Bacteriophage Therapy: A Renaissance Weapon—Recent Developments and Application, 3rd Edition

A special issue of Antibiotics (ISSN 2079-6382). This special issue belongs to the section "Bacteriophages".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2026 | Viewed by 789

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Biotechnology and Food Microbiology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Science, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Chełmońskiego 37, 51-630 Wrocław, Poland
Interests: application of bacteriophages in human and veterinary medicine; development of the methods of working with phages; interactions of bacteriophages with bacterial and non-bacterial cells
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Guest Editor
Department of Biotechnology and Food Microbiology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Science, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland
Interests: bacteriophages
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Over the past century, antibiotic therapy has become the most powerful tool for combating bacterial infections. However, the era of their universal effectiveness appears to be drawing to a close. The number of new antibiotics being entering the market has steadily declined, and pharmaceutical companies have become increasingly reluctant to pursue their development due to the high risk of failure. This diminishing pharmacological treatment of bacterial infections is accompanied by an increasing number of antibiotic-resistant—and, more broadly, drug-resistant bacterial strains. Consequently, the inevitable need to identify and implement alternative strategies to combat bacterial infections has become increasingly urgent.

Bacteriophages have been used to treat bacterial infections almost since their discovery at the beginning of the 20th century. Nevertheless, with the advent and widespread success of antibiotics, phage therapy was marginalized for decades. Today, in the face of the rapidly growing number of drug-resistant bacterial strains, phage therapy re-emerged as one of the most promising alternatives to conventional methods of treatment. Moreover, research on bacteriophages now extends beyond human and veterinary medicine, increasingly reaching new fields of biotechnology.

Dr. Aneta Skaradzińska
Dr. Paulina Śliwka
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • bacteriophages
  • phage therapy
  • application of phages
  • antibiotic-resistance
  • antibacterial therapies

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

29 pages, 3862 KB  
Article
Single Treatment of Mature 3D Single-, Dual- and Poly-Species Biofilms Using a Combination Therapy of Phage or Phage-Hetero-Cocktails and Ciprofloxacin
by Tea Glonti, Merve Kübra Aktan, Christel Cochez, Naiera Zayed, Annabel Braem, Wim Teughels and Jean-Paul Pirnay
Antibiotics 2026, 15(6), 537; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics15060537 - 25 May 2026
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Biofilms are a form of defense that enables bacteria to withstand antibiotic pressure and demonstrate antibiotic resistance. It is crucial to develop anti-biofilm strategies in order to combat chronic and persistent multidrug-resistant (MDR) infections. Methods: In this study, we developed [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Biofilms are a form of defense that enables bacteria to withstand antibiotic pressure and demonstrate antibiotic resistance. It is crucial to develop anti-biofilm strategies in order to combat chronic and persistent multidrug-resistant (MDR) infections. Methods: In this study, we developed 3D biofilms of single-, dual-, and poly-species MDR ESKAPE components, including the pathogens P. aeruginosa S. aureus and K. pneumoniae, in CF Mu3Gel. We evaluated the efficacy of using a phage, a di-hetero phage cocktail or a poly-hetero phage cocktail in combination with ciprofloxacin to eliminate mature biofilm biomass after 72 h or one week in a single treatment. Results: The phage components mostly exhibited synergistic behavior when combined with ciprofloxacin and with each other in di- and poly-hetero-cocktails. The reduction in 72-h dual- and poly-species biofilms was one log higher than that of one-week biofilms treated with the phage–antibiotic combination. The greatest reductions were observed in the 72-h single-species biofilm with combination therapy, at 1.4–3.0 log. Reductions of 2.16 and 1.6 log were observed in the dual-species P. aeruginosa and S. aureus biofilm and the poly-species biofilm, respectively. Conclusions: This study examined how a single application of phages or phage cocktails, either alone or in combination with ciprofloxacin, impacted established biofilm models, and how this affected the proportion of microcolonies of different species within each model. These insights will facilitate the development of strategies for multiple follow-up treatments, as well as the reordering of phages, phage cocktails, and combinations with antibiotics, to improve outcomes. The 3D biofilm models developed here could be used to screen phages or phage cocktails either on their own or alongside other therapies. This would facilitate the application of in vitro findings to real physiological settings. Full article
18 pages, 6494 KB  
Article
Toxinotyping, Antibiotic Resistance Profile, and In Vitro Bio-Control of Clostridium perfringens Type G Isolated from Chickens with Necrotic Enteritis by Lytic Bacteriophages
by Hoang Minh Duc, Nguyen Thi Lan, Tran Thi Khanh Hoa, Cam Thi Thu Ha, Le Van Hung, Nguyen Van Thang and Hoang Minh Son
Antibiotics 2026, 15(5), 453; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics15050453 - 30 Apr 2026
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Abstract
Background/Objectives: Necrotic enteritis (NE), induced by Clostridium perfringens, is responsible for significant economic losses in the poultry industry worldwide. The growing restrictions on antibiotic use have driven the search for alternative strategies for disease control. The purpose of this study is to [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Necrotic enteritis (NE), induced by Clostridium perfringens, is responsible for significant economic losses in the poultry industry worldwide. The growing restrictions on antibiotic use have driven the search for alternative strategies for disease control. The purpose of this study is to isolate and characterize lytic phages targeting multidrug-resistant C. perfringens type G recovered from chickens with NE. Methods: C. perfringens was isolated from chickens with NE using a culture method with selective TSC agar. Bacterial identification was carried out using biochemical tests and PCR. C. perfringens isolates were toxinotyped by PCR. Antibiotic susceptibility test was performed using the agar dilution method. Bacteriophages were isolated from chicken intestine samples collected from wet markets using the double-layer agar technique. Phage isolates were characterized by host range, one-step growth, stability, and whole genome sequencing. The efficacy of phage CPP8 in controlling multidrug-resistant C. perfringens type G was evaluated in GAM broth. Results: In this study, 16 C. perfringens strains were isolated from 100 chickens suspected of NE. Among these isolates, 10 (62.5%) belonged to type G, while the remaining 6 (37.5%) were type A. A total of 11 phages capable of lysing C. perfringens type G were isolated from the chicken intestine. Among them, phage CPP8 has the widest host range, short latent period, large burst size, and high stability. Moreover, the genome of CPP8 lacked genes related to antibiotic resistance, toxins, virulence factors, or lysogeny. Treatment with CPP8 resulted in a significant reduction in viable counts of C. perfringens at 37 °C. Conclusions: Our findings highlight phage CPP8 as a promising candidate for bio-control of multidrug-resistant C. perfringens type G. Full article
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