The scary, yet promising world of phages, the pathogen's pathogen
Another version of this story was put out previously; this is a more detailed account
ScienceDaily
- Summary:
- Researchers are unlocking the mystery of how bacteria harness viruses to wipe out the competition. The answers could help spur the development of alternatives to antibiotics.
Bacteriophages, viruses that attack and destroy bacteria, are everywhere in the natural world where they play a vital role in regulating microbe populations in ways that are not yet well understood.
New research led by the University of Utah and University College London (UCL) has found that plant bacterial pathogens are able to repurpose elements of their own bacteriophages, or phages, to wipe out competing microbes. These surprise findings suggest such phage-derived elements could someday be harnessed as an alternative to antibiotics, according to Talia Karasov, an assistant professor in the U's School of Biological Sciences.
This result was hardly what she expected to find when she embarked on this research with an international team of scientists.
Read on: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/06/240613161125.htm