Bacteriophages are viruses that specifically infect bacteria and are an integral component of the human oral microbioecology.Multiple bacteriophage types reside in the oral cavity where they interact and coevolve with resident bacteria,playing an important role in maintaining oral microecological stability.Exploration of phage-bacteria func-tional relationship conducive to understand changing factors that influences oral microbial community.Moreover,bac-teriophages can potentially be harnessed to manipulate the oral microbiome and maintain oral health.Nowadays,the emergence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens presents a major challenge to conventional antibiotic therapies.Owing to their specificity,lack of toxicity,and capacity for self-propagation,phage-based approaches have become a research focus for controlling microbial infections,providing new research pathway for oral infectious diseases including dental caries,periodontitis,and oral candidiasis.This review summarizes biological features of phages and the status quo of bacteriophage study,the roles of phages in oral microbial ecology,as well as the pontential applications of phage ther-apy for controlling oral pathogens.
万方数据
维普
