Evolutions and involutions in biomedicine. Phage therapy and the treatment of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections

Phage therapy, the use of bacteriophage viruses to treat bacterial infections, is a lesser-known, century-old practice that has seen a resurgence of interest since the early 2000s largely due to the increase in bacterial resistance to chemical antibiotic molecules. This article, the result of a long-standing collaboration between an anthropologist and a biologist, explores the possibilities of developing a therapy that truly takes into account the evolutionary and involutionary capacities of the living. By briefly reviewing the history of the development and use of antibiotics, and based on more than four years of fieldwork, we show, together with the actors of phage therapy, that such a development implies a joint rethinking of some of the material infrastructures of our societies and the ontological status accorded to microorganisms.