THE BIOME BUZZ
BUGS AND WORMS AND OTHER GREAT STUFF
Tag: phages
Adding to the Pile of Evidence Linking IBD to the Virome
Yet another study, this one out of Massachusetts General Hospital (one of Harvard’s teaching hospitals) associating inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) with alteration in the virome. These scientists wanted to move beyond correlation and look for actual causation. Exactly how does the virome affect intestinal… Continue Reading “Adding to the Pile of Evidence Linking IBD to the Virome”
More Fascinating Findings on Phages: Affects on Memory and Cognition
For today, a topic I haven’t had a chance to write about in months: the virome. Published last week in Cell Host & Microbe is an article that shows that a specific bacteriophage has been found to improve executive function and memory in both… Continue Reading “More Fascinating Findings on Phages: Affects on Memory and Cognition”
New Phage to Fight C.Diff: Meet Colneyvirus
You all know how much I love cool science by now – and how much hope I have for using bacteriophages to positively alter the bacterial microbiome. I’m excited then to report to you super cool science leading to major progress on the phage… Continue Reading “New Phage to Fight C.Diff: Meet Colneyvirus”
Phage Therapy for Antibiotic Resistant Infections: A Clinical Trial
For today, the results of a small (but highly significant) human clinical trial using bacteriophages to treat drug-resistant bacterial infection. I came across it while reading a summary article in an online publication from Johns Hopkins University, describing the work of one of their… Continue Reading “Phage Therapy for Antibiotic Resistant Infections: A Clinical Trial”
Goin’ Viral: More on Phages and the Microbiome
I’m excited! More to report to you this week about other parts of the biome! Tuesday was all about macrobiome/microbiome teamwork; today, I’m focusing on the virome. Researchers have found that certain bacteriophages (remember these are viruses that infect and kill bacteria, and are… Continue Reading “Goin’ Viral: More on Phages and the Microbiome”
Cool New Research Using Phages to Treat Type 2 Diabetes and Obesity
New research combines two of my big interests: looking at ways to manipulate the biome to help reduce today’s epidemic of obesity AND using bacteriophages in a productive way. You’ll all remember that a bacteriophage is a virus that attacks a specific bacteria. (I’ve… Continue Reading “Cool New Research Using Phages to Treat Type 2 Diabetes and Obesity”
A Brief History of Phage Therapy: The Good Side of Viruses
For some peculiar reason, I have viruses on my mind a lot lately. (I live in New York State. ‘nough said.) As I walked from my kitchen to my office, and back again, and again and again and again, like a caged animal, I… Continue Reading “A Brief History of Phage Therapy: The Good Side of Viruses”
More Evidence that Adds to the Growing Promise of Phage Therapy
As many of you know, I am particularly fascinated by the promise of using bacteriophages – viruses that infect bacteria – as an alternative to antibiotics. As they are specific to only one kind of bacteria, they leave other species unharmed. Unlike “broad spectrum… Continue Reading “More Evidence that Adds to the Growing Promise of Phage Therapy”
Phages and Autoimmune Diseases
Last month I wrote about bacteriophages (phages, for short) and Parkinson’s Disease. If you remember, a phage is a virus that kills bacteria. Those researchers found an abnormally high number of phages had killed off good Lactobaccillus in PD patients: ““The depletion of Lactococcus… Continue Reading “Phages and Autoimmune Diseases”
