Decolonizing the gut from multidrug-resistant bacteria: Current strategies and future perspectives

Table 3 Comparison between phage therapy and antibiotics

Feature	Phage therapy	Antibiotics
Mechanism of action	Targets and infects specific bacteria, leading to their lysis	Interferes with essential bacterial processes like cell wall or protein synthesis
Host specificity	Highly specific—usually affects only certain strains and species	Broad spectrum—may act on various bacterial species
Resistance development	Bacteria can develop resistance, but phages may co-evolve	Resistance is a growing issue, and development of new antibiotics is slow
Impact on microbiota	Minimal disruption to beneficial microbiota	Can disrupt gut flora, leading to dysbiosis or secondary infections like Clostridioides difficile infection
Replication in host	Multiplies at the infection site if host bacteria are present	Does not self-replicate; efficacy depends on dosage
Immunogenicity	May trigger immune response, especially with repeated use	Less likely to elicit strong immune reactions
Production and customization	Can be tailored to target specific pathogens	Mass-produced with fixed formulations
Environmental impact	Generally considered eco-friendly	Overuse can contribute to antibiotic resistance and gut dysbiosis