Bacteriophage

It is indicated for the treatment of children and adults whose disease is caused by the Proteus bacterium.

• Coliproteus bacteriophage

Treatment with coliproteus bacteriophage is prescribed for purulent-inflammatory diseases and intestinal infections caused by bacteria from the genus Proteus: Proteus mirabilis, Proteus vulgaris and Escherichia coli.

• Bacteriophage coli

A drug designed to combat E. coli, which causes not only enteral infections, but also other purulent-inflammatory pathologies of various localizations.

Next, we will consider several complex preparations, so-called viral cocktails:

• Pyobacteriophage polyvalent liquid Sextaphage ®

Doctors can prescribe this drug for all pathologies caused by streptococcal and staphylococcal infections, Proteus mirabilis and Proteus vulgaris, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli, and Klebsiella pneumoniae.

• Intesti-bacteriophage

In the indications for use of the drug we find all those diseases that can be caused by staphylococci, salmonella, pseudomonas and Escherichia coli, two types of Proteus, enterococci, and pathogens of dysentery.

This drug is used primarily for the treatment of infectious pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract (dysentery, salmonellosis, dyspepsia, dysbacteriosis, inflammatory bowel pathologies).

• Pyobacteriophage polyvalent purified

The drug is used for various pathologies associated with bacteria of the staphylococcus and streptococcus groups, Proteus 2 types, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Klebsiella pneumoniae.

• Pyobacteriophage complex liquid

The drug is effective in various pathologies caused by one or more of the following bacteria: staphylococci, streptococci, enterococci, two types of Proteus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Klebsiella oxytoca, which in addition to pneumonia can cause many inflammatory diseases of the urinary system, eyes, joints, meninges, and oral cavity.

As we can see, antibacterial drugs based on phages cover almost the entire spectrum of pathogenic bacteria that can cause human disease. Perhaps in the future, drugs will be developed that are effective against other, less common pathogens.

Today, antibiotic therapy can be easily replaced or supplemented with treatment with appropriate bacteriophages. For example, treatment with streptococcal bacteriophage will help with such pathologies as tonsillitis, bronchitis, pneumonia, cystitis, pyelonephritis, cholecystitis, enterocolitis, conjunctivitis in newborns and many other pathologies associated with streptococcus strains, for which unsafe antibiotics were previously prescribed. And treatment with coli bacteriophage will easily replace antibiotic therapy for intestinal infections and other pathologies caused by E. coli.

In severe cases of purulent-inflammatory pathologies, treatment with bacteriophages is combined with antibiotic therapy. Antibiotics act only against certain bacteria, but they do not pose a danger to viruses, including bacteriophages. At the same time, phages increase the effectiveness of antibiotic therapy, easily dealing with weakened pathogenic microorganisms that are unable to reproduce.

Treatment of infections with bacteriophages

Well, we have figured out what bacteriophages are, how they affect bacterial cells, what drugs based on bacteriophages exist and how they are used in medicine. Let us now consider in more detail how to treat various infections caused by certain bacteria using these antibacterial drugs.

So, therapy of staphylococcal infection can be carried out both with a narrow-target drug and with any of the 4 complex drugs. After all, they are all active against staphylococcus bacteria, the most dangerous of which is considered to be Staphylococcus aureus (S. Aureus). It is to him that we owe the appearance of purulent foci in the throat. It is this pathogen that causes the development of chronic and severe purulent infections, the most popular of which is considered to be purulent tonsillitis, which can give a large number of complications.

Treatment of Staphylococcus aureus with bacteriophages is carried out after the results of the analysis of sensitivity to specific bacteriophages are received. In most cases, doctors resort to the help of staphylococcal bacteriophage. It is prescribed to both adults and children. This and other effective bacteriophages are especially useful in the event that the patient cannot be prescribed antibiotics for certain reasons.

Klebsiella treatment is carried out with bacteriophages that are effective against different strains of this bacterium, which causes pneumonia and other dangerous pathologies. For this purpose, the Klebsiella polyvalent purified bacteriophage or one of the complex preparations that will be effective against the identified strain of bacteria can be used.

Treatment of Escherichia coli (Escherichia coli) can be carried out with two narrowly targeted bacteriophages: Bacteriophage coli and Bacteriophage coli-proteus, as well as any of the complex preparations that, according to the analysis results, are active against Escherichia coli.

Treatment of streptococcus can be carried out with streptococcal bacteriophage or by resorting to the help of effective complex drugs, with the exception of Intesti-bacteriophage, which does not act on streptococcal infection.

