Probiotics and phage therapy

Question 1

What are some ways probiotics can help and what are some way they cant?

Answer 1

They can deliver toxins to the pathogen, stop quorum sensing, detect other bacteria and release biomarker. This requires bioengineering though, which can be hard because of GMO legislation. They aren’t a good way to improve microbiota though

Question 2

What is phage therapy? When can it be used?

Answer 2

Phage therapy is when you use bacteriophages or enyzmes derived from phages to treat bacteria. It can be used if the phage can target the bacteria and reach it.

Question 3

What are the different kinds of phage therapy?

Answer 3

Conventional, derived enzymes, immuno-antibiotic-phage synergy, bioengineered phages

Question 4

What are some enzymes used in phage therapy?

Answer 4

Holins - makes hole in inner membrane
Spanins - makes a hole in inner and outer membrane by bringing them together

Question 5

How can phages work in synergy with the immune systems or antibiotics?

Answer 5

They can target efflux pumps as the phage receptor, which causes evolutionary pressure to downregulate them. Then, antibiotics can be used again. Can degrade capsule so that immune cells can reach bacteria. Can also target nutrient pump, so that reduced expression means reduced growth.

Question 6

How could you bioengineer phages to kill pathogens?

Answer 6

Target resistance genes, either by having the phages deliver the wt type of a resistance gene, using CRISPR to remove restistant bacteria or making them sensitive; add photosensitive agents or directly deliver antibiotics