Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from October, 2020

Phage Therapy in Gastrointestinal Diseases

  Abstract Gastrointestinal tract microbiota plays a key role in the regulation of the pathogenesis of several gastrointestinal diseases. In particular, the viral fraction, composed essentially of bacteriophages, influences homeostasis by exerting a selective pressure on the bacterial communities living in the tract. Gastrointestinal inflammatory diseases are mainly induced by bacteria, and have risen due to the emergence of antibiotic resistant strains. In the lack of effective treatments, phage therapy has been proposed as a clinical alternative to restore intestinal eubiosis, thanks to its immunomodulatory and bactericidal effect against bacterial pathogens, such as  Clostridioides difficile  in ulcerative colitis and invasive adherent  Escherichia coli  in Crohn’s disease. In addition, genetically modified temperate phages could be used to suppress the transcription of bacterial virulence factors. In this review, we will highlight the latest advances in rese...