Therapeutic Replacements to Antibiotics

For more than half a century, the human society has been relying primarily on antibiotics to treat infectious diseases caused by pathogenic bacteria. After the development of antibiotics, a general belief arose that the problem of bacterial infections would be solved. But the more use of antibiotics for the treatment of bacterial infection resulting in Multidrug-resistant bacterial infections. The emergence of infectious disease caused by drug-resistant bacteria requires alternatives to conventional antibiotics. Immunity play important role to treat infectious diseases. Certain type of immunomodulators are used to boost the immunity against infectious diseases. Immunomodulators are biological or synthetic substances that can modulate any aspect of the immune system including both adaptive and innate arms of the immune system. Vaccines play an important role in providing and improving immunity to a particular disease. Monoclonal antibodies are currently being developed against certain infectious agents, including cytomegalovirus and human immunodeficiency virus. Prebiotics and probiotics are used to promote the growth and multiplication of specific beneficial gut microflora. Micronutrients such as selenium, zinc, and vitamin A and macronutrient such as Protein, Fat, Carbohydrates known to modulate immunity . Bacteriophages, Bacterial cell wall hydrolases and Antimicrobial peptides are also used as alternative to antibiotics in certain bacterial infections. Bacteriophages are 'bacterium eaters' that kill bacterium by causing its lysis (bacteriolysis). This review article highlights various types of alternatives to antibiotics which are used for the treatment of bacterial infections.