Doctors typically prescribe #antibiotics to stop bacterial infections, but the rise of antibiotic-resistant “super” bacteria is making them ineffective.
A potential alternative is #phage therapy. Phages are #viruses that:
🟠 Are highly specific to one kind of #bacteria, leaving “healthy” bacteria alone.
🟠 Reduce risk of bacterial resistance development.
🟠 Show low toxicity in humans.
Although phage therapy has been around since the early 20th century, its use has not been approved in many countries. However, renewed efforts are being made to address the challenges of this technology, with the hope of increased treatment options against specific types of bacteria.
The illustration shows the use of phage therapy during an infection, in this case by the gonococcus bacterium, which causes #gonorrhoea.
Author: Thank you to 🇪🇸🇺🇸Maria Lamprecht Grandío, a molecular microbiologist who has, since 2015, combined her two passions, #art and #science, to work as a postdoc researcher and freelance illustrator. The illustration was made for Professor Fernando Santos from Microbiology Department, Alicante University (Spain)
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