Abstract
Microbes possess diverse genetic and metabolic traits that help them withstand adverse conditions. Microbial pathogens cause significant economic losses and around 7.7 million human deaths annually. While antibiotics have historically been a lifesaving treatment, their effectiveness is declining due to antibiotic-resistant strains, prompting the exploration of bacterial predation as an alternative. Bacteriophages (BPhs) have reemerged as antibacterial agents, offering advantages over antibiotics, such as (i) high specificity, (ii) self-replication, and (iii) strong killing capacity. This review explores BPh- and enzyme-based antibacterial strategies for infectious disease treatment, discussing phage-antibiotic synergy, the risks of BPh resistance, and the role of quorum sensing in BPh therapy.