How Bacteriophage Therapy from former USSR State Georgia is a Panacea against Super-bug Bacteria

“From a therapeutic perspective ... phage therapy can eliminate an individual patient's infection without affecting the body's communities of beneficial Bacteria. In this light, phage therapy represents a kind of biomedical ‘smart bomb,’ affecting only a specific target and minimizing collateral damage. (And) side effects from phages in human studies involving both sick and healthy individuals have been extremely rare.”

Excerpt from the 2012 study on phage therapy published online in the Journal Frontiers in Microbiology

If you thought the idea of the Common Cold and other Viruses of the ilk of the Ebola, H1N1 and HIV (Human Immuno-Deficiency Virus) being eradicated by Nanoparticles of Liposomes coated with Bee Poison Melittin as per my blog article entitled “Washington University School of Medicine Researchers use Liposomes and Melittin to kill HIV - Olympus has Fallen and given us a Panacea for every disease on planet Earth” was far-fetched. wait till you get a load of this one.

This time it’s the use of cultured Viruses called Bacterio-Phages to attack Bacteria such as Escherichia Coli or e.Coli, Cholera and other harmful Bacteria such as Tuberculosis Bacilli as stated in the article “Phages may be key in Bacteria battle” published 16 March 2013 Last updated at 00:02 GMT By Damien McGuinness and Deborah Cohen, BBC News.

It’s not a new idea, but it’s fascinating and makes me wonder why I never did Biochemistry while I was at UWI. The idea is simple as it’s elegantly stated above; the Viruses attack Bacteria, like Pirates, hijack the reproductive mechanism and reproduce more copies of themselves, bursting out of the Bacteria and thereby killing the Bacteria.

The use of Bacterio-Phages as a therapy as been around since the past ninety (90) years according to the article above in a former USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republic) and now independent East Bloc country named Georgia as noted in “Phage Therapy: The Viruses that Could Kill the Next Superbug”, published 2011, The Environmental Graffiti.

According to BBC News and the above article, Bacterio-Phages have been used as a known treatment for common Bacterial infections in Georgia, albeit under less than satisfactory, muchless scientific conditions. Meanwhile the Americans, fell in love with Anti-Biotics and the ease with which they could be mass produced and their Broad Spectrum capabilities in term of its effectiveness against Bacteria.

Thus Bacterio-Phages fell out of favour, as they proved to be too specific and too targeted, being as certain species of Bacteio-Phage only attack certain type of Bacteria, necessitating the production of different culture batches of Bacterio-Phages. The Americans pretty much abandoned Bacterio-Phage research in the 1950s and 1960s in favour of Anti-Bacterial therapies, many of which the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved. 

But it’s the potential to replace Antibiotics that may have many in the Medical Community excited. This as Bacterio-Phages, the smart-bombs of the Virus world are making a comeback.

They are being seen as the next weapon in line after Anti-Biotics to kill certain Bacteria that are resistant to the latest Anti-Biotics such as NDM-1, which has the capability to swap its genetic resistive traits with other Bacteria, making them also resistance. Ditto the same Anti-Biotic resisting capabilities in the hospital borne infectious Bacteria MRSA as noted in “Bacteriophage therapy, the amazing cure for MRSA being ignored by mainstream medicine”, published Sunday, February 24, 2013 by Jonathan Benson, staff writer, Natural News .

Big Pharmaceutical Companies worried, despite feigning interest. Worse, these Bacterio-Phages, akin to such wonder drugs like psychotropic painkillers Marijuana (Cannabis Sativa) are free, leaving little capability for the Pharmaceutical Industry to control its usage. Worse, Jamaicans pharmacologist, Professor Manley West and ophthalmologist, Dr. Albert Lockhart used Marijuana (Cannabis Sativa) to develop Canasol, a now popular eye drop remedy for Glaucoma as noted in “Doctors develop first eye medication in the Carib”, published Sunday August 16, 2009, The Jamaica Gleaner.

There is also Psilocybin as stated in the article “Want to Be More Open-Minded? Magic Mushrooms Found to Help”, published September 29, 2011 By KIM CAROLLO, ABC News, derived from a certain species of Mushroom. Similarly, Bacterio-Phages are naturally occurring growing in swamps, field of Hay and even on common household food. 

Anyone with the skill to identify them and the right kind of equipment can culture, grow and sell them once they have the right type of Refrigeration equiptment to store Bacterio-Phage cultures, just as the Doctors in cash strapped Georgian hospitals did. Worse for Pharmaceutical companies, it’s not yet known how to place genetic markers on them to makes sure users of Bacterio-Phages cannot take home and culture the ingredients, thereby duplicating them for further usage.

That last part, the ease of use of Cultures to duplicate Bacterio-Phages is what’s part of the FDA’s reluctance to approve them, as there’s no clear way to patent or prevent people copying them. The very virulent reproductive process that they used to destroy host Bacteria is a means by which this natural pathogen can be cultured from an initial treatment, should the Doctor decide to give you a vial to carry home or you go to the pharmacist and they give you a vial for home usage.

Clearly, Bacterio-Phages have a lot in common with the Bee sting Nano-particles as described in my blog article entitled “Washington University School of Medicine Researchers use Liposomes and Melittin to kill HIV - Olympus has Fallen and given us a Panacea for every disease on planet Earth”, being as they’re nanoparticle sized themselves. However, unlike that strategy, developed by researchers at the Washington School of Medicine, this strategy was long ago developed by Nature and patented by God but requires more research to be developed, controlled and utilized by Man in Medicine.

Jamaica can easily become a pioneer in Bacterio-Phage development in the West, as we have the Medical Science Pedigree of the ilk of the doctors who developed Canasol, which was developed here in Jamaica and used worldwide as noted in “Ganja-based eyedrops a hot sell”, published Sunday August 24, 2003 by Teino Evans, Staff Reporter, The Jamaica Gleaner.

As such, it’ll be very hard for the Pharmaceutical companies to patent – muchless stop people from duplicating this naturally occurring Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013).