SKIN DYSBIOSIS IN ATOPIC DOGS: IS PHAGE THERAPY AN ALTERNATIVE TO ANTIBIOTICS?

Abstract

Bacterial overgrowth, also known as dysbiosis, is a common concomitant of canine atopic dermatitis. Microbial diversity is decreased and coagulase-positive staphylococci are more abundant in dogs with canine atopic dermatitis compared to healthy dogs. Antimicrobial therapy restores the diversity of the skin microbiome; however, this effect can diminish after treatment is discontinued. Therapies for skin dysbiosis have traditionally included antibiotics and antiseptic medications. Due to increasing microbial resistance to antibiotics, the era of novel antimicrobial agents for the treatment of skin infections has already begun. Recent research highlights potential new treatment options, of which one of the most promising appears to be the use of bacteriophages. Bacteriophages are viruses that can infect and kill bacteria without having negative effects on human or animal cells. This article provides an update on human and veterinary research on phage therapy as a potential approach for the treatment of bacterial infections, with a focus on the treatment of skin dysbiosis in atopic dogs. The clear clinical potential of phage therapy, its advantages and disadvantages, and the legal, biological, technical, and economic challenges it faces for its further implementation and wider application are outlined.