Phage-antibiotic synergy (PAS): the fast pass to the future

Harvard Undergraduate Microbiology Society explainer by Srikara Tadigotla on phage-antibiotic synergy (PAS), which pairs inexpensive antibiotics with adaptable phages so that bacteria must trade off phage resistance against antibiotic resistance, for example by shutting efflux pumps or mutating receptors. It notes limits: high phage specificity, the need for careful pairing because some antibiotics inhibit phage reproduction, and immune-system clearance of phages.