https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7512-8787
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ABSTRACT
Phage therapy has recently attracted a great deal of attention to counteract the rapid emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. In comparison to monophage therapy, phage cocktails are typically used to treat individual and/or multi-bacterial infections since the bacterial agents are unlikely to become resistant as a result of exposure to multiple phages simultaneously. The bacteriolytic effect of phage cocktails may produce efficient killing effect in comparison to individual phage. However, multiple use of phages (complex cocktails) may lead to undesirable side effects such as dysbiosis, horizontal gene transfer, phage resistance, cross resistance, and/or higher cost of production. Cocktail formulation, therefore, representa compromise between limiting the complexity of the cocktail and achieving substantial bacterial load reduction towards the targeted host organisms. Despite some constraints, the applications of monophage therapy have been well documented in the literature. However, phage cocktails-based approaches and their role for the control of pathogens have not been well investigated. In this review, we discuss the principle of phage cocktail formulations, their optimization strategies, major phage cocktail preparations, and their efficacy in inactivating various food borne bacterial pathogens.
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Steve Harakeh
Professor Steve Harakeh received his B.Sc. and M.Sc. Degrees in biology from the American University of Beirut, and then he received his Ph.D. in Microbiology from the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom. He did his postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University, School of Medicine in the USA. Then became a research associate in the same department. Professor Steve joined the Linus Pauling Institute of Science and Medicine, where he worked with Professor Pauling, one of the world's only two unshared Nobel Laureate prizewinners and published scientific papers with him. Professor Harakeh joined the American University in Beirut and worked there in the Faculty of Science and Public Health. He then joined the King Fahd Medical Research Center at King Abdulaziz University in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as a Professor in the Special Infectious Agents Unit and held the position of Head of Research in the Chair of the Prophetic Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine. Professor Harakeh has received many scientific and research awards and grants and has published nearly 250 scientific research papers in internationally peer-reviewed and scientifically indexed journals (ISI). He was recently ranked among the 2% scientists worldwide by Stanford University according to Elsevier for the year 2022. He has written several chapters in prestigious international scientific books. He has also participated in, organized, and presented his research in several national and international scientific conferences. He worked as a reviewer for a wide range of international scientific journals. Professor Harakeh’s research has focused on viruses such as AIDS, influenza, and coronaviruses, including (COVID-19), bacteria, antimicrobials, and their associated resistance. He also worked on evaluating the biological efficacy of nano-formulations of natural compounds, in the treatment of cancer, diabetes, and wounds and their potential application to reduce the toxicity associated with the use of conventional drugs. He is diligent in serving the community at large to help find ways to reduce the severity of diseases and their impact on public health and the economy.