BACTERIOPHAGES???

Derived from twoorwords:

Bacteriophages, simply phages, are viruses
with an ability to infect and, in many cases, kill
Bacteria
bacterial cells. As with most viruses, these
infections begin with virion binding to specific cell-
Phagein
surface(to eat or which
receptors, devour in greek)
is then followed by
intracellular replication. Over 90% of phages have
•
BACTERIAL VIRUSES
tailed icosahedral THAT
heads INVADE
that, BACTERIAL
after inserting their
nucleic acid into the bacterial cell, terminate their
CELLs AND by
infections CAUSE
lysingBACTERIUM
the cells they TO
haveLYSE.
infected.
A crucial aspect of phage functioning as biological
antibacterials is their potential to be applied
directly to living tissues without causing harm, that
is, they demonstrate selective toxicity. Though not
always emphasized, especially historically , an
important component of selective toxicity is an
ability to avoid harming the often useful normal
microbes that are associated with mammalian
bodies .
Therefore, displaying a narrow spectrum of
activity can be a useful property for an antibiotic
or equivalent antibacterial.
But how could injecting millions of viruses into
an infection be a good idea?
Phages are very very specialized killers of bacteria.So specialized, in fact, that
humans are completely immune to them; we are too different.
Wait a minute, if we use phages to kill bacteria, won't
bacteria develop ways of defending themselves?
Phages evolved .This makes phages smart weapons that are constantly getting
better at killing
.But even if bacteria were to become immune against our phage, we still might be
able to win.It turns out that in order to become resistant to even just a few species
of phages,bacteria have to give up their resistance to antibiotics
.Although this treatment is still experimental and pharma companies are still
reluctant to invest the necessary billions in a treatment that has no official
approval yet.
But things are finally changing.In 2016, the largest phage clinical trial to date began
and phages are getting more and more attention

It might be a weird concept but injecting the deadliest being

on planet Earth directly into our bodies could save millions of
lives.
 ADVANTAGES OF PHAGES OVER ANTIBIOTICS
• First, phages are specific to one species of bacteria and are therefore
unlikely to disturb beneficial microbe living in our guts. The human body is
populated by over a thousand species of microbes, which are estimated to
make up about 3-5 pounds of our total body weight.
. Because many antibiotics kill bacteria indiscriminately, treating an infection
with an antibiotic results also in killing this beneficial gut bacteria.
Each phage, on the other hand, evolved to kill just a specific set of bacteria.
Because phage kills with a narrow scope, it could be used to cure an infection
without disturbing the community of beneficial bacteria in our body.

• Second, phages are able to kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The way that
phages kill bacteria is harder for bacteria to develop resistance against
compared to the way that antibiotics kill bacteria.

Rather than stopping bacteria from doing one specific process like in the case
of antibiotics, phages actively destroy the bacteria’s cell wall and cell
membrane and kill bacteria by making many holes from the inside out. In
addition, many bacteria develop biofilm – a thick layer of viscous materials
that protect them from antibiotics.
Many phages are equipped with tools that can digest this biofilm.
Why Aren’t Phages Used?
One main reason is because antibiotics have been working well
enough over the past 50 years that most countries have not re-
initiated a study on the clinical uses of phages. But another reason is
that there are some limitations for using phages as a treatment.

• First, phages are more difficult to prepare cleanly.

Another challenge is to obtain the right concentration of phages since

its concentration can’t be measured directly. If the concentration is
too low, phage therapy would inefficacious.
• Second, phage takes a longer time to employ in a treatment
compared to antibiotics. Because a single type of phage can only
infect a few species of bacteria, phage selection has to be done with
care.
First, doctors have to figure out the identity of bacteria that is causing
the illness. Then they have to check whether the available phages
could kill this strain of bacteria. If not, they have to search for new
phages that could do the job. This process takes time that the patients
may not have – especially when phages are used only as a last
resort on very ill patients.
On the other hand, because antibiotics kill indiscriminately, doctors
can prescribe an antibiotic to treat a patient without needing to first
identify the specific type of bacteria.
CONCLUSION\

Phage therapy is a possible alternativ for

eliminating superbugs
Lower costs
Target respons
No adverse side effects
No formation of rezistance agains
phanges
Bibliography:
Fighting Fire with Fire: Killing bacteria with virus
http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2018/bacteriophage-solution-antibiotics-problem/
Phage cocktails and the future of phage therapy
https://www.futuremedicine.com/doi/pdf/10.2217/fmb.13.47
Phage therapy- Administration https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phage_therapy

Bacteriophages
https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/biology-of-viruses/virus-biology/a/bacteriophages
THANK YOU!