Bacteriophages: Nature and Exploitation

Filed under: News

Abstracts and Posters from the 22nd February 2008 meeting in Hertfordshire, UK

Chair: Professor George Salmond, University of Cambridge, UK

Editors: Dr Nicholas Warrick and Dr Shara Cohen

Bacteriophages (phages) are obligate molecular parasites of their hosts, the bacteria and they are, arguably, the most abundant biological entities on Earth. Many years of basic research on the nature of phages have provided a wealth of information on fundamental molecular processes in bacteria. As a spin-off from such “pure science” studies, bacteriophage research has been exploited to generate a spectrum of technologies and reagents that have underpinned the development of modern biotechnology (at lab scale and in industrial bioprocesses). Indeed, the power of modern biology research would have been unimaginable without the translation of phage research into generic techniques and molecular tools with widespread applicability. Largely driven by bacterial genomic research, in recent years there has been resurgence in interest in phages because of their roles as key drivers of adaptive evolution in their bacterial hosts, particularly affecting virulence. Furthermore, there has been stimulation of phage research because of the possibilities of exploiting phages in multiple ways - including as delivery agents for vaccine development, and in “phage therapy”. Professor George Salmond, University of Cambridge, UK

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Contents

Introduction: The wonderful world of bacteriophages

The impact of bacteriophage on bacterial genome evolution

STX-phages and virulence gene dissemination in pathogens

Bacteriophage abortive infection systems

Novel anti-phage systems in bacteria

Use of phages for detection of bacterial pathogens

Biotechnological challenges of phage therapy

Immune responses following treatment with bacteriophage

Does phage therapy actually work? Results from the first phase 2 clinical trial

 

POSTER PRESENTATIONS

Aspects of large scale filamentous bacteriophage production: Particle characterisation, contained fermentation and primary recovery

Biocontrol of E. coli O157:H7: Genome sequencing of two anti-E. coli O157:H7 bacteriophages

Metagenomic analysis of the human tongue dorsum using phage display

Isolation of a cloned bacteriophage lysin (LysK) which eliminates pathogenic staphylococci including MRSA

Characterization of the bacteriophage-related gene clusters in the genome of a cystic fibrosis epidemic strain of pseudomonas aeruginosa

Characterization of bacteriophages active against pseudomonas aeruginosa

Isolation and characterization of bacteriophages with potential to control lactic acid bacterial strains which cause spoilage in brewing processes

The impact of prophages on citrobacter rodentium

The potential therapy of immobilised bacteriophage on sutures in a methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) wound model

The large scale fermentation and bioprocessing of bacteriophage

Citrobacter rodentium phages: Characterization and screening for phage therapy applications

 

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