Phage Therapy Revival

Bacteriophages are viruses that infect and kill bacteria. Before antibiotics, doctors in Eastern Europe used them to treat infections, and today, as resistance grows, phage therapy is making a comeback.

Each phage typically targets a specific bacterial strain or species, so it acts as a precision weapon, unlike broad-spectrum antibiotics that wipe out helpful gut bacteria too. Phages also evolve alongside bacteria, which may help solve the resistance problem.

The FDA has even approved phages for food safety, and emergency phage therapy has saved patients whose superbugs no longer responded to any antibiotic.