The Drugs Don't Work - Will viruses replace antibiotics in the fight against superbugs?

KYTOS Biology

In the hope that it might provide a solution to the growing problem of antibiotic resistance, a new treatment is currently receiving a lot of attention. Based on a naturally occurring phenomenon this potential solution lies with a group of viruses called bacteriophages. When most people think of viruses, they usually imagine the ones that infect humans and cause diseases like flu, measles, rabies or Ebola. However, humans are not the only organisms that suffer from viral infections. Viruses can also infect plants, fungi and more crucially - bacteria. Bacteria infected by phages are turned into virus-making factories, producing and releasing huge numbers of new bacteriophages when they burst open (lyse) and die. Incredibly, Bacteriophages cannot infect human cells. Scientists are interested in the potential use of phages as an alternative to antibiotics for treating bacterial infections. (With thanks to our sponsor 'Curriculum Press' for providing content for this podcast)