Bacteriophages may be useful for treating some infections, but they cannot replace antibiotics because of their very narrow range of applications. This was explained to socialbites.ca by clinical pharmacologist Andrey Dekhnich, deputy director of research at the Smolensk State Medical University of the Ministry of Health Research Institute of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.
“To use a bacteriophage, you must first isolate a particular microbe and understand which bacteriophages it is susceptible to. And give the patient’s body a “cocktail” of several bacteriophages. “It takes time, so sepsis, for example, cannot be treated that way,” he said.
As for the fight against antibiotic resistance, the scientist noted that bacteria get used to bacteriophages even faster. In some cases, they can be a useful adjunct to antibiotics, such as joint infections or their prevention after heart valve replacement.
Read more about the problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and the benefits and risks of taking antibiotics. material “socialbites.ca”.