Lytic Bacteriophages: Stabilizing the Gut Microbiome

Paul Barrow of the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom will identify bacteriophage (viruses that infect bacteria) that can reduce the presence of multiple pathogenic bacteria in the gut to restore healthy bacterial populations (microbiome) and help treat diarrheal diseases. They will characterize phage specificity for three major pathogens that infect both humans and pigs, and select those that are less likely to cause the development of resistance. As pigs are a valuable model for diarrheal diseases in children, they will test the selected phage in their pig enteric model to evaluate their ability to reduce pathogen numbers and restore a healthy gut microbiome.