Phages are viruses that infect and kill bacteria. The full name of this type of virus is “bacteriophage.” Phage is the Greek word φαγε written in Latin letters and means “to eat.” So a bacteriophage is literally a “bacteria eater.”
Since their discovery in the first half of the 20th century there has been speculation that phages could be harnessed to treat bacterial diseases in humans, but antibiotics have always proven to be much easier and cheaper to develop and test. Now scientists are looking at phages as a way to treat IBD by knocking down some of the bacteria in the gut that might be involved in triggering a flare – in the case of the current study: Klebsiella pneumonia.
This is a mouse study, so this approach won’t be ready for prime time in humans for years. But it is encouraging to see new lines of research being pursued and new tools being developed.
www.genomeweb.com
Since their discovery in the first half of the 20th century there has been speculation that phages could be harnessed to treat bacterial diseases in humans, but antibiotics have always proven to be much easier and cheaper to develop and test. Now scientists are looking at phages as a way to treat IBD by knocking down some of the bacteria in the gut that might be involved in triggering a flare – in the case of the current study: Klebsiella pneumonia.
This is a mouse study, so this approach won’t be ready for prime time in humans for years. But it is encouraging to see new lines of research being pursued and new tools being developed.
Phage Cocktail Holds Promise for IBD
Researchers uncovered a combination phage therapy that targets Klebsiella pneumonia strains among individuals experiencing inflammatory bowel disease flare ups, as they report in Cell.
www.genomeweb.com
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