Talk:Bacteriophage
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Is there any word about the possible dangers of a) phage therapy and b) using the things with food? Is it possible that a bacteriophage would infect a human cell? _sd
- Bacteriophage is highly specialized to attack bacterial cell and they can't attach or attack human cell. There is a small danger that the phage code for a virulence factor and can increase the virulence of a bacteria. For exemple, the pathogenicity of some strains of Vibro cholerae (cholera)can be explain by the presence of prophage in their genome. This kind of phenomenon is possible only with temperate phages. But, there are some rules for the phages used in the food or therapy. These phages are extensively studied to verify the possible presence of these kind of virulence factor and some of the interesting phage are lytic (these phages don't have the possibility to integrate their DNA, then we avoid the lysogenic state). H. Deveau (August 26, 2006)
There are dangers, but they would be indirect. One danger of phage therapy is that it might be used instead of more appropriate and effective treatments. Another, relevant to the use of any chemical or virus or genetic engineering, is that the organisms may develop resstance. It is trivially easy in the laboratory to select bacteria that are rsistant to any given bacteriophage, and as H.Devoe mentions, the biology of such resistance is well-studied. The use on food would have similar problems. It is better to process meat so it does not contain Listeria than to treat the contamination. DGG 22:30, 9 September 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Movement
This sentance tells us that phages do not move of theirown accord; - As phage virions do not move, they must rely on random encounters with the right receptors when in solution (blood and lymphatic circulation)., however this sentence seems contradictory; - When an effective phage has been found it will seek out the bacteria and continue to kill bacteria of that type until they are all gone.
Can somebody please correct this? Parasite 08:05, 14 September 2006 (UTC)
a possible citation - http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/09/19/48hours/main522596.shtml
