A special issue of Life (ISSN 2075-1729). This special issue belongs to the section “Microbiology“. Deadline for manuscript submissions: 12 May 2023
Special Issue “Bacteriophages: Infection, Genetics and Therapy”
https://www.mdpi.com/journal/life/special_issues/196IPXRO2G
Dear Colleagues,
Bacteriophages (or “phages”) are prokaryotic viruses known to infect and kill bacteria. Bacteriophages are abundant in the environmental niches occupied by the bacteria they infect. The interaction of bacteria and bacteriophages plays a key role in bacterial evolution, and many anti-phage bacterial defense systems are under investigation. Understanding the arms race between bacteria and bacteriophage leads to the identification of new immune systems. How bacteriophages are adsorbed to the bacterial surface and how bacteria develop resistant mutants are worth investigating. The concept of using bacteriophages as therapeutic agents to cure bacterial infections, called phage therapy, is gaining interest because of the development of antibiotic-resistant infections. Phage therapy is believed to be one of the alternatives to combat the antibiotic resistance crisis, but the impact of introducing therapeutic bacteriophages into the human system is less known. Recent studies also showed the potential of phage-encoded antimicrobial proteins such as endolysins or holins to kill bacteria. Even though bacteria are developing resistance to both bacteriophages and antibiotics, the combinational use of phages and antibiotics can overcome resistance to kill the bacterium. The possibility of reverting the antibiotic-resistant bacterial strain to become antibiotic-susceptible using a phage or phage cocktail is within the scope of investigation. In the broader view, more studies on bacteriophage biology at the molecular level will improve our understanding and help move phage research from laboratories to human therapeutics.
This Special Issue will present studies on bacteriophages—especially on phage characterization, phage genomics, phage–bacteria interaction, phage–antibiotic combination, animal-infection models, and phage-encoded antimicrobial proteins.
Guest Editors
Dr. Prasanth Manohar
Dr. Bartłomiej Grygorcewicz
Dr. Ramesh Nachimuthu
PHAGElogist 