Bacteria-Killing Phages Could Be an Alternative to Antibiotics

Response paper #1: “Bacteria-Killing Phages Could Be an Alternative to Antibiotics”

In the article “Bacteria-Killing Phages Could Be an Alternative to Antibiotics,” Karsten Schneider presents that phages could be an alternative treatment to bacterial disease instead of antibiotics. Schneider cites multiple experiments and studies that evidently prove phages are “bacteria-eating viruses”. Although phages can ultimately accomplish what antibiotics accomplish, antibiotics are more frequently relied on due to the up rise of “more reliable antibiotics becoming available after WWII”, phages being “finicky and unpredictable”, and marketing approval of the FDA.

Schneider argues more on the side of phages should be a substitute to antibiotics-“Preliminary studies show phages are effective in fighting antibiotic-resistant infections”, giving phages the advantage point.  Schneider also presents ideas as to why phages aren’t as commonly used as antibiotics. Phages have not been FDA approved and need to undergo many studies because phages can be “finicky and unpredictable”.

Evidence 1: “Bacteriophages, about 100 times smaller than bacteria, are the most abundant life forms on earth…”. Schneider later goes on to explain the advantage of phages being 100 times smaller than bacteria because after they latch onto bacteria “the phages bore inside and hijack the bacterias genetic machinery, turning them into phage factories that eventually make so many copies that the cells burst, killing off the host”.

Evidence 2: “But the tremendous progress in phages research of the past 10 years and the urgency to find alternatives to antibiotics made physicians more willing to look into phages” This is showing how 1) long it is taking for phages to be considered an alternative and 2) that it is being considered an alternative and more are looking into using phages.

Evidence 3: “It took a long time-more than four years to get our first product approved- but it did happen” The first product they are talking about is a “spray that uses phages to eradicate Listeria, salmonella, and E. Coli in foods” This is significant because it is showing it takes a long time, but with time and studies phages can potentially be an alternative to antibiotics.