Mosi Jones

Bacteriophage Use as a Living Therapy and Alternative to Antibiotics in The Dawn of Multi Drug Resistance

Started Mar. 5, 2022

Abstract or project description

Living in a world filled with bacteria is truly a remarkable thing. Microbes are microscopic creatures that are not visible with the naked eye. They are responsible for things such as fermentation, decomposition, and aspects of growth and evolution. Without microbes, society as we know it just wouldn't function. Unfortunately some bacteria and viruses are pathogenic, meaning that they can be harmful to the host organism by causing disease and illness. They rely on the downfall of hosts to survive, leaving said hosts in a weakened state that could potentially lead to death. Lucky for patients, antibiotics have been an effective way to eliminate these pathogens, and have increasingly been used to treat pathogenic infection. It is this increased use and reliance on antibiotics that has led to an ever-encroaching issue. These bacteria and viruses are becoming resistant to these treatments, and are evolving into super bugs that pose more of a threat in a field where treatments are slowly running out. By looking at the evolution patterns and growth of bacterial persisters (meaning any bacteria that are able to survive after attempted eradication with a method of treatment), we can find new, innovative, effective, and efficient ways of treating them. And the rise of bacteriophages as a living therapy just may be the solution scientists are asking for.