Gram-Positive Pneumonia: Possibilities Offered by Phage Therapy

Pneumonia is an acute pulmonary infection whose high hospitalization and mortality rates can, on occasion, bring healthcare systems to the brink of collapse. Both viral and bacterial pneumonia are uncovering many gaps in our understanding of host–pathogen interactions, and are testing the effectiven...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Fernández Llamas, Lucía, Cima-Cabal, María Dolores, Duarte, Ana Catarina, Rodríguez González, Ana, García-Suárez, María del Mar, García Suárez, María Pilar
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2021
País:España
Institución:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repositorio:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/250681
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/250681
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Pneumonia
Antibiotic resistance
Streptococcus pneumoniae
Staphylococcus aureus
New therapies
Phage therapy
Endolysins
Descripción
Sumario:Pneumonia is an acute pulmonary infection whose high hospitalization and mortality rates can, on occasion, bring healthcare systems to the brink of collapse. Both viral and bacterial pneumonia are uncovering many gaps in our understanding of host–pathogen interactions, and are testing the effectiveness of the currently available antimicrobial strategies. In the case of bacterial pneumonia, the main challenge is antibiotic resistance, which is only expected to increase during the current pandemic due to the widespread use of antibiotics to prevent secondary infections in COVID-19 patients. As a result, alternative therapeutics will be necessary to keep this disease under control. This review evaluates the advantages of phage therapy to treat lung bacterial infections, in particular those caused by the Gram-positive bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus, while also highlighting the regulatory impediments that hamper its clinical use and the difficulties associated with phage research