R ecent research conducted by researchers from Yale University is published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology , suggesting that natural bacteriophage, or phage, can kill dysentery-causing bacteria and reduce virulence in surviving bacteria. It's a piece of inspiring news as treating dysentery has become a challenge with the rising antibiotic resistance. Background Shigella flexneri , the culprit causing contagious infection marked by inflammatory diarrhea and dysentery in sub-Saharan Africa and southern Asia, kills about 160,000 people globally every year. The World Health Organization (WHO) takes priority to this pathogen in terms of increasing cases, antimicrobial resistance, and limited treatment options. S. flexneri is active primarily in low-income countries, like southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. In these places, dirty drinking water is a concern causing dysentery, while antibiotics are expensive and unav...