Oral Presentation Australian Society for Microbiology Annual Scientific Meeting 2019

Phage Therapy in the Postantibiotic Era (#278)

Fernando Gordillo Altamirano 1
  1. School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia

Antibiotic resistance is arguably the biggest current threat to global health. An increasing number of infections are becoming harder or almost impossible to treat, carrying high morbidity, mortality, and financial cost. The therapeutic use of bacteriophages, viruses that infect and kill bacteria, is well suited to be part of the multidimensional strategies to combat antibiotic resistance. Although phage therapy was first implemented almost a century ago, it was brought to a standstill after the successful introduction of antibiotics. Now, with the rise of antibiotic resistance, phage therapy is experiencing a well-deserved rebirth. Phage therapy is versatile, from conventional approaches such as the use of phage cocktails, to novel strategies, including the use of phage-antibiotic combinations, phage-derived enzymes, exploitation of phage resistance mechanisms, and phage bioengineering. However, in order to take advantage of phages as a therapeutic resource, we must understand the biological and evolutionary bases of their interaction with their bacterial and human hosts. This talk will illustrate these principles, using the development of a novel strategy of phage therapy against multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii as an example. Finally, the benefits of phage therapy beyond the clinical perspective, including opportunities for scientific outreach and effective education, interdisciplinary collaboration, cultural and economic growth, and even innovative use of social media, will be discussed. Phage therapy is more than just an alternative to antibiotics.