But d’Herelle knew something microscopic was at play and he was able to demonstrate through filtering techniques that a biological agent was feeding on the dysentery bacteria and only the dysentery bacteria. Imagine now the challenge of trying to match the right phage to the right bacteria in that era (no databases, no international communication, etc) … talk about finding a needle in haystack! And along came antibiotics …
Antibiotics would attack bacteria indiscriminately – no matter the infection. One cannot argue that this was, at that time, indeed a sound medical approach. Doctors would prescribe broad spectrum antibiotics once an infection was confirmed and only those patients not responding favorably to treatment would undergo further testing. It was efficient, effective, and economical. No one could have foreseen the overprescribing of antibiotics nor the havoc doing so would play with our food chain (using in on livestock) or the rise of bacteria resistant superbugs. That there were also good (beneficial) bacteria in our systems that antibiotics would clear may also have not been realized.
With modern technology and techniques, Phage research is making a comeback and there are publicly traded companies at the forefront of testing and mapping the right phage to the right bacteria. There is already promising results with respect to treating some superbugs such as MRSA as well as lung infections associated with cystic fibrosis and the dreaded flesh eating bacteria known as Streptococcus pyogens. Antibiotic resistant strains appear to be no match for the appropriate phage virus.
Does this not sound familiar? We knew something worked and worked well and for whatever reason it was discarded in favour of synthetic drugs and other treatments. Ironic that this would happen at around the same time the world initiated the prohibition of cannabis. And just like the prohibition of cannabis, abandoning the pioneering research with respect to phages was based on something other than pure science.