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The crisis of antibiotic resistance represents a global public health challenge, affecting particularly patients with respiratory infections. The use of (bacterio)phages for the treatment of bacterial infections (phage therapy) seems safe but its effectiveness has not yet been proven by controlled clinical trials. Nevertheless, phage therapy is regaining interest, encouraged by published cases treated successfully with personalized phage combinations as well as significant advances at a preclinical level. Standardized approaches in phage production and treatment administration, as well as future translational studies, are needed to improve our understanding and explore the potential of phage therapy., Competing Interests: Les auteurs n’ont déclaré aucun conflit d’intérêts en relation avec cet article.

Since its emergence in December 2019, scientific knowledge about the SARS-CoV-2 virus has evolved rapidly but, due to the complexity and novelty of this infection and its political and economic stakes, much remains to be clarified. Thousands of studies have already been published and scientific research is constantly evolving. In this multitude of information, we offer an update of the knowledge currently available. A limitation of the propagation, the understanding of the functioning of the virus and its clinical manifestations, the administration of specific treatments, rapid and reliable diagnostic tools are the basis of the fight against this germ, which is still little known today., Competing Interests: Les auteurs n’ont déclaré aucun conflit d’intérêts en relation avec cet article.

Antibiotic resistance has become a major medical problem of our time. In 2015, the World Health Organisation (WHO) endorsed a global action plan in response. One of the main axes of this plan has been the sustained development of new antimicrobials. Despite its challenges, over half a dozen new substances have become clinically available in the last decade. Here, we review a selection of these novel antimicrobial and their applications and discuss their possible use in the clinical setting., Competing Interests: Sylvain Meylan est consultant pour Antimicrobial Memory Recovery Initiative (Global Antibiotic Research & Development Partnership (GARDP) – Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi)). Benoît Guery: participation à l’advisory board d’Astellas Pharma, et Merck Sharp and Dohme (MSD). Vera Portillo n’a déclaré aucun conflit d’intérêts en relation avec cet article.

Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) raised, in the recent years, a growing interest, mostly in Clostridioides difficile infections (CDI). The concept of FMT is quite simple based on the administration of fecal matter from a healthy donor to a patient with a disease related to the gut microbiota imbalance (dysbiosis). Although the theory seems straightforward, the fine mechanisms are multiple and not yet completely understood. In Switzerland, FMT is considered as a drug under the pharmacist responsibility. The only official indication for FMT is multi-recurrent CDI. For practical reasons, most of the FMT are performed with fresh stools, but development of frozen forms and capsules should considerably enhance treatment delivery. Other indications are currently investigated but not yet in the clinical routine., Competing Interests: Les auteurs n’ont déclaré aucun conflit d’intérêts en relation avec cet article.

Respiratory tract infections represent a major cause of morbidity and mortality despite the progress made in their diagnosis and treatment. Since the clinical presentation of a viral or bacterial infection is often similar, the identification of a biomarker that could guide the clinician whether or not to introduce an antibiotic therapy is crucial. C-reactive protein and procalcitonin are the most commonly used biomarkers as a diagnostic tool for respiratory tract infections. New biomarkers show promising results for assessing the severity of infection and identifying patients at risk for complications. However, the use of biomarkers has limitations and the diagnosis of a bacterial infection should not be based solely on the measurement of a biomarker., Competing Interests: Les auteurs n’ont déclaré aucun conflit d’intérêts en relation avec cet article.