If someone asks us to describe the most relentless being on Earth when it comes to killing other species, the first thing that comes to mind is the human… but that’s not it. There’s something out there that has been at war for billions of years, annihilating its enemies with chilling precision. It’s the bacteriophages, and their sole purpose is to kill bacteria.
Anyone seeing the structure of a bacteriophage for the first time would think it’s artificial (say, a robot with a d20 on its head), but it’s actually a virus. The first studies on bacteriophages date back to the late 19th century, although at the time they weren’t fully recognized as such, and the impact of World War I practically stalled progress in that field. While it’s impossible to determine the exact number of bacteriophages, available information suggests they far outnumber the total sum of organisms on Earth. In other words, bacteriophages are not only the most effective killers on Earth, but, from a certain point of view, they also rule it.
(Editor’s note: The video has Spanish subtitles.)
Devastating Efficiency
The latest Kurzgesagt video is blunt: bacteriophages eliminate 40 percent of ocean bacteria per day, yet even that devastation doesn’t allow them to escape their viral nature. Bacteriophages need a host to reproduce, and their attack capability is limited to a specific bacterium or its closest compatible relatives. In relaxed terms, the bacteriophage perforates the bacterium’s surface and injects its genetic material. From that point, the bacterium’s only job is to create new bacteriophages, which escape via lysis, releasing the enzyme endolysin.
A Potential Antibiotic Replacement
Now, why do we care so much about bacteriophages? Basically, their potential as a replacement for antibiotics is enormous. Our addiction to antibiotics has caused a new series of problems, giving rise to resistant bacteria. If these “superbugs” are attacked with specialized bacteriophages, they will be destroyed like a normal bacterium. The best part? Even if bacteria develop a form of resistance to bacteriophages, in the process they must give up their resistance to traditional antibiotics.
