Eli5 what are phages (the medical alternative to antibiotics) and how do they work?

Question

Eli5 what are phages (the medical alternative to antibiotics) and how do they work?

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Answer 1

Phages are viruses that specifically attack bacteria. The ones I’m familiar with almost look like little rocket ships with legs, which they use to attach to the bacteria. They “inject” their genes (rna/dna) and hijack the bacteria’s machinery to make more bacteriophages similar to how other viruses work.

Main benefit over antibiotics being that bacteriophages have been locked in an evolutionary cat and mouse game for a long, long time…so when bacteria develop resistance, bacteriophages can adapt.