Final Project Thoughts: Conclusion

The reality is that the time where antibiotics could cure most of out illnesses is coming quickly to and end. Superbugs and naturally resistant bacteria are unable to be stopped by antibiotics alone, and the population of these killers is getting larger every second. After doing my research these past couple of weeks, I have come to a personal conclusion that our time depending on antibiotics is coming to a close, and it is crucial that the attention of scientists and researchers begins to fall on bacteriophages and phage therapy. Based on the limited amount of research that has been done on phages, it is hard to know for sure if they truly are a safe alternative to traditional antibiotics. However, based on the information that has been found and the cases that have been treated with bacteriophages, it really does seem like phages are promising. Just as bacteriophages can evolve a resistance to antibiotics, bacteriophages also have the ability to evolve and become stronger to fight and keep up with said bacteria. While bacteria are able to become resistant to some phages, they have to give up their resistance to antibiotics in order to do so. With that said, if bacteriophages and antibiotics were to be used simultaneously, they may be able to destroy even the strongest and most resistant bacteria (this has actually been tested and proven to be successful). Both antibiotics and phages have their advantages and disadvantages. While antibiotics may dominate within our country today, this may no longer be the case in the future, which is something that must seriously be considered before it is too late.

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