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Bacteriophages are viruses that are able to infect and kill bacterial cells. This capability indicates that they may have the potential to become new antibacterial agents, as an alternative to antibiotics. Yet, while bacteriophages are relatively new to Western researchers, they have been extensively used in the former Eastern Block and its successors, including use in human clinical medicine. Western research on this topic is far more limited. Bacteriophage products have recently been licensed in the USA for control of two different bacteria: Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli O157:H7. Neither of these products is, however, approved for direct administration to humans or animals. The use of bacteriophages to treat bacterial infections in humans or animals is a much more complex issue, but there has been a considerable amount of research into this field, and results are quite promising. Bacteriophage therapy and prevention of bacterial pathogens has been assessed in numerous species, and animals are also used as models for human disease. The behaviour of bacteriophages is, however, not as predictable in vivo as it is in artificial laboratory models. There is also concern regarding possible undesirable outcomes of bacteriophage therapy, such as the development of bacterial resistance to bacteriophages, and even the possibility of transfer of virulence or resistance genes, via bacteriophages, into other bacteria. Therefore, extensive research is still required into the behaviour of bacteriophages in vivo , but research to date shows considerable promise.