BACTERIOPHAGES AS ALTERNATIVE THERAPEUTIC AGENTS TO ANTIBIOTICS

The escalating global prevalence of antibiotic resistance highlights its role among leading health threats. According to WHO, CDC, as well as, major medical journals in 2019, nearly 5 million deaths were associated with antimicrobial resistance (AMR) with the heaviest burden falling on low- and middle-income countries. Significant AMR is paralleled by the rise of various reasons including medical practices (overprescription or self-medication; slow diagnostic paralleled by broad-spectrum antibiotics, which accelerate resistance), agricultural factors (growth promotion and disease prevention of animal stock by antibiotic usage), biological causes (natural adaptation and selective pressure to bacteria), as well as, scientific and economic challenges (increase in simple modification of existing antibiotics instead of development of new types). The worldwide antibiotic crisis has triggered a renaissance in bacteriophage research, highlighting bacteriophages as promising therapeutic agents.