Scientists Create Disease-Eating Viruses that Target Superbugs

There may be a new way to target superbugs. Scientists have isolated viruses that eat bacteria, called phages, and have caused them to specifically target the highly infectious hospital superbug called Clostridium difficile.

"Ever since the discovery of the first antibiotic, penicillin, antibiotics have been heralded as the 'silver bullets' of medicine. They have saved countless lives and impacted on the well-being of humanity," said Martha Clokie, one of the researchers, in a news release. "But less than a century following their discovery, the future impact of antibiotics is dwindling at a pace that no one anticipated, with more and more bacteria out-smarted and 'out-evolving' these miracle drugs. This has re-energized the search for new treatments."

In this case, the researchers turned to bacteriophages, known as phages. Unlike antibiotics, these viruses are specific in what they kill and will generally only infect on particular species, or even strain, of bacteria. They inject their DNA into the bacterium which then replicates and causes the bacterial cell to burst open. The phages then go on to infect other host cells.

In order to actually create a phage that can impact C. diff, the researchers isolated and characterized the largest known set of distinct C. diff phages that infect clinically relevant strains of the bacteria. In the end, they found that a specific mixture of phages were effective against 90 percent of the most relevant C. diff strains currently seen in the U.K.

"C. diff bacteria primarily affect our digestive system. Whilst relatively innocuous in individuals with a healthy gut flora, they pose a serious threat when our natural digestive environment is disrupted or depleted, such as after chronic antibiotic use," said Clokie in a news release. "In such individuals, C. diff infections can cause severe diarrhea, vomiting and dehydration. Collectively, these symptoms can prove life threatening, particularly in elderly patients."

The findings could help eliminate the negative impacts of antibiotics on gut flora. By using targeted, phage-based therapy, researchers can hopefully create a treatment to help those that are suffering from superbugs that are currently flourishing in hospitals. This latest effort has the potential to benefit the society at large as the scientists move forward with further studies.