Treatment of enterococcus involves taking the complex bacteriophage Intesti-bacteriophage, but you can use the complex liquid bacteriophage, which is also capable of fighting bacteria of this type.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is treated with the following drugs: Bacteriophage pseudomonas aeruginosa (pseudomonas aeruginosa) or one of the complex bacteriophages. Shingella can be removed from the body using the polyvalent disinfectant bacteriophage or the complex drug Intesti-bacteriophage. Proteus can be treated with liquid proteus or coliproteus bacteriophage, as well as any of the complex bacteriophages.

Salmonella can be fought with the help of Salmonella Bacteriophage or the complex Intesti-bacteriophage.

Treating enterobacter and other bacteria not mentioned above with bacteriophages is still difficult. But scientists are actively searching for new types of phages that could help cope with these pathogenic microorganisms. Thus, the drug Enterobacter polyvalent purified has already passed 2 stages of clinical trials and shows high efficiency against E. Aerogenes, E. Cloacae, E. Agglomerans. It is quite possible that soon the drug will help patients whose disease is associated with these pathogens.

A strain of the Helicobacter pylori bacteriophage under the number MCCM F-07 is currently under development. It is planned to create a new drug for gastritis and stomach ulcers associated with this bacterium.

Bacteriophages in the therapy of various diseases

Bacteriophages are undoubtedly effective and safe drugs that can be prescribed for almost any infectious pathology. They are used even in the case of chlamydia, although a bacteriophage for chlamydia has not yet been developed. The existing bacteriophages are powerless against chlamydia itself, but they help effectively combat secondary infection and dysbacteriosis, which often result from incorrect prescription of antibiotic therapy.

But what about other diseases that are treated with bacteriophages? There are many such diseases and it is simply impossible to consider them all in one article. Therefore, we will consider only the most popular and unusual cases of using bacterial "killers".

Treatment of angina with bacteriophages. If we do not take into account viruses, then the most common cause of primary angina is streptococci (namely hemolytic streptococcus). In this case, the action of the streptococcal bacteriophage is indicative.

According to the instructions, depending on the child's age, streptococcal bacteriophage can be prescribed in a dosage of 5 to 20 ml in case of oral administration. If the drug is used as an enema, the dosage will be from 5-10 to 40 ml. Children over 8 years old and adults are prescribed 20-30 ml of bacteriophage orally, 30 to 40 ml rectally. The course of treatment is from 1 to 3 weeks.

In case of tonsillitis, the drug is also used for gargling or can be instilled into the nose.

As for secondary diseases, here in most cases the influence of Staphylococcus aureus (golden staphylococcus) is felt, causing purulent tonsillitis. Treatment of staphylococcus in the throat is carried out with Staphylococcus bacteriophage, the method of application and doses of which are similar to those of stareptococcus.

Less often, secondary tonsillitis can be caused by other pathogens, such as Klebsiella pneumoniae or Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Or, in the process of streptococcal or staphylococcal infection, other types of it will join. In this case, polyvalent and complex bacteriophages are prescribed, such as Sextaphage. And in some cases, doctors prefer to conduct therapy with several narrowly targeted drugs depending on the identified pathogens.

Another throat problem, but typical for children, is inflammation and enlargement of the adenoids (adenoiditis). The causative agents of the disease are most often streptococci, less often staphylococci and other bacteria. Treatment of adenoids with antibiotics in most cases is not justified, because they kill the beneficial microflora in the mouth, which cannot be said about bacteriophage therapy. You can use both staphylococcal and streptococcal bacteriophages, as well as complex drugs that are effective for the treatment of ENT organs.

By the way, many doctors believe that the cause of many inflammatory diseases of the ear, throat and nose is dysbacteriosis of the oral cavity. But since everything is connected in our body, it is not limited to this. According to doctors, the disruption of the microflora in the throat is closely related to intestinal dysbacteriosis, which means that if you treat the intestines, you can prevent many respiratory pathologies and adenoiditis.

Based on the above, it is no longer surprising that doctors prescribe treatment of intestinal dysbacteriosis with bacteriophages for adenoids. And it works. For dysbacteriosis, drugs are prescribed depending on the identified pathogenic microflora. Good results in this regard are provided by the complex drug Intesti-bacteriophage, intended for the treatment of gastrointestinal pathologies. In case of adenoid inflammation, other drugs may be prescribed that fight both intestinal dysbacteriosis and pathogens of the inflammatory process in the throat.

