Phagovet

How bacteriophages work – video

In this insightful video MMBio Grad student, Jessica Hawkins explains in a simple way the science behind bacteriophages and how they might be beneficial in getting rid of harmful bacteria that antibiotics cannot kill.

This article earlier appeared in the “BYU MMBIO” YouTube channel

References are available bellow.

https:// www.youtube.com/channel/UCyESx9JVP3l5qYQ-VWQXL5w

For more info about BYU MMBio

Bacteriophages, or phages for short, are viruses that infect and replicate within bacteria. They are found in almost every environment on Earth and are the most abundant biological entities on the planet.

Phages can be used as a natural alternative to antibiotics for controlling bacterial infections in poultry. When phages infect a bacterial cell, they inject their genetic material into the cell and take over the cell’s machinery to replicate themselves. This process eventually leads to the death of the bacterial cell, releasing a large number of new phages that can go on to infect other bacterial cells.

In the context of poultry production, phages can be used to control bacterial infections in a number of ways. One approach is to introduce a mixture of phages that target the specific bacterial species causing the infection. The phages can be applied directly to the affected birds or to their environment, such as their water supply. Alternatively, phages can be added to the feed to allow the birds to consume them and establish a phage population in the gut, which can help prevent bacterial infections from taking hold.

It is important to note that phages are highly specific and only infect specific strains of bacteria. Therefore, it is necessary to identify the bacterial species causing the infection and select the appropriate phages to use for treatment. Phages can also evolve and become resistant to the bacteria they infect, so it is important to periodically assess the effectiveness of phage treatment and adjust the phage mixture as needed.