The Virus Behind the Bacteria

(HealthScoutNews) -- A virus that infects and destroys bacteria may be responsible for spreading strep and some other infectious diseases.

That's the conclusion of a Rockefeller University study in the June issue of the journal Infection and Immunity.

This bacteria-eating virus, called a bacteriophage, causes disease by transferring toxins and other disease-causing genes between bacteria, the study found.

It's the first research to show that bacteriophage -- previously believed to not be infectious to humans -- could offer a new target for scientists trying to develop ways to combat certain bacteria that produce toxins.

The study author suggest that controlling the bacteriophage, also known as phage, may be as important as controlling the bacteria.

"It's possible that phage present in the saliva of a child or another individual can cause the conversion of an existing non-toxigenic organism to a toxigenic one. We always believed that phage were not infectious to humans, but in a sense they are," senior author Vincent A. Fischetti says in a news release.

Humans are able to carry colonies of bacteria -- such as strep -- without becoming sick as long as the microbe doesn't carry a toxin-encoded phage. But a harmless microbe can be converted into a virulent bug when a toxin-producing phage moves into the previously benign microbe.

More information

Here's where you can learn more about strep infections.

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