Treatment of a runny nose with bacteriophages. It is important to understand that a runny nose can be of viral, allergic or bacterial origin, so it is not surprising to see this symptom in various pathologies. The use of bacteriophages is justified if the disease is associated with a bacterial infection, for example, in the case of sinusitis, rhinosinusitis, sinusitis. In any case, an analysis for the pathogen is required, because the fact that in most cases the cause of the disease is a streptococcal infection does not mean that other types of bacteria should be put aside. These can be staphylococci, as well as moraxella, hemophilic bacillus, etc.

Streptococci and staphylococci are quite common causative agents of sinusitis; in cases of complicated course, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella and other types of pathogenic and opportunistic microorganisms can also be found in the maxillary sinuses. In this case, when treating sinusitis with bacteriophages, it is more appropriate to prescribe complex drugs that are effective against several types of pathogens at once. If such a drug cannot be selected, several narrowly targeted ones are prescribed.

For diseases of the ENT organs, including sinusitis, bacteriophages are used internally and externally (nasal instillation and rinsing).

Treatment of respiratory diseases: bronchitis, pneumonia, etc. with bacteriophages is no less popular than therapy of ENT organs. Bronchitis is a pathology, the causative agents of which can equally be viruses and bacteria. The use of bacteriophages is justified only in the second case, because they do not act against viruses. Frequent causative agents of bronchitis are streptococci and staphylococci, Klebsiella and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. If there is only one causative agent, it is worth resorting to treatment with a narrowly targeted drug that is effective against the identified bacteria. Otherwise, you can resort to the help of complex bacteriophages.

In most cases, pneumonia is the result of the introduction of streptococcus and Klebsiella pneumoniae into the body, against which the streptococcal bacteriophage and the polyvalent Klebsiella bacteriophage are active. But the influence of other bacteria cannot be ruled out, especially if pneumonia is diagnosed as a complication of bronchitis, tracheitis or other pathologies. In this case, pneumonia is treated with complex-action bacteriophages or a combination of narrowly targeted drugs.

Treatment of genitourinary pathologies. The most popular in this regard are cystitis and pyelonephritis, and in men also prostatitis. Cystitis is a pathology, the wealth of pathogens of which is simply amazing. However, the entire spectrum of bacterial infection (except for atypical forms, for example, chlamydia) in this disease can be treated with bacteriophages. The list of pathogens can be found in the composition of the drug Bacteriophage complex liquid, which is used in the treatment of cystitis. It is recommended to prescribe it for mixed pathogenic flora. If it does not contain enterococci, you can resort to other complex drugs. With a single-type microflora, which is less common, narrow-focused drugs are sufficient.

Pyelonephritis has no specific pathogen. Quite often, the cause of this disease is E. coli and various types of coccal infections. Treatment of pyelonephritis with bacteriophages for E. coli may include narrowly targeted drugs Bacteriophage coli and coli-proteus. If other types of infectious pathogens from bacteria are detected, then taking complex drugs is indicated.

Of interest is also the treatment of bacterial prostatitis with bacteriophages, which in most cases is caused by 2 or 3 pathogens from the list: E. coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, streptococci, Klebsiella, as well as Trichomonas, Chlamydia, gonococci and other pathogenic microflora. In the treatment of prostatitis, complex drugs are more effective, which in many cases of "motley" microflora are prescribed in combination with antibiotics. The course of treatment in this case is short - 7-10 days, and improvement is observed already on the 3-4th day.

In case of urogenital infections, bacteriophages can be administered orally, rectally and locally for irrigation and washing. In some cases, the drug is even administered intravenously.

Treatment of anthrax, as an infectious disease, is usually carried out with antibiotics and immunoglobulins, but soon it will be possible to do this with a bacteriophage. This will be helped by the huge (by viral standards) tailed bacteriophage Tsamsa, which provokes the self-destruction of Bacillus anthracis bacteria (the causative agent of anthrax) and its relatives, which provoke the development of toxic infections in humans. The drug is still at the development stage, but we can hope that safe treatment of the disease is just around the corner.

Treatment of non-bacterial pathologies. Psoriasis is considered a non-infectious disease, so the use of bacteriophages in this case seems more than strange. The cause of the disease is not exactly known, but some pattern has been discovered between the appearance of psoriatic plaques and the colonization of the small intestine with a large number of bacteria. Treatment of psoriasis with bacteriophages does not involve washing plaques with a solution, but rather treating the syndrome of excessive bacterial growth (SIBO) in the small intestine, effective in each specific case with antibacterial drugs of viral origin (depending on the bacteria detected). In this case, patients experience a significant improvement in their condition, and the period of remission is noticeably extended.

