Reviving hope: Phage therapy application for antimicrobial resistance in farm animal production over the past decade

Abstract

The growing concern over antibiotic resistance on a global scale has led to a surge in phage therapy as a potential solution for difficult bacterial infections in animal production. Antibiotic resistance is a pressing public health concern affecting millions of people worldwide. Developing new antibiotics to combat this silent pandemic is complex, time-consuming process, and vulnerable to the rapid evolution of bacterial resistance. Viruses known as phages (bacteriophages) are living drugs that effectively target and destroy harmful bacteria and hold promise as valuable, green, and natural alternatives to antibiotics in food animal production. Phage therapy, which involves phages to eliminate bacterial infections, represents one of the most promising approaches to address the current threat of antibiotic resistance owing to its unique mechanisms of action. This review aims to summarize recent advances within the past years from 2014 to 2024 in the use of dietary phages as alternatives to antibiotics in food animal production. The application of phages, also known as phage therapy, occurred during the pre-antibiotic era. With antibiotics losing their effectiveness in treating zoonotic diseases and affecting the efficiency of food animal production, it is time to reconsider and renew our approach to phage therapy in the current post-antibiotic era. This review explores the development, advantages and challenges of phage therapy, its applications in food animal production and gaps for future research. It provides new insight into antibiotic resistance and the development of phage therapy cocktails that target specific antimicrobial resistance (AMR). This is important for ensuring sustainable antibiotic-free food animal production and protecting natural ecosystems.