Bacteriophage administration significantly reducesShigellacolonization and shedding byShigella-challenged mice without deleterious side effects and distortions in the gut microbiota

ingestion. Oral prophylactic "phagebiotic" administration of lytic bacteriophages may help to maintain a healthy gut microbiota by killing specifically targeted bacterial pathogens in the GI tract, without deleterious side effects and without altering the normal gut microbiota.