Bacteriophages isolated from hospital wastewater and its role in controlling drug-resistant pathogens

Abstract The improvement and development of a new treatment method are of specific interest in the battle against bacterial resistance. Phages are one of the amplest and diverse biological systems on Earth and are evident not only for their abundance but also for their impacts on bacterial hosts. Phages are natural assassins of bacteria and are an excellent tool due to their specificity and ecological safety. Naturally, bacteria–phage relationships are complex and have far-reaching consequences beyond particular duo interactions, affecting bacterial virulence. In this chapter, phage classifications and taxonomy, phage and bacterial interactions by emphasizing phage life cycles, bacterial responses to phage infection, and the intricate patterns of phage host specificity are discussed. Finally, the effects of phage on antibiotic resistance and their environmental distribution are presented in detail. Interestingly, the potential benefits and disadvantages of phages as efficient therapeutic agents are also highlighted. The conclusion emphasized the use of phages as a real alternative to current antibiotics.