Mechanisms of Antiphage Defense in Prokaryotes

Abstract

The globalization of the problem of the formation of bacterial strains poly- and pan-resistant to known antimicrobial drugs creates high risks in the healthcare sector. The threat of a return to the «pre-antibiotic» era dictates the need to search for alternative forms of antibacterial therapy. Phage therapy, based on the use of a natural, widely distributed in the environment, accessible antimicrobial agent, is again becoming relevant. The article highlights the mechanisms of antiviral protection of prokaryotes at various stages of interaction between the virus and the target cell. Revealing the secrets of the confrontation between bacteria and viruses, their co-evolution is necessary to increase the effectiveness of phage therapy and develop modern means of overcoming bacterial resistance to antimicrobial agents.

Keywords

• bacteriophage
• phage infection
• drug resistance
• lysogeny
• pseudolysogeny