Laboratory bacteria have been model systems for studying gene function or developing molecular biotechnologies; industrial bacteria have been used to produce drugs, foods, fuel etc.; while pathogenic bacteria have been the subject of infectious diseases studies with aim of controlling them. Recently, with our increasing knowledge in molecular biology, bacterial genetics, and immunology, bacteria have gained increased interest in therapeutic applications. This review will summarize recent advances toward applying bacteria in treatment of diseases, such as inflammatory disease, cancer, and virus infection. Probiotics have long been appreciated for their immunomodulatory effect, which are discussed in the anti-inflammatory section. Anaerobic bacteria have been applied for destructing tumor cells or used as a magic bullet to specifically deliver therapeutic agents to tumor tissue. Examples and strategies of applying those tumor-targeting bacteria are discussed in the antitumor section. Finally, the pioneer study of applying Salmonella in delivering RNase P that was specifically engineered to target essential mRNAs of virus is summarized.