Mycobacterium abscessus, a relative of the bacteria that cause tuberculosis and leprosy, is responsible for particularly severe damage to human lungs and can be resistant to many standard antibiotics, making infections extremely challenging to treat. However, there is hope. Bacteria are vulnerable to naturally occurring viruses, called bacteriophages. Scientists are testing new therapies that combine bacteriophages with the antibiotics that we currently use to treat antibiotic-resistant infections. In their September 16, 2021 Disease Models & Mechanisms article, Laurent Kremer, PhD, Director of Research at INSERM, and colleagues from the Université de Montpellier, France, and the University of Pittsburgh, USA, investigate the antibacterial effects of a new combination therapy, treating infections caused by the antibiotic-resistant bacteria M. abscessus with a bacteriophage and an antibiotic. The article is titled “Mycobacteriophage–Antibiotic Therapy Promotes Enhanced Clearance of Drug-Resistant Mycobacterium abscessus.”