The Impact of Bacteriophage Therapy on Gut Microbiome

Phage therapy is the use of bacteriophages to treat bacterial infections. Unlike antibiotics, phages have a very narrow spectrum and often target single species or strains of bacteria. The effect of phage therapy on non-targeted bacteria, however, is largely unstudied. In this study, the impacts of orally administered phage therapy and antibiotic therapy on the composition of the gut microbiome, the complex bacterial ecosystem of the digestive system, were compared. Piglets (n = 17; 3 weeks of age) were randomly assigned to one of three treatments: (1) ASP250 [antibiotic]; (2) Salmonella phage cocktail; and (3) control. All pigs were euthanized after 14 days of treatment. Samples were collected from cecum, ileum, and fecal contents.