Antibiotic replacement

[Santalum]

http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/phages-the-virus-that-cures/

 

Very interesting doco.

 

From my university days I am well aware of bacteriophages, but this documentary details serious US efforts to develop bacteriophages into high standard and practical treatments for bacterial infections in the face of inexorable rise of antibiotic resistance.

 

There will be one limitation however that will be very difficult to overcome. And that is bacteriophages cannot be injected into the blood stream as they are soon destroyed by our own immune response. Hence they are likely to be limited to gastrointestinal, respiratory, wound and topical applications.

[John Cuthber]

The tragedy of that documentary is the date at the end.

Nothing seems to have happened since.

Edited February 19, 2012 by John Cuthber

[Santalum]

The tragedy of that documentary is the date at the end.

Nothing seems to have happened since.

 

Well as they said in the doco, most medical researchers are still wedded to antibiotics.

 

 

But the way things are headed they will probably be dragged kicking and screaming to bacteriophages because in all lilelihood a new class of antiobitocs will probably not be found before superbugs become a major cause of premature death.

[CharonY]

There are several research directions going on. Unfortunately biological agents, such as phages are hard to dose and control and often do not give satisfactory results under non-optimum conditions (e.g. clinical trials).

Other approaches including e.g. silencing are also at least near-trial, though I am not familiar enough to have an opinion on that. My overall feeling is that at one point or another that resistances are almost unavoidable. The biggest chances are likely vaccines, especially those targeted at essential virulence factors. That, however, requires much more base knowledge on the details of the actual processes.

 

I do not think that any magic bullet will suddenly appear that will solve all the problems.

Edited February 22, 2012 by CharonY