The Friendly Virus
Aeons before antibiotics stocked pharmacy shelves, bacteria were killed by viruses called Bacteriophages. Now, could these new/old weapons take up the global battle with superbugs?
Our antibiotics are failing us. In 2025, the UK Government said antibiotic resistance (AMR) contributes to more than 35 thousand deaths each year in the UK. Emergency doctors say they are losing patients on a regular basis when they run out of ways to treat them.
Antibiotics have saved countless lives, but alongside them, there is another unlikely sounding ally in this fight. Viruses, so small that they can attack and kill the bacteria causing these devastating infections. They are called Bacteriophages, or phages for short. There are more of them than any other commonly occurring natural entity on the planet. And we could be about to see doctors using them on very ill patients in the UK.
The thing is scientists have studied bacteriophages for nearly a century. They are used routinely in other countries, and science journalist Marnie Chesterton has been following this story for nearly a decade. There is promise, but there are problems. So why, suddenly, is phage all the rage?
Presented by Marnie Chesterton
Produced in Cardiff by Clare Salisbury
On radio
Broadcast
- Next Wednesday15:30BBC Radio 4
