Bacterial predator could help reduce COVID-19 deaths

Date:
June 24, 2020
Source:
University of Birmingham
Summary:
A type of virus that preys on bacteria could be harnessed to combat
bacterial infections in patients whose immune systems have been
weakened by the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes the COVID-19 disease,
according to new research.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
A type of virus that preys on bacteria could be harnessed to combat
bacterial infections in patients whose immune systems have been weakened
by the SARS-CoV- 2 virus that causes the COVID-19 disease, according to an expert at the University of Birmingham and the Cancer Registry of Norway.


========================================================================== Called bacteriophages, these viruses are harmless to humans and can be
used to target and eliminate specific bacteria. They are of interest to scientists as a potential alternative to antibiotic treatments.

In a new systematic review, published in the journal Phage: Therapy, Applications and Research, two strategies are proposed, where
bacteriophages could be used to treat bacterial infections in some
patients with COVID-19.

In the first approach, bacteriophages would be used to target secondary bacterial infections in patients' respiratory systems. These secondary infections are a possible cause of the high mortality rate, particularly
among elderly patients. The aim is to use the bacteriophages to reduce
the number of bacteria and limit their spread, giving the patients'
immune systems more time to produce antibodies against SARS-CoV-2.

Dr Marcin Wojewodzic, a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Research Fellow in the School of Biosciences at the University of Birmingham and now researcher
at the Cancer Registry of Norway, is the author of the study. He says:
"By introducing bacteriophages, it may be possible to buy precious time
for the patients' immune systems and it also offers a different, or complementary strategy to the standard antibiotic therapies." Professor
Martha R.J. Clokie, a Professor of Microbiology at the University
of Leicester and Editor-in-Chief of PHAGE journal explains why this
work is important: "In the same way that we are used to the concept of 'friendly bacteria' we can harness 'friendly viruses' or 'phages' to help
us target and kill secondary bacterial infections caused by a weakened
immune system following viral attack from viruses such as COVID-19."
Dr Antal Martinecz, an expert in computational pharmacology at the
Arctic University of Norway who advised on the manuscript says: "This
is not only a different strategy to the standard antibiotic therapies
but, more importantly, it is exciting news relating to the problem of
bacterial resistance itself."


==========================================================================
In the second treatment strategy, the researcher suggests that
synthetically altered bacteriophages could be used to manufacture
antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 virus which could then be administered
to patients via a nasal or oral spray. These bacteriophage-generated
antibodies could be produced rapidly and inexpensively using existing technology.

"If this strategy works, it will hopefully buy time to enable a patient
to produce their own specific antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 virus and
thus reduce the damage caused by an excessive immunological reaction,"
says Dr Wojewodzic.

Professor Martha R.J. Clokie's research focuses on the identification
and development of bacteriophages that kill pathogens in an effort to
develop new antimicrobials: "We could also exploit our knowledge of
phages to engineer them to generate novel and inexpensive antibodies
to target COVID-19. This clearly written article covers both aspects of
phage biology and outlines how we might use these friendly viruses for
good purpose." Dr Wojewodzic is calling for clinical trials to test
these two approaches.

"This pandemic has shown us the power viruses have to cause harm. However,
by using beneficial viruses as an indirect weapon against the SARS-CoV-2
virus and other pathogens, we can harness that power for a positive
purpose and use it to save lives. The beauty of nature is that while it
can kill us, it can also come to our rescue." adds Dr Wojewodzic.

"It's clear that no single intervention will eliminate COVID-19. In order
to make progress we need to approach the problem from as many different
angles and disciplines as possible." concludes Dr Wojewodzic.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Birmingham. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Marcin W. Wojewodzic. Bacteriophages Could Be a Potential Game
Changer in
the Trajectory of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19). PHAGE, 2020; 1
(2): 60 DOI: 10.1089/phage.2020.0014 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/06/200624103234.htm

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