Once overlooked as passive bystanders of the human intestinal microbiota, new evidence is shedding light on the importance of enterococci and their bacteriophages (phages) in shaping human health. Natural predators of enterococci, phages represent a narrow spectrum, precision targeting modality for the eradication of problematic enterococci within the microbiota or infected tissue. The identification of enterococcal phage receptors, absorption factors, and transcriptional responses following phage infection reveals a complex predator-prey relationship that modulates enterococcal cell surface architecture, susceptibility to antibiotics, and adaptation to host associated environments. Considering the dry up of contemporary antibiotic discovery pipelines in the pharmaceutical industry and a continued emergence of multidrug-resistant enterococci, enterococcal phages may serve as bonafide therapeutics. We highlight current advances in enterococcal phage biology with emphasis on recent breakthroughs in potential therapeutic applications that place enterococcal phages at the forefront of next-generation biologics.

中文翻译：

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肠球菌-噬菌体相互作用的分子机制及其对人类健康的影响。

作为人类肠道微生物群的被动旁观者，曾经被忽视的新证据揭示了肠球菌及其噬菌体（噬菌体）在塑造人类健康方面的重要性。肠球菌的天敌，噬菌体代表了一种窄谱、精确的靶向方式，用于根除微生物群或受感染组织内的有问题的肠球菌。噬菌体感染后肠球菌噬菌体受体、吸收因子和转录反应的鉴定揭示了一种复杂的捕食者-猎物关系，该关系调节肠球菌细胞表面结构、对抗生素的敏感性以及对宿主相关环境的适应。考虑到当代制药行业抗生素研发管道的枯竭以及耐多药肠球菌的持续出现，肠球菌噬菌体可作为真正的治疗剂。我们重点介绍了肠球菌噬菌体生物学的当前进展，并强调了将肠球菌噬菌体置于下一代生物制剂前沿的潜在治疗应用的最新突破。