The alpha and omega of phage therapy is the therapeutic use of exclusively lytic phages, which kill target bacteria, rather than temperate (lysogenic) phages, which can integrate their genome into bacterial DNA and survive undisturbed for long periods. Furthermore, temperate phages can transfer genes between bacteria, which poses certain risks, particularly the spread of antibiotic resistance genes. However, it turns out that temperate phages, or more precisely, phages already present in target bacteria as prophages, can also be useful in the fight against pathogenic bacteria.
The new treatment method is called " Induced Native Phage Therapy ." It does not involve introducing any phages into the human or animal body, but rather, it aims to "awaken" lysogenic phages, which are typically present in any bacteria in the form of prophages. A prophage is a phage genome integrated into the bacterial DNA. A prophage is nonpathogenic to bacteria and can replicate for many generations alongside the bacterial chromosome. However, various factors can induce the prophage, making it infectious—it transforms into a vegetative phage and begins to replicate, leading to lysis and death of the bacterial cell.
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Native phage therapy is based on the fact that every bacterium that infects the human body already contains various prophages in its genome. If induced, these prophages will destroy the bacterium and then, when there are no more target bacteria around, will disappear on their own. To induce prophages, it is proposed to use silicone nanoparticles in a saline solution. These nanoparticles act as carriers and transmitters of specific electromagnetic signals that are supposed to "awaken" the prophage in the target bacteria.
The method was tested on Borrelia spp., the bacteria that causes Lyme disease (borreliosis), a tick-borne illness. In the study, 300 patients who tested positive for one or more Borrelia strains received native phage therapy for 5 days, after which all participants tested negative for the infection. During Lyme disease, the pathogen can remain inactive (such bacterial cells are called persisters), so the test was repeated 45-60 days after completion of native phage therapy, and this too was negative in 100% of the participants. No side effects were observed, and the elimination of Borrelia was not accompanied by toxic or allergic reactions.
Native phage therapy, unlike conventional phage therapy, does not require searching for pathogen-specific lytic phages in libraries or the environment. The method does not kill non-target bacteria, does not require a healthy immune system, and can kill bacteria in biofilms and target pathogens in the brain. However, specific electromagnetic signals must be selected for each bacterial species to induce prophages residing in their genomes.