Bacteria-Slaying Virus Used to Treat Drug-Resistant Disease in Immunocompromised Patient
The apex predator of the microbial world is a type of virus called bacteriophages. It hunts down and kills bacteria by hijacking the microorganism’s reproductive machinery and tearing it apart. Because of this, scientists have commandeered these microscopic killers to fight on the frontlines of a growing threat: antibiotic resistance, or when bacteria find ways to overcome the drugs meant to stop them.
A 2019 global survey found more people died from antibiotic resistance than HIV/AIDS or malaria. We've even seen a precipitous rise of drug-resistant gonorrhea, Salmonella, among many other diseases in recent years. Equally worrisome is an uptick in drug-resistant Mycobacterium chelonae—a bacteria similar to the ones behind diseases like tuberculosis and leprosy—threatening people who are immunocompromised, and a major concern in public health.
That’s where bacteriophages come in. Researchers in Boston have used a therapy using the virus to successfully treat a man suffering from drug-resistant M. chelonae infection, according to a new study published Tuesday in the journal Nature. The infection belongs to a group of mycobacteria called nontuberculous mycobacteria, considered the most drug-resistant of the bunch—and, therefore, one of the most difficult to treat.
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