Meet the next weapon against bacterial infections: viruses!

[backscatter712]

Interesting... This might be the thing now that bacteria are evolving resistance to antibiotics...

Phages may be key in bacteria battle
By Damien McGuinness and Deborah Cohen
Health Check, BBC World Service

They might look like sinister aliens, but these bacteria-munching viruses could be the next weapon in the fight against infectious diseases.

At the Eliava Institute in Tbilisi, Georgia, patients are treated for all kinds of bacterial infections with viruses called phages. In most places in the world antibiotics are given for these infections.

One patient says he regularly uses phages to treat a recurring eye infection.

"I've tried everything. I've even had operations on my eye but nothing helped. But this does help," he says.

Phages are naturally occurring viruses that kill bacteria. Once they get into bacterial cells the phages' DNA replicates until it kills the host.

[pipoman]

1. Genetically engineered cattle and corn

freak people out, but developing new viruses and turning them loose like they are our friends seems a little..short sighted

[MineralMan]

2. I believe you are misunderstanding what they are doing.

Bacteriophages are viruses that attack only bacteria. They exist in many varieties already. Those are what are being used in these treatments. They do not attack human cells at all. They have evolved to attack bacteria.

Nobody's developing new ones at this point. They're using naturally-occurring bacteriophages. With so many bacteria developing resistance to the antibiotics we have available, phage treatments are a cause for hope in some cases.

It's good to understand what the actual situation is. This has nothing to do with genetically engineered food.

Here is some information on bacteriophages:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacteriophage

Thanks for your attention.

[backscatter712]

3. Exactly. Apparently, the Russians have been using phage therapy for years.

And as you mentioned, these are natural viruses that attack bacteria - no genetic engineering required.

You get a case of strep throat, the doctor will have you gargle with a broth full of phage viruses, instead of giving you antibiotics.

The phages will go to town on the strep infection, and chances are good that you'll be cured just as fast as if you traditional antibiotics.