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Looks like something out of science fiction does it not? A phage (full name is bacteriophage) is a virus:
that infects and replicates within bacteria and archaea. The term was derived from "bacteria" and the Greek φαγεῖν (phagein), "to devour". Bacteriophages are composed of proteins that encapsulate a DNA or RNA genome, and may have relatively simple or elaborate structures. Their genomes may encode as few as four genes and as many as hundreds of genes. Phages replicate within the bacterium following the injection of their genome into its cytoplasm. Bacteriophages are among the most common and diverse entities in the biosphere. Bacteriophages are ubiquitous viruses, found wherever bacteria exist. It is estimated there are more than 1031 bacteriophages on the planet, more than every other organism on Earth, including bacteria, combined. (source – Wikpedia)
A Canadian scientist is often credited to being a principal of the discovery of phages and that was around the time of World War I’s conclusion. Without going too far down this rabbit hole, suffice to say with the discovery of antibiotics, R&D into phages started to fall by the wayside.
Countries within the former Soviet Union continued research into phages which made embracing this research in much of the western world an obstacle due to the political arena of the times.
For those of you interested in phages this Harvard publication is as good as it gets but there are many other publications in public domain for you to explore as well as TedTalk podcasts etc. Phage research is now making a comeback including medical applications. To appreciate why this was abandoned one only need take that trip back through time …
Canadian scientist Félix d’Herelle in 1917 looked at the fecal matter from those that survived dysentery and realized that there was something that was inside these survivors. Phages are micro-viruses and could not be seen with even the most advanced mechanical microscope of the times.
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