COVID-19: Bacteriophage could decrease mortality

New Rochelle, NY, June 24, 2020–Bacteriophage can reduce bacterial growth in the lungs, limiting fluid build-up. This could decrease the mortality of patients affected by COVID-19, according to the peer-reviewed journal PHAGE: Therapy, Applications, and Research. Click here to read the article.

“The bacterial growth rate could potentially be reduced by the aerosol application of natural bacteriophages. These prey on the main species of bacteria known to cause respiratory failure,” says Marcin Wojewodzic, PhD, University of Birmingham (U.K.).

Decreasing bacterial growth would also give the body more time to produce protective antibodies against the disease-causing coronavirus.

“Used correctly, phages have an advantage here of being able to very specifically target the bacteria that cause secondary infections,” said Martha Clokie, PhD, Editor-in-Chief of PHAGE and Professor of Microbiology, University of Leicester (U.K.). “They would remove the problematic bacterium but leave an otherwise fragile microbiome intact.”

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PHAGE: Therapy, Applications, and Research is the only peer-reviewed journal dedicated to fundamental bacteriophage research and its applications in medicine, agriculture, aquaculture, veterinary applications, animal production, food safety, and food production. Led by Editor-in-Chief, Martha Clokie, PhD, University of Leicester, United Kingdom, the Journal showcases groundbreaking research, reviews, commentaries, opinion pieces, profiles and perspectives dedicated to defining the roles of phages in all facets of microbiology and microbial ecology and exploring their potential to manipulate bacterial communities and treat infection. More information is available on the PHAGE website.

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research. Its biotechnology trade magazine, GEN (Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News), was the first in its field and is today the industry’s most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm’s 90 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website.