4 ms·
There exists an alternative to antibiotics since it's very beginnings. It is the bacteriophages therapy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phage_therapy https://en
by moppl 9y ago
There exists an alternative to antibiotics since it's very beginnings. It is the bacteriophages therapy:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phage_therapy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phage_therapy
It is practiced since the 20ies in Tiblisi Georgia. TED talk about it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjH6m5VuR6I https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjH6m5VuR6I
So it is not all doomsday.
- mrarjen 9y agoI was thinking this as well. It seems rather promising as a partial replacement at first. Hope that this will offer solutions to the antibiotics problem long term.
- xefer 9y agoOn a tangential note, that "Phage therapy" Wikipedia page makes reference to the Sinclair Lewis book "Arrowsmith": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrowsmith_(novel) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrowsmith_(novel) I found it to be one more the more inspirational books I had read as a young student.
- QAPereo 9y agoThere are serious limitations to the current application of phage therapy, not the least of which is the need to positively identify a given strain you want to attack. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phage_therapy#Obstacles https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phage_therapy#Obstacles
- JoshTko 9y agoIsn't this potentially a feature? In that you won't be promoting resistance in non target bacteria? Seems that this would force much less over-prescription.
- keevie 9y agoThat does seem like an advantage, but the downside is that people who don't have access to fancy diagnostic equipment potentially just die of things that could be cured with some antibiotics....
- sevenfive 9y agoI don't know how someone can say "this promising therapy exists only in Tblisi" and not be immediately suspicious...
- perilunar 9y agoFor open wounds there is also maggot therapy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maggot_therapy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maggot_therapy