TABLE 1.

Advantages, disadvantages, and similarities of phage therapy compared to antibiotic therapy

Advantages	Similarities	Disadvantages
Specificity: does not kill the microbiota Self-limitation: once the bacterial host is killed, it ceases to function Available for patients with antibiotic allergies Safety: no effects on mammalian cells Exponential reproduction allows for lower doses Evolution: if resistance arises, phages mutate alongside bacteria Antibiofilm activity Simple and inexpensive to produce Ubiquity	Administration requires a neutralized-pH environment Therapeutic success depends on variables such as time of treatment initiation Activity is influenced by the immune system of the patient Versatility in routes of administration Occurrence of bacterial resistance to the therapeutic agent	Specificity: causative bacterium must be identified beforehand, narrow spectrum of action Induction of phage-neutralizing antibody production (clinical relevance to be determined) Significantly smaller body of evidence and correctly designed clinical trials supporting its effectiveness Lack of a specific regulatory framework, and legal issues regarding intellectual property