Bacteriophages

Bacteriophages Latest News

Due to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) the world is now rediscovering bacteriophages and much relevant research is ongoing in many countries.

About Bacteriophages

• Bacteriophages are ‘good viruses’ that naturally prey on bacteria.
• They are all around us, in the water, in the soil, in our gut, on our skin, etc. There are believed to be 10-times as many phages as bacteria on the earth.
• Unlike an antibiotic, which may be able to kill many species of bacteria, phages may only kill a few strains of a particular bacterium.
• All bacteriophages are composed of a nucleic acid molecule that is surrounded by a protein structure.
• The nucleic acid may be either DNA or RNA, and it may be double-stranded or single-stranded. 
• There are two main strategies that have been used in treating patients by using Bacteriophages
• One, isolate the bacteria from the infected tissue, check which phage works against it in the lab, grow more of that phage and administer it to the patient.
• These phages may come from a phage bank of one’s own or in very serious cases one may even ask phage banks elsewhere in the world for help. These are natural phages.
• Second. genetically engineered phages, which have been modified in the lab to expand the variety of bacteria they can kill.
• Uses: Phages have been used for burns, foot ulcers, gut infections, respiratory infections, urinary tract infections, etc.

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Bacteriophages FAQs

Q1: What are bacteriophages known for?

Ans: Bacteriophages, also known as phages, are viruses that infect and replicate only in bacterial cells. 

Q2: Who discovered the virus?

Ans: Dmitry Ivanovsky

Source: TH