Uncovering a hidden diversity of aquatic bacteriophages: ecological diversity, untapped therapeutic potential, and water quality control

Abstract

The graphical abstract displays generalized information regarding the source and application of phages. According to the figure, natural water bodies and wastewater treatment plants are considered to be the major sources of lytic phages. These phages can be utilized for various activities, including lowering the bacterial load of wastewater treatment plants, which will minimize the contamination of the environment with pathogenic bacteria. With this, the microbial ecological balance will be maintained. Additionally, lytic phages can be used as an alternative therapeutic agent for bacterial disease in humans and have a significant contribution in maintaining public health. Bacteriophages (phages), the viruses that infect bacteria, are the most abundant biological entities in the biosphere and constitute a fundamental component of aquatic microbial ecosystems. They are ubiquitously distributed across diverse environments, including oceans, rivers, lakes, wastewater systems, coral reefs, mangroves, and sediment water interfaces, where they strongly influence bacterial abundance, diversity, and ecosystem functionality. Aquatic environments provide highly favorable ecological niches for both bacterial hosts and their associated phages, making these ecosystems important reservoirs of enormous but still insufficiently explored viral diversity. Marine ecosystems, particularly coastal tropical waters, coral reefs, and mangrove habitats, harbor highly dynamic phage populations that actively shape microbial community structures and ecological stability. In freshwater ecosystems, sediment–water interfaces represent critical hotspots for viral–bacterial interactions, where phages regulate bacterial population dynamics and contribute substantially to nutrient turnover. Beyond their ecological importance, aquatic lytic phages possess considerable therapeutic potential against pathogenic and multidrug-resistant bacteria. Their high host specificity, self-replicating capacity, and biofilm-disrupting activity make them promising and sustainable alternatives to conventional antimicrobial approaches. Moreover, their ability to reduce bacterial contaminants highlights their potential for wastewater bioremediation and water quality management, underscoring the value of aquatic phages as an underutilized resource for antimicrobial therapy and environmental sustainability.