The doctor explained why bacteriophages are needed and how they affect the human body

Bacteriophages are specific viruses that destroy the cells of pathogenic bacteria. About whether they are safe for the human body, said the Russian infectious disease doctor Sergei Voznesensky, writes sb.by.

The doctor explained that, unlike viruses that cause disease in humans, bacteriophages do not affect the cells of the human body. Their main feature is high selectivity: they recognize certain species or strains of bacteria.

“Most viruses on the planet have a clear spectrum. Some reproduce only on animals, others on plant cells or only in a bacterial cell. For example, the tobacco mosaic virus affects only plants and is absolutely harmful to the animal world. This is also the basis of the action of drugs with bacteriophages, which “eat” the bacterial cell, harming only pathogenic microflora, explained Sergey Voznesensky.

The bacteriophage finds a specific bacterial cell with which it shares a genetic similarity. Then the virus enters the bacterium and integrates its genetic material into its structure, the expert noted. As viral particles actively multiply, the walls of the bacterial cell cannot withstand and are destroyed. As a result, the bacterium dies, and the person quickly recovers.

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