Editing Antibiotic (section)

==== Phage therapy ====
{{Main|Phage therapy}}
[[Image: Phage injecting its genome into bacteria.svg|thumb|upright=0.74|right| Phage injecting its genome into a bacterium. Viral replication and bacterial cell lysis will ensue.<ref name=Sulakvelidze/>]]
[[Phage therapy]] is under investigation as a method of treating antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria. Phage therapy involves infecting bacterial pathogens with [[virus]]es. [[Bacteriophage]]s and their host ranges are extremely specific for certain bacteria, thus, unlike antibiotics, they do not disturb the host organism's [[intestinal microbiota]].<ref name="Gill, Franco, Hancock"/> Bacteriophages, also known as phages, infect and kill bacteria primarily during lytic cycles.<ref name="Gill, Franco, Hancock"/><ref name=Sulakvelidze>{{cite journal | vauthors = Sulakvelidze A, Alavidze Z, Morris JG | title = Bacteriophage therapy | journal = Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy | volume = 45 | issue = 3 | pages = 649–59 | date = March 2001 | pmid = 11181338 | pmc = 90351 | doi = 10.1128/aac.45.3.649-659.2001 }}</ref> Phages insert their DNA into the bacterium, where it is transcribed and used to make new phages, after which the cell will lyse, releasing new phage that are able to infect and destroy further bacteria of the same strain.<ref name=Sulakvelidze/> The high specificity of phage protects [[Mutualism (biology)|"good"]] bacteria from destruction.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Dunne M, Rupf B, Tala M, Qabrati X, Ernst P, Shen Y, Sumrall E, Heeb L, Plückthun A, Loessner MJ, Kilcher S | title = Reprogramming Bacteriophage Host Range through Structure-Guided Design of Chimeric Receptor Binding Proteins | journal = Cell Reports | volume = 29 | issue = 5 | pages = 1336–1350.e4 | date = October 2019 | pmid = 31665644 | s2cid = 204967212 | doi = 10.1016/j.celrep.2019.09.062 | doi-access = free | title-link = doi | hdl = 20.500.11850/374453 | hdl-access = free }}</ref>

Some disadvantages to the use of bacteriophages also exist, however. Bacteriophages may harbour virulence factors or toxic genes in their genomes and, prior to use, it may be prudent to identify genes with similarity to known virulence factors or toxins by genomic sequencing. In addition, the oral and [[intravenous|IV]] administration of phages for the eradication of bacterial infections poses a much higher safety risk than topical application. Also, there is the additional concern of uncertain immune responses to these large antigenic cocktails.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}

There are considerable [[Regulation of therapeutic goods|regulatory]] hurdles that must be cleared for such therapies.<ref name="Gill, Franco, Hancock">{{cite journal | vauthors = Gill EE, Franco OL, Hancock RE | title = Antibiotic adjuvants: diverse strategies for controlling drug-resistant pathogens | journal = Chemical Biology & Drug Design | volume = 85 | issue = 1 | pages = 56–78 | date = January 2015 | pmid = 25393203 | pmc = 4279029 | doi = 10.1111/cbdd.12478 }}</ref> Despite numerous challenges, the use of bacteriophages as a replacement for antimicrobial agents against MDR pathogens that no longer respond to conventional antibiotics, remains an attractive option.<ref name="Gill, Franco, Hancock"/><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Opal SM | title = Non-antibiotic treatments for bacterial diseases in an era of progressive antibiotic resistance | journal = Critical Care | volume = 20 | issue = 1 | pages = 397 | date = December 2016 | pmid = 27978847 | pmc = 5159963 | doi = 10.1186/s13054-016-1549-1 | doi-access = free | title-link = doi }}</ref>