A brief history of the use of lytic bacteriophages in bacterial disease therapy is presented. After early disillusionment with the idea following poor experimental work, control of phages and field trials, studies were set up in the 1980's in the UK to study their use in farm animal infections. Work with E. coli septicaemia and diarrhoea has shown that phages can be highly effective prophylactically and therapeutically and more effective than antibiotics. There is considerable potential for their use in a limited number of infection types in both man and animals.