Application of bacteriophages, particularly to animals, to either control or eradicate especially infecting pathogenic bacteria.
A broader definition of phage therapy is similar to that of 'phage-mediated biocontrol of bacteria'. As such, phages can be applied to foods, environments, plants, etc. For additional discussion of the possible distinction between the use of 'phage therapy' on the one hand and 'biocontrol' on the other, see Abedon (2009).
Note that phages can be employed therapeutically for reasons other than the treatment of bacterial infections, such as, for example, as gene therapy vectors.
For additional discussion of phage therapy along with numerous references, see phage-therapy.org.
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