| dc.description.abstract | This paper provides an overview of some alternatives to antibiotics: antimicrobial peptides, probiotics, and bacteriophages. For each of these options some potential applications are reviewed. Are they more suitable for therapy or preventative measures? Is their use feasible at all? Can they be used on their own or should they be used in combination with other therapeutics? What could we expect from this alternative in the future?
These alternatives seem to have the potential to substitute (part of) the antibiotics used in the various fields. In human medicine, probiotics can be used preventatively, especially after treatment with broad spectrum antimicrobials. There is evidence they may be of use therapeutically as well.
For therapy both AMPs and bacteriophages show potential. AMPs have the advantage that they provide a stable quality. Generally speaking, they are also available in a wider range of specificity, which is advantageous when the exact pathogen is unknown.
Bacteriophages on the other hand, are more specific and require a strain-specific identification of the pathogen. Another problem is that they replicate in the patient after administration and may evolve during treatment, which makes them less constant in terms of quality. Whether or not this is an acceptable risk should be studied carefully. Either way, it may be a problem in terms of medicine approval and regulations. Additionally, national health insurance policies will aim to use the most economical treatment methods that are available. That will also be a deciding factor in the future of these alternatives for antibiotics.
In agriculture, probiotics can be used for growth promotion and disease prevention. AMP and bacteriophages would be useful to treat existing infections. Which of these two becomes the standard will depend on economic or regulatory factors. I have not discussed information on using these alternatives on plants, however given the prevalence of bacteriophages in environments that contain bacteria, they are likely to be found and isolated. Since AMPs have broader spectra, one could imagine using these as well. | |
