12. Alternative therapies Flashcards
what are the three diseases yersinia pests is responsible for
pneumonic plague
bubonic plague
septicaemic plague
what bacteria is commonly found in uncooked chicken
campylobacter jejuni
why is campylobacter jejuni seasonal
it coincides with barbecue season, where more people consume raw chicken
what is a bacteriophage
a virus that infects bacteria
where are bacteriophages commonly found
sea water
what % of marine bacteria may be infected by phages
70%
describe the structure of a bacteriophage
helical sheath which attaches and injects nuclear material into the cell
tail spikes and base plate used for attachment
capsid varies in size
what type of bacteria can phage attack
both gram positive and negative
what two lifestyles can a phage adopt
lytic cycle
lysogenic cycle
what is the difference between a lytic and lysogenic cycle of a phage
lytic phage’s burst the cell releasing phage copies into the environment
lysogenic phage’s integrate their DNA into the bacterial chromosome which replicates and is passed into daughter cells
what type of phage is used in treatment
lytic lifecycle phage
what can we use phage therapy for (2)
food safety - removing pathogens from uncooked food
drive microbiota towards a certain composition
how can phages help ease antibiotic pressure
by coupling phage therapy with antibiotic treatment
what are medicinal leaches used for
restoring blood supply following complicated surgery
what are medicinal maggots used for
destroy necrotic tissue on wounds, whilst depositing ammonia to sterilise the wound
how can we collect phages
collect local samples of water that contain the phage, or extracting them from corpses
then centrifuge the sample to separate the phage from the bacterial pellet
2 advantages of phage therapy
phage stops reproducing once the target bacteria are destroyed
evolution drives the rapid emergence of new phages = destroy resistant bacteria
2 disadvantages of phage therapy
the phage must reach the site of bacteria, however phages don’t have enough reach as antibiotics
phage must be tested in a lab before its applied, less suitable for urgent cases
describe the case study where phages where used to treat a 53 yr old with a venous leg ulcer
administered phage cocktail = rapid closure of the wound, pain was relieved over 48 hrs. wound healed rapidly within 12 weeks
describe the properties of Manuka honey
anti-microbial
used in wound treatment
effective against 80 microorganisms
describe the properties of new teixobactin
new antibiotic
- active against Gram-positive only bacteria
- effective at low dose
- affects cell wall synthesis
- not yet approved
