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Crispr-Enhanced Viruses Are Being Deployed Against UTIs (www.wired.com)

submitted 1 month ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I quoted the article in order to comment:

One company is aiming to treat infections with a different strategy: arming tiny viruses called bacteriophages with Crispr.

I checked it just out: CRISPR is already part of the intra-celluar immun system of baacterias and archaea.

Whereas antibiotics kill bacteria indiscriminately—including the beneficial kind—phages have evolved to be selective in the strains or species of bacteria they target.

So, the phages would not attacke the "good" bacteria within the stomach but the evil ones. Could be a great idea.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

Yes, phages are the natural "antibiotic"/population control for bacteria. https://humanmicrobiome.info/#bacteriophages-phages

Antibiotics can make phages go extinct. https://humanmicrobiome.info/antibiotics/#virome

Phages were being researched as an alternative to antibiotics, but antibiotics seemed easier and cheaper, so they grew in popularity and use. Unfortunately, antibiotics come with pretty severe collateral damage.