Discovery could spell end of superbug

Antimicrobials are a class of drugs that includes antibiotics, antivirals, antiparasitics and antifungals.

Antimicrobials are a class of drugs that includes antibiotics, antivirals, antiparasitics and antifungals.

Published Oct 17, 2013

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London - British scientists have identified a virus that “eats” the bacteria involved in Clostridium difficile infections in a breakthrough that could have major implications for the fight against the antibiotic-resistant hospital superbug.

The technique represents a viable alternative to antibiotics for the treatment of bacterial infection, using naturally occurring viruses called bacteriophages - “eaters of bacteria” or phages, for short. Researchers at the University of Leicester have isolated phages that specifically target C diff, an infection of the gut that killed 1 646 people in the UK last year. In lab tests, funded by the Medical Research Council, the viruses were 90 percent effective against the most dangerous strains of the bug.

The danger posed by growing resistance to antibiotics is one of the gravest health risks facing the world, doctors have warned, and alternative methods for treating bacterial infections are being urgently sought.

Dr Martha Clokie, who led the research at Leicester's Department of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, said that phages could have a major role to play in coming decades. “The future impact of antibiotics is dwindling at a pace that no one anticipated, with more and more bacteria outsmarting and 'out-evolving' these miracle drugs. This has re-energised the search for new treatments,” she said.

Unlike antibiotics, phages generally only target one strain of bacteria. This could make them particularly effective as a treatment for C diff infections, which become dangerous when antibiotic treatments interfere with the balance of “good” bacteria in the gut. They work by infecting bacteria cells, and replicating their DNA inside the cell. This leads to the cell bursting open and dying, with the new phages released from the dead cell and spreading to kill off other bacteria cells.

The technique was first used more than 100 years ago, but the development of effective antibiotics in the early 20th century meant it was rarely used by British doctors - although it persisted in eastern Europe and is still common in some countries, including Georgia and Poland.

“As bacterial diseases become more problematic and we run out of antibiotic options to treat them, we've seen a resurgence of interest in this field,” Dr Clokie told The Independent. “My Russian colleagues at the University of Leicester were all given phages when they were kids for various problems, but in the UK their use has been completely superseded by antibiotics.”

Increasing antibiotic resistance has been highlighted by doctors as one of the major threats facing the world. England's Chief Medical Officer, Dame Sally Davies, warned earlier this year that routine operations could become deadly in 20 years' time if we lost the ability to fight infections.

HOW THE VIRUS ATTACKS BACTERIA

1 The virus, known as a bacteriophage, meaning ‘eater of bacteria’, or ‘phage’ for short, attaches to the bacteria cell, known as the host.

2 Once attached, the phage injects its DNA into and then replicates in the bacteria cell many times over

3 This ultimately causes the bacteria cell to burst open. The phages released from the dead cell then infect other host cells. - The Independent

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