As old LSS hands will know, we’ve always advocated a mixed response to the antibiotics resistance crisis. Certainly, we need new classes of conventional antibiotics. And some of our blogs have reported on the exciting new work that’s being done in that area. But we’ve also had a soft spot for bacteriophages, that rather neglected branch of learning which could yet provide an entire second line of defence for us.
Which is why this latest report from Nature Briefings (see below) is so encouraging. For what Jessica Sacher has done is create a bacteriophage pharmacopeia. A go to collection from which she can supply physicians with what they need on a case by case basis. The viral equivalent of the chemical drugs stores in the pharmacy of a modern hospital. Yes, it’s small start-but don’t forget the old saying about oaks and acorns. We wish her incredibly well.
How to build a phage directory
When patients no longer respond to any antibiotics, phages — bacteria-killing viruses — can sometimes save lives. Microbiologist Jessica Sacher is helping to make this happen. As a co-founder of Phage Directory, she connects physicians looking for phages with those who can produce them at a safe-to-use quality. The directory “post calls or ‘alerts’ for phages against different bacterial strains”, Sacher explains. “We receive one such request a week on average, and 84% of the alerts we have sent out have received a response, such as sharing of phages or directing requestors to labs with the appropriate phage.”Nature | 6 min read
#antibiotics #microbial resistance #bacteria #bacteriophage
Learning, Science and Society 