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Perspective

Throughout history, bacterial infections have been one of the most frequent causes of death in humans. Bacterial pathogens also cause a number of economically important diseases affecting both animal anWd plant agriculture. For more than 50 years, we have kept pathogenic bacteria at bay in both human medicine and agriculture with cheap, mass-produced chemical antibiotics. However, antibiotic-resistant bacteria are reaching epidemic proportions worldwide. For example, antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus killed more people than HIV in the United States in 2005. At the same time, there has been an alarming trend towards few new antibiotics under development. There is growing concern that we may be entering a post-antibiotic era.

Overview

Bacteriophages, or phage, are viruses that kill bacteria. Coupled with modern DNA-based biotechnology, phage have enormous potential as “green” anti-bacterial agents. The Center for Phage Technology will position the Texas A&M University System as the world leader in the application of phage to combat bacterial infections in humans, animals and plants, to promote food safety, to protect against potential bacteriological weapons, and to prevent or mitigate the deleterious effects of bacterial contamination, degradation and corrosion in the petroleum industry.

Phages for the improvement of human health and agriculture

Burkholderia cenocepacia is a bacterium which causes fatal pneumonia in Cystic Fibrosis patients. Collaborative CPT research has shown that phage BcepIL02 is effective in eliminating B. cenocepacia from the lung in mice. The bacterium Xylella fastidiosa causes a serious disease of grapes. CPT faculty are the first investigators to isolate and culture phages able to lyse this important viticultural pathogen. Rhodococcus equi is a pathogen which infects young foals. Proposed CPT faulty and staff have isolated and characterized numerous phages able to kill R. equi.

Microbially Induced Corrosion

Bacterial fouling causes significant problems in the energy industry. Oil and gas pipelines can be clogged or corroded by bacterial contaminants. Sweet crude is “soured” by bacteria. Anaerobic sulfate reducing bacteria form pits and corrode pipelines, resulting in costly failures of energy infrastructure and environmentally damaging oil spills. The petroleum industry utilizes “pigging”, or physical scraping of metal surfaces, to remove bacteria from the interior pipeline surface. Large volumes of highly toxic chemical biocides are also used to combat bacterial corrosion. Despite these measures, microbially induced corrosion of pipeline infrastructure is estimated to cost $2-3 billion per year in the US alone.

Desulfovibrio: A threat to energy infrastructure

Bacteria like Desulfovibrio vulgaris can cause rapid and irreversible damage to metallic infrastructure such as pipelines. Left:D. vulgaris colonies on artificial medium. CPT faculty and staff have already isolated phage enrichments able to lyse D. vulgaris cultures. Right: Tube 1 was inoculated with D. vulgaris alone, Tube 2 was inoculated with D. vulgaris and a phage enrichment. Left: Transmission electron microscopy of phage present in the phage enrichment capable of lysing D. vulgaris cultures.

Current CPT projects

Phages for human health and agriculture in the treatment of bacterial infections in humans, animal and plants.

Phages in Industry: Use of phages for prevention of corrosion and biofouling in energy and petroleum production.