Can Western phage companies make money off an ancient, ubiquitous virus? Can they adapt this complex treatment to America's quick-fix culture? Finally, can they solve the long-held medical mystery at the center of the story: are bacteriophages a long-forgotten cure for deadly, reemerging infections or an unreliable folk medicine with the false gleam of fool's gold?

Pediatrics “Antibiotic Management of Staphylococcus aureus infections in US Children’s Hospitals, 1999 2008. Jason G. Newland et al. 2010; 125; e1294-e1300.

Helen W. Boucher et al. “Bad Bugs, No Drugs: No ESKAPE! An Update from the Infectious Diseases Society of America.” Clinical Infectious Diseases, 48 (Jan. 1, 2009): 1-12.

10 Comments

1. 1. AllanRBrewer 11:59 AM 8/31/12

   "Meat and seafood companies are spraying the viruses on their equipment to protect consumers from foodborne illness."
   
   That's exactly the sort of overuse/misuse which has led to so much antibiotic resistance - those bacteria which are susceptible to that specific phage mix will perish and leave the food for other bacteria which are not susceptible to that specific phage mix.

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2. 2. Acoyauh2 01:39 PM 8/31/12

   Speaking of overuse/misuse: Can you say "I Am Legend"? Let's keep playing with bugs...
   

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3. 3. Laroquod 06:06 PM 8/31/12

   Alarmists aside, Phages are inherently a superior solution to antibiotics because they are at least theoretically capable of co-evolving in order to counter the increased resistance of their target bacteria. Whereas antibiotics require billions of dollars of funding and a monolithic industry in order to keep up with the arms race between humans and little critters, phages could conceivably keep up essentially for free -- provided the scientists are paying attention.

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4. 4. Acoyauh2 in reply to Laroquod 07:24 PM 8/31/12

   I agree with you, and even can see other advantages. What really worries me, though, is that we won't resist the itch to 'improve' the viruses and/or change them for use in other areas. Once we find a good idea, we do tend to abuse it - push it until some damage is done, somewhere. And even then, if it's already a good enough business, not back up again. Plenty of examples in today's world, right? Plastic? Fishing? Oil and coal? Antibiotics!
   
   Great idea alright, but a bit scary if you think beyond what it CAN do, and into what we USUALLY do...

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5. 5. bottom quark in reply to AllanRBrewer 10:50 PM 8/31/12

   The alarm is unwarranted. Currently there are no known bacterium that are resistant to phage viruses. I use "currently" loosely to all but eliminate all future instances of phage resistant bacterium. I am afraid to say it will never happen, in the same way most people say cold fusion will never happen.

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6. 6. AllanRBrewer 07:18 AM 9/1/12

   You misunderstand my point and resistance. Phages are extremely specific to which bacterial strains they will infect, so if a phage mix is overused as in the example, although the target bacteria will be wiped out, it simply opens the door for other bacteria, not targeted by the phage to take over that niche. If you want to look at it as developing resistance, OK, it only takes a few mutations to turn one bacterial strain into another which would not be targeted by the same phage.

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7. 7. Phathisani 02:26 PM 9/5/12

   AllanRBrewer is spot on. The phages are specific, but are not perfect killers. Sometimes the DNA packets are transferred to a bacterium which then gives the resulting bacteria new facets. The VTEC E.coli seem to be an example. Let us use viruses, but also learn from the antibiotic lessons and also bear in mind that the use on animals has implications for humans. We need a scientifically based approvals system for proper use by the proper people. Now is the time to do something, not when the first problems appear. Phages offer a great opportunity; don't let us waste it.

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8. 8. Safety-by-Nature 07:31 PM 9/5/12

   A couple of points worth mentioning: 1. The battle between bacteria and phage has been going on for the last 3 ½ billion years, without any know diminishment of bacteria or phage. Yes, they do co-evolve. 2. The idea that phage treatment on food will actually eliminate a serotype is fanciful. A serotype could develop resistant, but since food producers constantly monitor production for pathogens, efficacy is restored by swapping out one or more monophages in the cocktail. Regulatory approval of the FDA’s first phage-based food additive, ListShield™, specifically permits replacing monophages to sustain efficacy. I should note that since ListShield’s production began in 2006, not one case of resistance has been reported by its users. 3. We ingest phages all the time. Every fresh salad, glass of spring water, of food exposed for any appreciable amount of time contains or is covered by phage. Unfortunately, they are randomly specific and usually cannot ward off an attack by food borne pathogens. 4. Transferring DNA packets only apply to lysogenic phages, which will not be approved by regulatory authorities. Food safety phages are composed of lytic phages. 5. Finally, rather than chemical sanitizers, phages are safe and natural. Products in use today are kosher, halal and OMRI (Organic Materials Research Institute) listed and they substantially reduce the use of water in food processing facilities.

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9. 9. roleednc in reply to AllanRBrewer 07:23 PM 3/24/13

   Good points about overuse. Thoughtless and indiscriminate use of anything is not wise. One possible counter to that argument is that "excessive" use can create new phages that are deadly to the new bacteria. We shall see. I think our best best is balance and moderation in whatever course we take, including our own relationship with our personal biota.

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10. 10. FanOPhage 06:57 PM 5/5/13

    The only comment here that seems to come from someone who knows more about phages that only what's written in this article is the one from Safety-by-Nature.

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