Bacteriophages and Bacteria: The Continuous Battle

Globally, one of the major threats to human health, is antibiotic resistance. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that antibiotics are running out worldwide and novel antibiotics will not solve the antibiotic resistance crisis. Multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria including Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Acinetobacter baumanii and others have become issues of public health concern. They cause severe infections in health care facilities and in immunocompromised patients. Additionally, they are able to form biofilms and colonize the surfaces of certain medical devices. Infections caused by biofilm-forming bacteria are often difficult to treat. Biofilm formation almost leads to a large increase in resistance to antimicrobial agents and is difficult to eradicate from medical devices. Different successful approaches have been proposed as promising solutions to overcome this resistance. In recent years, bacteriophages have been an interesting alternative to antimicrobial therapy for infectious diseases. Bacteriophages are bacterio-specific viruses that constitute a main portion of the environment. They inject their genome into the targeted bacterial cells and cause bacterial cell disintegration. Some doctors hope it will play a major role in stopping deaths caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria. On the other hand, natural products such as eugenol and kaempferol have been reported to have antibiofilm activities. Next to containing direct antimicrobial activities, some of them have exerted in vitro synergistic effects when being combined with conventional antibiotics. Considering these facts, it could be stated that bacteriophages offer hope in fight against antibiotic resistance. Phage products can be developed faster and more cost-effectively than conventional drugs. In concordance, phytochemicals represent a valuable source of bioactive compounds with potent antimicrobial activities.