When the world was just beginning to discuss the possibility of using viruses to combat bacteria, Ukraine was already conducting research and using bacteriophages in medical practice. Our country has deep roots in the development of phage therapy, a field that is currently experiencing a renaissance due to the growing problem of antibiotic resistance.

The Beginning: How Ukraine Began Working with Bacteriophages

As early as the 1920s, almost immediately after the discovery of bacterial viruses by the Frenchman Félix d'Hérelle, the first research in this field began in Ukraine. Microbiology laboratories began appearing in Kharkiv and Kyiv, studying these bacteria hunters.

One of the most renowned centers was the D.K. Zabolotny Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology (now the Institute of Microbiology and Virology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine), where phage trials were conducted on animals and humans as early as the 1930s. Even then, the first phage preparations against dysentery, staphylococcus, and salmonella were developed. They were used in hospitals, kindergartens, and sanatoriums.

In the post-war period, when Western science almost completely abandoned phages in favor of antibiotics, the Soviet Union, and Ukraine in particular, continued to develop this approach. The advantage was its good results in the treatment of gastrointestinal infections, skin diseases, wounds, and purulent complications.

Golden Age and Decline: Phages in Soviet Medicine

From the 1950s to the 1970s, phage therapy in Ukraine experienced a real boom. Phage stations were established to supply bacteriophage preparations to all corners of the country. Centralized production facilities existed to produce phage solutions for hospitals, pharmacies, and field hospitals.

Bacteriophages were particularly actively used in the military—to prevent intestinal infections in service members—and in pediatrics. Special mild-action phage formulations were produced for children. There were even phage cocktails developed to address specific epidemiological threats.

However, interest in this method gradually waned from the 1980s onward. Antibiotics, which appeared on the market en masse, seemed like the solution to all problems. Research funding dwindled, and many laboratories closed. Phage therapy remained on the fringes of mainstream medicine, although some scientists continued to work in this area.

Resurgence: How Phages Are Returning to Clinical Practice

Since the early 2000s, when it became clear that antibiotics were losing their effectiveness, Ukrainian scientists have revived their research into bacteriophages. Institutes studying these biological agents have gradually been revived. Private companies specializing in the development and production of phage preparations have emerged.

Today, officially registered phage agents are available in Ukraine and can be purchased in pharmacies. These medications target staphylococci, streptococci, Proteus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and other pathogens. They are used in gastroenterology, dermatology, urology, and surgery.

A unique advantage of Ukraine is the ability to produce customized phage cocktails. Based on bacterial culture and pathogen susceptibility testing, a drug is created in the laboratory that is effective against a specific patient's bacteria. This is an example of personalized phage therapy, which is available in Ukraine more quickly than in most EU countries.

Bacteriophages in modern Ukraine: where and how phages are used today

Today, phage therapy is actively used in clinical practice in several areas:

• In pediatrics: for the treatment of intestinal infections, dysbacteriosis, staphylococcal flora in newborns.

• In surgery: for the prevention and treatment of purulent wounds, bedsores, postoperative complications.

• In urology: for recurrent cystitis, pyelonephritis, urethritis.

• In dentistry: for gum inflammation, abscesses.

• In gastroenterology: for chronic colitis, salmonellosis, dysentery.

In addition, phages are used in veterinary medicine, agriculture, and for the sanitization of medical instruments, which helps combat hospital-acquired infections.

More and more doctors are taking advanced training courses on the use of bacteriophages. Medical universities offer lectures on phage therapy. And patients are seeking phage preparations themselves, knowing they are a safe, effective, and gentle alternative to chemical antibiotics.

What's Next? Prospects for Phage Therapy in Ukraine

The future of phage preparations in Ukraine looks promising. Several initiatives are already underway to create a national phage bank that will be able to quickly respond to outbreaks of new infections. Clinical trials of new formulations—aerosols, inhalers, and rectal suppositories—are underway.

Ukraine also has the potential to become an exporter of phage technologies. Our specialists have the experience, our laboratories have the infrastructure, and our healthcare system has the demand. This requires state recognition of phage therapy as part of standard treatment, investment in research, and modernization of the regulatory framework.

The history of phage therapy in Ukraine is more than just a scientific chronicle. It's an example of resilience, flexibility, and faith in nature's biological intelligence. And while this technology once fell into the shadows, it's now returning to the forefront of the medical scene—no longer as an alternative, but as an essential part of the future of treatment.