Bacteriophages are ..., or A few words about virology

Each bacteriophage can infect only certain types of bacteria. That is why bacteriophages have a strictly specific effect that does not affect the natural microflora in the body.

Action of bacteriophages

When a virus enters the cell of a pathogenic bacterium, it is introduced into its genome, and its multiplication begins. When a certain amount of new virus particles accumulates inside the bacterial cell , its destruction occurs, and the viruses go out and start to infect new bacterial cells

There are two types of bacteriophages:

1. Moderate bacteriophages

These are phages that can slowly multiply inside infected bacterial cells. They can be transmitted among the bacterial colony from one generation to another, from time to time destroying microbial cells. This effect is called lysogenic.

2. Virulent bacteriophages

These are phages that, when they enter a microbe cell, begin a rapid multiplication and thereby lead to a rapid destruction of the affected cell. This effect is called lytic.

Using

Today, the bacteriophage pseudomonasis is used to treat infections that are caused by protea, staphylococci, streptococci, pseudomonas, escherichia, klebsiella. Before the advent of antibiotics, bacteriophages were the only remedy for the treatment of infectious diseases. But when antibiotics appeared, there was a sharp change in the situation, as simple and effective drugs appeared, for which such a detailed selection is not required, as for bacteriophages.

Where to apply

The fact is that bacteriophages are resistant. Bacteria can lose sensitivity to the effects of antibiotics. Therefore, the pharmaceutical industry has to tirelessly synthesize others. But, as you know, antibiotic synthesis potentials have limitations. Also, antibiotics are very difficult to adapt to the action of bacteriophages, and according to experts, microbes are completely unable to develop resistance to a complex of several phages. In addition, bacteriophages are drugs that have almost no side effects, they rarely cause allergies, they can be combined with any medications. At present, bacteriophages have perfectly proven themselves in the treatment of purulent processes in surgery, urological diseases, intestinal infections in newborns.

Negative impact

Bacteriophages are strictly specific drugs, so it is difficult to select them. If the body does not have the right bacterium, and the bacteria that cause the disease are somewhat different, the virus remains in the body for no more than 2-6 days, after which it collapses.

Treatment with bacteriophages

The use of bacteriophages for treatment requires a fairly long time. For antibiotic treatment, usually 5-7 days is sufficient, and phages are assigned three courses for 7-20 days at intervals. It is believed that bacteriophages have the ability to transfer from one bacterium to another part of its genome - this means that resistance to antibiotics, pathogenicity is transferred.