Bacteriophage Therapy
3 videos • 322 views • by Live UTI Free In this series, Dr. Sabrina Green, Dr. Saima Aslam and Dr. Austen Terwilliger discuss bacteriophage therapy. The first video explains that bacteriophage, or “phage”, is a virus that is harmful only to bacteria. Once inside a bacteria cell, phages multiply and produce an enzyme that damages the bacterial cell wall causing it to implode, or “lyse”. Bacteriophage therapy uses naturally-occurring viruses as antibacterial agents to treat bacterial infections. Because phages are excreted by animals, they are typically sourced from wastewater or sewage where billions of phage may be present. The phage which opposes the patient’s bacterial strain is identified, then purified and prepared for treatment. The second video explores the specific use of phage therapy for recurrent UTI. Phage therapy can be delivered topically, intravenously, via nebulizer or instillation, depending where the infection is. When choosing a phage, or a cocktail combination, each is chosen for specific qualities. E.g. One might excel at degrading biofilm while another may have a high threshold to developing resistance. Often, phage therapy and antibiotic treatment are used in tandem. In these cases, lab testing can predict the effectiveness of the phage/antibiotic combination in treating a patient’s bacterial strain. Phage therapy has achieved promising results in treating biofilm infections. The third video explores possible side effects of phage therapy. Toxicity due to phage is not a concern because they don’t infiltrate human cells. Because the phage used in patient treatment is grown in a host bacteria in the lab, an extensive purification process must ensure virulence, endotoxins and antibiotic resistance are not transferred to the patient. Although specific phage are used to target a patient’s particular pathogen, much like the use of modern-day drugs, the eradication of one type of bacteria can unintentionally give rise to another. Because most UTIs are caused by E. coli, klebsiella, enterococcus and pseudomonas, they are responsive to phage therapy. If this information was helpful, you may wish to contribute to future expert interviews and other crucial projects here: https://liveutifree.com/contribute To become more actively involved, why not become an official Live UTI Free member? https://liveutifree.com/become-a-member Learn about Fungi, Viruses & Hormones from Dr. Thomas-White here: https://youtu.be/bq6ahlc3tl0 Learn more about Phage Therapy For Recurrent UTIs here: https://liveutifree.com/phage-therapy/ Learn about whether it’s safe to treat a UTI without antibiotics here: https://youtu.be/QgUXjAlnWDA About Dr. Sabrina Green Ph.D. Dr. Sabrina Green is a research scientist with almost a decade of training in Microbiology. She is currently the research and development director at TAILΦR, a phage service center at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. Her passion is bringing awareness to the world of antimicrobial resistance. Also, helping patients dealing with AMR infections. Austen Terwilliger, Ph.D. Dr. Terwilliger grew up on a potato farm in central Pennsylvania where he always loved being outside and observing animals and bugs alike. This passion to investigate how living things "worked" developed into a degree in molecular microbiology. His early work was in microbial pathogenesis, which led him to focus on novel antibiotic agents like phage. He now leads a great team of technicians and graduate students in developing novel phage cocktails to treat multidrug-resistant bacterial infections. Saima Aslam, MD, MS Dr. Aslam is a Professor of Medicine at the Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) and is the Director of the Solid Organ Transplant Infectious Diseases service. She has been engaged in phage therapy since 2017 and is the Clinical Lead at the Center for Innovative Phage Applications and Therapeutics (IPATH) at UCSD. Dr Aslam heads a Cystic Fibrosis Foundation pilot study to develop a clinical registry of Burkholderia infected patients with CF and an associated bacteriophage library. She is also involved in studies combating multidrug resistance, transplant-related clinical trials and the use of phage-lysin for Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia. About Live UTI Free Live UTI Free is a patient advocacy and research organization. We do not endorse specific treatment approaches, clinicians or diagnostics methods. The content of this video does not provide medical advice. It is intended for informational purposes only. The medical and/or nutritional information is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen. https://liveutifree.com/ Post-production: Melissa Wairimu https://www.instagram.com/kreativlee_/