Thrush or candidiasis is a fungal disease. Can bacteriophages really be useful here too? Scientists have discovered that the development of candidiasis, i.e. the growth of fungal microflora, is provoked by staphylococci. And during the use of bacteriophages effective against staphylococci (including complex drugs or schemes) for the treatment of various diseases, a strong decrease in the "population" of Candida fungi was observed in parallel.

Treatment of thrush with staphylococcal bacteriophage in experiments led to the disappearance of clinical signs of candidiasis even in cases where signs of staphylococcal infection were absent.

A special drug based on staphylococcal phage has been developed to treat thrush, which allows fighting the disease without the use of antifungal agents. It is prescribed 2 to 3 times a day for a course of 4-7 days.

As we see upon closer examination, bacteriophages may be useful even in cases that people are not yet aware of. For some reason, antibiotics do not have such an advantage. For example, antibiotics against staphylococcus are more likely to provoke candidiasis, disrupting the bacterial balance in the body, than to cure this disease. So maybe it is worth taking a closer look at bacteriophages, which in many ways are more useful and safer than other antibacterial agents?

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Isn't treatment with bacteriophages dangerous?

This is the question that worries many readers who have encountered a new, unusual type of medicine for the first time. After all, we are used to considering viruses as something hostile, causing various diseases in humans, including life-threatening ones (for example, the same HIV). And it is somehow scary to let viral particles into your body, at least out of fear that they can mutate, and it is unknown how all this will turn out.

In fact, there is no danger. Bacteriophages act only on bacteria, but not on body cells, which have a completely different structure. And their action on bacteria is strictly selective. Even if the virus mutates, the worst that can happen is the loss of the ability to penetrate into the bacterial cell, i.e. the bacteriophage will become ineffective. After 2-3 days, such a virion will simply die without causing harm to anyone.

But maybe we shouldn't take risks and give preference to antibiotics that have been tested a thousand times? Let's remember that the first antibiotic (penicillin) was described 12 years after work with bacteriophages began. That is, until active production of antibiotics began, people were treated with bacteriophages.

Unfortunately, at some stage the development of effective bacteriophages was suspended, and antibiotics came to the fore, the course of treatment with which turned out to be 2 or more times shorter than with phages. Probably, scientists were bribed by the speed of action of antibiotics, so their negative impact on the human body faded into the background.

Unlike antibiotics, bacteriophages have virtually no contraindications for use. The instructions for the drugs only note intolerance to active or additional components of bacteriophages, which is extremely rare. No side effects have been noted for antibacterial drugs of viral origin. After all, they have no effect on the human body, which cannot be said about the bacteria inside it.

An important positive property of bacteriophages is the absence of harmful effects on the beneficial internal microflora of the body. Bacteriophages, unlike antibiotics, act strictly selectively, so that bacteria important for our health are not threatened. This means that there is no need to spend money on expensive probiotics, which are prescribed in parallel with antibiotics.

The disadvantage of bacteriophages is the mandatory analysis of the pathogen, which takes a lot of time. In such cases, doctors prefer to prescribe broad-spectrum antibiotics, especially when it comes to common infectious pathologies. This is not possible with bacteriophages. Even in the case of complex drugs, knowledge of the pathogen is required. These drugs are more designed to treat patients in whose bodies not one, but several types of bacterial pathogens are detected.

The consequences of treatment with bacteriophages, according to statistics, are only positive. Viruses cope with their task remarkably well, without having a negative impact on the organs and systems of the body, which we often see after antibiotic therapy.

There is no information about complications caused by bacteriophages. Complications in the form of the disease becoming more severe or further spread of infection can be observed only if the pathogen has not been analyzed and its sensitivity to bacteriophages has not been determined. But we observe a similar situation in the case of prescribing ineffective antibiotics. So this cannot be considered a disadvantage of bacteriophages.

Yes, some bacteriophages, like narrow-spectrum antibiotics, are active only against one type of bacteria, but if they are prescribed after a resistance test, the treatment result will be positive. In addition, bacteria develop resistance to bacteriophages much more slowly than to antibiotics.

Thus, bacteriophages can be considered not only as an effective, but also a fairly safe alternative to antibiotics. It is not for nothing that active development of new phage-based drugs has recently resumed. Bacteriophages are being tried in the treatment of not only bacterial, but also fungal diseases, as well as non-infectious diseases, the cause of which is the same infection, which is hiding in a place that is not where it is being sought.

It is quite possible that the time will soon come when human safety during drug therapy will come to the forefront, and treatment with bacteriophages will push antibiotic therapy where its use is not necessary. And in severe cases, antibiotic therapy will receive a faithful and reliable assistant in the fight against bacterial infection in the person of bacteriophages.