Reinventing the fight against bacteria, one phage at a time.

“Treatment with bacteriophages can combat antibiotic-resistant infections, but Swiss patients lack access” It is not only antibiotics but also certain viruses – known as bacteriophages – that can kill off pathogenic bacteria. However, Switzerland lacks the legal framework for the use of these viruses in therapy. What would need to change so that more patients can benefit from this form of treatment? Researcher Alexander Harms explains.  Alexander Harms is Professor of Molecular Phage Biology. (Image: Montage Giulia Marthaler / Fabienne Estermann) Bacteriophages – or phages for short – are viruses that can infect and kill off bacteria. They are naturally present in their billions in our environment, as well as with bacteria in our intestines and on our skin. Physicians have been using phages to combat pathogenic bacteria for over 100 years. This form of treatment was – and continues to be – particularly widespread in Georgia. Following the discovery of antibiotics, phage therap...

Antibiotic resistance: a solution exists! With  Pascale COSSART Member of the Academy of Sciences Antibiotics have long been considered a miracle weapon, capable of eradicating diseases caused by bacteria. However, their widespread use has given rise to an even more formidable threat: antibiotic resistance. The World Health Organization now speaks of a "silent pandemic." Every year, more than a million people die indirectly from them, and if nothing changes, this figure could rise to ten million by 2050. Ten million is more than cancer. Should we resign ourselves to losing this battle? No! Pascale Cossart, Honorary Permanent Secretary of the French Academy of Sciences, Professor Emeritus at the Pasteur Institute, and a specialist in microorganisms, helps us rediscover a forgotten avenue, an alternative to antibiotics that deserves our full attention: phage therapy. Listen to the podcast here, in French :  https://www.canalacademies.com/emissions/lenvie-de-savoir/antibioresist...

Escape from PARIS: Virus smuggles RNA into bacterial cell to survive immunity A bacterial cell infected by a virus can sacrifice itself by cutting its own RNA (pink) via an immune effector protein (green) to stop the spread of the virus. Credit: Maria Alexandrova Skoltech researchers and their colleagues from the Pasteur Institute and the University of Lorraine, France, have uncovered some of the inner workings of a recently discovered bacterial immune system called PARIS, which can potentially make human pathogens resistant to phage therapy. A promising alternative to antibiotics, phage therapy refers to the use of viruses called phages to infect and destroy bacteria that cause disease in humans. Already used to some extent, the approach is expected to make advances when scientists have a better understanding of the interaction between bacteria and phages. That interaction is at the heart of the recent study  published  in the  Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Soc...

Scientists develop a virus cocktail to combat superbugs Peer-Reviewed Publication Monash University Researchers in Melbourne, Australia, have developed a bespoke phage therapy product to combat a highly problematic, antimicrobial resistant bacteria. In a major advance for infectious disease treatment, researchers from Monash University and The Alfred have developed a bespoke phage therapy product that uses bacterial viruses, known as ‘bacteriophages’, to combat a highly problematic, antimicrobial resistant bacteria. The treatment, named  Entelli-02 , is a five-phage cocktail designed specifically to target  Enterobacter cloacae  complex (ECC), a group of bacteria responsible for severe, often difficult-to-treat infections. The study, published in   Nature  Microbiology , was led by  Professor Jeremy J. Barr  from the Monash University School of Biological Sciences, with  Professor Anton Peleg  from the Department of Infectious Diseases, The A...

Interview with Bassim Karaman on phage therapy Bassim Karaman recounts his medical journey after undergoing knee replacement surgery and developing an infection. Karaman was treated with phages at the Geneva University Hospitals, which most likely saved him from having to have his leg amputated. More information at https://forumphage.ch 0:00 What happened after the knee replacement 3:54 Living with an infection and no joint in his left knee 4:51 Dead end 5:46 The hope of phage therapy 6:24 Phage treatment 7:10 Effects of treatment 8:02 After phage treatment: one in two germs reappears 9:15 Three years later 10:35 But osteoarthritis remains 11:18 Is there a need for phage therapy?

Interview on phage therapy with Dr. Truong-Thanh Pham, HUG (French with subtitles) Infectious disease specialist Truong-Thanh Pham, from the Geneva University Hospitals (HUG), tells us about the consequences of antibiotic resistance for his patients, phage therapy, and how he most likely prevented a patient (Bassim Karaman) from having to have his leg amputated using phages. Pham also discusses the current obstacles to phage therapy and ways to improve the situation. More information at https://phagenforum.ch/fr/ 0:00 What types of antibiotic resistance do you encounter in the clinic? 1:20 What does this mean for your patients with infected implants? 2:06 What is the impact on patients' quality of life? 2:46 Can you talk about Mr. Karaman, whom you treated with phages for an infected knee prosthesis? 3:37 What would have been the consequences for Mr. Karaman if no treatment had been effective? 4:18 How did the phage treatment go? 5:12 In your opinion, what are the str...

Viruses, a hope against antibiotic resistance Antibiotic-resistant germs are posing increasing challenges to medicine. There is a great need for complementary treatments. One of these could be phage therapy, as a new film shows. Image:  Andres Jordi Phages are viruses that only attack and destroy bacteria. This can be used as therapy if a virus adapted to the pathogenic bacteria is found. In Switzerland, phages can currently only be used in emergencies. But how exactly does phage therapy work? How and where is it already used? And what are its limitations? The film "Phage Therapy – Medicine Goes Viral" by science journalist Thomas Häusler, produced for the Forum for Genetic Research, answers these and many other questions. Available with english subtitles ! Copyright belongs to, taken from :  https://geneticresearch.scnat.ch/fr/uuid/i/6e5fc24b-fe38-5822-8d4d-28af9bd5caa1-Les_virus_un_espoir_contre_la_r%C3%A9sistance_aux_antibiotiques