Abstract
An outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was first reported in Wuhan City, China, in December 2019. Since then, the outbreak has grown into a global pandemic, and neither a vaccine nor a treatment for the disease, termed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is currently available. The slow translational progress in the field of research suggests that a large number of studies are urgently required. In this context, this review explores the impact of bacteriophages on SARS-CoV-2, especially concerning phage therapy (PT). Bacteriophages are viruses that infect and kill bacterial cells. Several studies have confirmed that in addition to their antibacterial abilities, bacteriophages also show antiviral and antifungal properties. It has also been shown that PT is effective for building immunity against viral pathogens by reducing the activation of NF kappa B; additionally, phages produce the antiviral protein phagicin. The Ganges river in India, which originates from the Himalayan range, is known to harbor a large number of bacteriophages, which are released into the river gradually by the melting permafrost. Water from this river has traditionally been considered a therapeutic agent for several diseases. In this review, we hypothesize that the Ganges river may play a therapeutic role in the treatment of COVID-19.
Highlights
Vijaya Nath Mishra,1 Nidhi Kumari,1 Abhishek Pathak,1 Rajnish Kumar Chaturvedi,2 Arun Kumar Gupta,3 and Rameshwar Nath Chaurasia1
The outbreak has grown into a global pandemic, and neither a vaccine nor a treatment for the disease, termed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is currently available. e slow translational progress in the field of research suggests that a large number of studies are urgently required
This review explores the impact of bacteriophages on SARS-CoV-2, especially concerning phage therapy (PT)
Summary
Hankin [12] characterized the antibacterial properties of Ganga and Yamuna water long before the concept of bacteriophages was developed by Mallapaty [16]. A product obtained from replication of phages, can be detected before morbific phage particles are released from bacterial cells [8]. Bacteriophages are responsible for the production of some antiviral agents which function against harmful viruses. One of the antiviral agents, is the product of phage replication. Phagicin is a protein that interferes with the replication of viral DNA, but it does not cause any harm to the host DNA. A study of staphylococcal phages on the expression of genes which are involved in antimicrobial immunity in the A549 cell line showed that there is an increased translation of interleukin-2 (IL-2) [25]. IL-2 enhances the activity of NK cells and causes a progressive cellular immune response [26]
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