Back in the middle of the XX century, antibiotics designed to destroy bacteria were considered substances that can heal people from almost any disease. However, scientists were wrong — over time, these miraculous substances have become less effective, because many species of bacteria have developed immunity against them. Today, scientists suspect that the best alternative to antibiotics may be the so-called bacteriophages — viruses that destroy only certain types of bacteria without harming others. Recently, a gel was created from them, which can be applied to any wound and be sure that all bacteria will be destroyed

By the method of its action, antibiotics are like nuclear bombs, which destroy everything that gets in their way. Bacteriophages are more like snipers, which destroy only those targets that they indicate. Due to their tiny size, they easily penetrate into bacteria and actively multiply until they tear the body of a dying bacterium. In the human body, bacteriophages are found in large quantities in the nose, helping to clean the air from dangerous microbes. And in General, they are in nature very much — in one gram of soil lives more bacteriophages than people on the planet.

Useful viruses

First time about existence of viruses, capable of destroy bacteria, scientists began to guess in the early 1890's. It was then that the British bacteriologist Ernest Hankin began to study the principle of the spread of cholera — an intestinal infection that causes severe dehydration and death. Off the banks of the Indian river Ganges disease-causing bacteria somehow did not take root, and in fact in its sacred, according to local residents, the water dumped the bodies of dead people.Even now the river is a Paradise for deadly diseases.

Scientist has solved the mystery of the river only at the beginning of the XX century. It turned out that at its shores developed a huge number of viruses-bacteriophages that purified cholera-infected water before people had time to swim in it. For a long time, scientists have not even tried to use them for medical purposes, but in recent years they are confident that these viruses can save humanity.

Antibacterial gel

Recently, scientists from Canada decided to create a gel based on these viruses, which effectively destroys even large accumulations of bacteria. To do this, they grew a huge number of bacteriophages in the laboratory, collected them together and connected them with the help of an adhesive component. In the end, they got a jelly-like substance, each millimeter of which contains 300 trillion bacteriophages.

If desired, scientists can change the molecular structure of bacteriophages, so they began to attack the bacteria, which at the moment can not cope with antibiotics. Also, scientists believe that bacteriophages can destroy cancer cells and even plastic debris particles. While scientists have not shown the effectiveness of their gel in practice, but there is hope that in the future cancer tumors and polluting plastic waste can be destroyed by simply applying this gel to them.