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Poo and You: Biology Major Seeks Medical Alternatives in Sewage
by Lesli Frazier
With slides titled "Bacteriophage -- what the ? ," and "Poo and You," Junior Biology Major Jack Delaney informed the crowd during SLAM about using Fecal Viruses as Medicine.
Delaney finds what he needs for his experiments in raw sewage at the Mars Hill Sewage Treatment Plant. In his April 9 presentation he told about bacteria-eating viruses called "Bacteriophages" as an alternative treatment for bacterial infection.
Delaney began by noting that there are 1.7 million hospital-acquired bacterial infections in the U.S. every year, and 99,000 deaths that result from these infections. That means that most people are surviving bacterial infections.
Our bodies fight off infections, but for more serious ones we use antibiotics.
The consequence of fighting off infection with the use of antibiotics is that it doesn't just kill the bad bacteria. It also kills the beneficial bacteria. And --antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria develop. "But…you also get better!" Delaney added.
Delaney showed his audience a picture of what happens when similar antibiotics are applied to two different types of bacteria: E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The antibiotic kills most of the bacteria - but not all. When bacteria grow inside this "zone of inhibition" they are said to be antibiotic resistant.
E. Coli
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Reasons for antibiotic resistance in bacteria are:
Over-prescription
+ Antibiotic "abuse" - taking only half the medicine after you feel better after a few days + Microbial evolution
= Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria
So what are our choices for an alternative to antibiotics? Delaney listed three. "Adapt, Migrate or Die!" Adapting, he said, was too slow, as humans evolve at a sluggish pace. Migrate -- we have nowhere to go. And die -- "well, that's not appealing to anyone."
Our best choice therefore lies in research on naturally occurring bacteria killers, the Bacteriophage (Bac-teer-ee-oh-faj). A bacteriophage is a virus that lyses (breaks down) bacteria.
Delaney became interested in bacteriophages last year during microbiology when Professor of Biology JoAnn Croom mentioned the idea to him of doing a project for the class. "I thought it was incredibly interesting and liked the idea," said Delaney.
Delaney applied for a Title III grant to continue his research on bacteriophages and got it. He will have to present his results at next year's SLAM.
Delaney explained how a bacteriophage latches onto a bacterial wall, drills through the wall and injects its DNA, multiplies, breaks down the bacterial cell wall, and then bursts out.
Bacteriophages are found in high concentration in sewage. "Yes it smells," said Delaney.
After collecting sewage samples from the Mars Hill Sewage Treatment Plant, he uses a filter ideal for the size of bacteriophages, and then he knows to "refrigerate after opening."
Mars Hill Sewage Treatment Plant
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When asked how he protects himself from the bacteria, Delaney could only reply, "Pray."
Next he adds the phages to a culture of bacteria and lets it incubate. A moth-eaten appearance on the plate signifies the presence of bacteriophages.
To make bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics, he harvests bacteria "within the zone of inhibition." He needs antibiotic-resistant bacteria to test the bacteriophages.
He grows bacteriophages by removing the phages and placing them in a bacterial solution. He repeats the filtering process. The result is more bacteriophages specific for that bacterium.
So why use bacteriophages? Antibiotics kill the good bacteria that help you digest food. Bacteriophages will kill only the bacteria you want them to kill. They are specific for their corresponding bacteria. They don't kill the good bacteria. There's also a smaller chance of resistance.
But of course, says Delaney, "There is irony in using fecal viruses as medicine."
Delaney had just one-and-a-half to two months to research his topic before SLAM, but he gained much of the background knowledge through Professor Croom.
Delaney is scheduled to take the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) in mid-April. When he graduates from Mars Hill College, he plans to apply to medical school. He says he is "fascinated with the microbiology/immunology aspect of medicine."
"I believe I'd really enjoy working in that field, either as a primary care immunologist or as a researcher," said Delaney.
Reader Comment:
Megan Delaney 4/18/2008, 3:17 p.m.
Hello! My cousin Hannah (Jack's sister) sent me this link~ way to go Jack! It always cracks me up to hear how smart my baby cousin is. Thanks for doing a story on him.
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