Bacteriophage-based control of Pseudomonas spp.: research trends and biotechnological challenges

The bacterial genus Pseudomonas is highly diverse, exhibiting broad ecological distribution and significant relevance to human health, agriculture, and the food industry. Several species are recognized as opportunistic human pathogens or phytopathogens and are increasingly associated with microbial resistance, biofilm formation, and persistent contamination. In this context, bacteriophages are promising biotechnological tools for controlling Pseudomonas spp. Across multiple sectors, offering high specificity, efficacy, and serving as an environmentally safe alternative to conventional antimicrobials. In this review, we conducted a critical narrative analysis of studies published between 2020 and 2024 addressing the application of bacteriophages against Pseudomonas species. Based on bibliometric indicators from the Web of Science database, 250 articles were selected after manual refinement and analyzed to identify publication trends, target species, and application areas. Most studies focused on Pseudomonas aeruginosa, primarily in the context of phage therapy for infections caused by multidrug-resistant strains, followed by applications in agriculture and the food industry to control Pseudomonas syringae and Pseudomonas fluorescens. Keywords co-occurrence analysis revealed trends centered on phage therapy, biofilm control, antimicrobial resistance, genomics, and sustainable biocontrol strategies. Despite the growing body of research, the analyzed studies highlight significant challenges in translating laboratory-scale findings into scalable, commercially viable applications, mainly due to regulatory hurdles to production and standardization. Overall, this review underscores the increasing scientific interest in bacteriophages as biocontrol agents against Pseudomonas spp. and discusses prospects for integrating these technologies into healthcare, agriculture, and industrial applications.