Can Bacteriophages be used as New Medicine in the Future?

Abstract

Bacteriophages have the potential to change the world. These small biological entities can change medicine in a big way. With a new wave of superbugs that have hit the Earth, antibiotics are falling behind as researchers need to make newer antibiotics to attack these new superbugs. These antibiotics take time to create, and in the long run, will become harder and harder to make. These drawbacks make antibiotics less favorable. Bacteriophages have the potential to be something new, and effective. With bacteriophages, that problem can be solved. Bacteriophages are small viruses that specifically target bacteria. They will not attack normal human cells, and that allows the immune system to also attack the bacteria with help from the Bacteriophage. They are organisms, so they can evolve, and since they are viruses, they can reproduce on their own. Bacteriophage research is still not 100% complete, but with the technology we have, we can start using phages in more severe cases of bacterial infections. Though it takes time to prepare, it only takes one or two doses to control an infection. A person can recover in a few days, with symptoms ceasing within 24 hours. The pros that bacteria bring to the table far outweigh the cons that come with phage therapy. With antibiotics falling behind in the modern world, it may turn out that bacteriophages can change the whole world of medicine. One of the only helpful viruses for mankind, there is almost nothing deadly about bacteriophages toward humans. Bacteriophages have the potential to become something big and change the antibacterial field forever.