In this blog post, we will explore the principles behind bacteriophages, which reproduce by infecting bacteria, and why they are attracting attention as a treatment method.
Some people will argue that this is nonsense. However, no one thinks it is strange to eat lactobacillus bacteria, so why are people reluctant to eat viruses? In fact, in the US, a virus called bacteriophage is sprinkled on hamburgers before they are eaten. The reason for sprinkling bacteriophage on hamburgers is to eliminate the bacteria in them. American hamburgers, which are made from scratch, contain many types of bacteria because they use ingredients that have been handled by many people. Consuming bacteria such as Vibrio, which causes septicemia, and Aeromonas Hydrophila, which causes skin necrosis, can cause serious problems. Therefore, bacteria called bacteriophages are sprinkled on hamburgers to eliminate these bacteria. This is the newly emerging phage therapy.
The first thought that comes to mind is, “If antibiotics can cure bacterial diseases, why use a virus called a bacteriophage to treat them?” These days, when you go to the hospital and get a prescription, you may have seen many patients asking to be prescribed antibiotics. Antibiotics are indeed medicines that treat bacterial diseases. The development of a powerful antibiotic called penicillin has enabled many people to escape bacterial infections. However, continuous use of antibiotics has led to the emergence of bacteria that are resistant to them (superbugs). Stronger antibiotics must be used to kill these powerful superbugs, and the vicious cycle of bacteria developing resistance continues. To solve this problem, phage therapy using bacteriophages is gaining attention.
At this point, you may wonder, “How can bacteriophages eliminate bacteria?” Bacteriophages, which play an important role in phage therapy, are, simply put, “bacteria assassins” that live by infecting bacteria. It is easy to think of bacteriophages as thieves who invade other people’s homes for their own gain. First, just as a thief searches for a house to rob, bacteriophages recognize specific bacteria that they can use for their own reproduction. Next, they pierce the bacteria with their spikes (sharp claws) and insert their genetic material (DNA and RNA) inside. In other words, they invade the host’s home. After that, the phage genes begin to express themselves inside the host bacteria using the bacteria’s enzymes. The phage genes continue to replicate their genetic material within the host bacteria, creating many new phages that are clones of themselves. The newly created phages break through the cell walls of the bacteria and attack other bacteria. This mechanism is how phages kill bacteria.
Now that we know how bacteriophages kill bacteria, we may ask, “So, is it safe to eat bacteriophages?” My answer is a resounding “yes.” This is because bacteriophages only target bacteria. To understand this, think of the relationship between a lock and a key. A key is only used to open a lock. Just as a key cannot open a fingerprint or iris recognition program, bacteriophages can only recognize bacteria. This means that bacteriophages cannot recognize animal cells as hosts and cannot insert their genetic material into them to reproduce. For this reason, ingesting bacteriophages will not cause any adverse effects such as the death of your cells. The fact that bacteriophages recognize specific bacteria as hosts has another advantage. It means that treatments for various bacteria can be developed. There are many types of bacteria, but because there are specific bacteriophages that recognize those bacteria, there are treatments for various bacterial diseases. If phage therapy is studied further, there will be no more worries about treating bacterial diseases.
Recently, treatments using bacteriophages have been applied not only to animals but also to plants. Plant hospitals are actively researching the use of bacteriophages to eliminate pathogens in specific plants. For example, methods are being developed to treat bacterial spot disease and ulcer disease that occur in tomato farms using bacteriophages. This is contributing greatly to increasing crop yields and reducing the use of chemical pesticides.
Currently, many research institutes and companies are interested in “phage therapy” using bacteriophages and are working to develop and commercialize drugs that can treat various types of diseases. In fact, bacteriophages that can treat Vibrio bacteria and Aeromonas Hydrophila mentioned above have been developed and are in use. In addition, bacteriophages are being used to prevent mass deaths of fish caused by bacterial diseases in large aquariums. If further research confirms the safety and effectiveness of phage therapy, will we see a day when bacteriophage-based medicines are as widely used as probiotic drinks?
Furthermore, bacteriophage-based therapies are not limited to human health and safety. Recent studies are also focusing on bacteriophages as a solution to environmental pollution. Methods of using bacteriophages to remove specific harmful bacteria from contaminated water and soil are being explored and are attracting attention as an environmentally friendly and sustainable method of environmental protection. The use of bacteriophages in these various fields will contribute to making our lives safer and healthier.
