Phage Therapy in Livestock and Companion Animals

Abstract

The irrational use of antibiotics has led to a high emergence of multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria. The traditional overuse of antibiotics in the animal feed industry plays a crucial role in the emergence of these pathogens that pose both economic and health problems. In addition, antibiotics have also recently experienced an increase to treat companion animal infections, promoting the emergence of MDR bacteria in pets, which can reach humans. Phages have been proposed as an alternative for antibiotics for the treatment of livestock and companion animal infections due to their multiple advantages as adaptative drugs, such as their ability to evolve, to multiply at the site of infections, and their high specificity. Moreover, phage-derived enzymes may also be an interesting approach. However, the lack of regulation for this type of pharmaceutical hinders its potential commercialization. In this review, we summarize the main recent studies on phage therapy in livestock and companion animals, providing an insight into current advances in this area and the future of treatments for bacterial infections.