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MIXTURE OF SIX PHAGES APPROVED 2006. "The first time the FDA has regulated the use of a phage preparation as a food additive ... phages are currently approved in the United States for pesticide applications, including use on crops. Although not currently permitted in the United States, phages are used in other countries in antibiotic therapy regimens." http://www.gastrojournal.org/article/S0016-5085(06)02235-9/abstract View in LinkedIn

WATER TREATMENT AND BACTERIAL ECOLOGY. "The source water was shown to seed the drinking water microbiome ... filtration ... played a primary role in shaping the distribution system bacterial community over seasonal time scales as the filters harbored a stable bacterial community that seeded the water treatment processes past filtration." http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22793041 View in LinkedIn

FDA COMMENTS ON PHAGES FOR FOOD PURIFICATION. They acknowledged that phages are ubiquitous and modified the food additives provisions to include specific phages against Listeria for food purification. ~2500 people in the US become seriously ill every year from listeriosis, and 20% of these infections are fatal http://lnkd.in/dtTaFxU View in LinkedIn

WATER TREATMENT ECOSYSTEM. "Altering the water's pH during the filtration process, or even changing how filters were cleaned, helped good bacteria outcompete more harmful microorganisms for the limited resources in the water. It does no good to try to remove bacteria entirely." A key observation. http://lnkd.in/dfGhnpd View in LinkedIn

REGULATORY POSITION ON PHAGES. "Earlier FDA-approved clinical uses in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s involved phage phi X174 ... for nontherapeutic purposes to patients with Down syndrome ... and other immunodeficiencies ... Agency officials concluded that the vaccines were safe and allowed their continued use." http://lnkd.in/digJGBR View in LinkedIn

DRINKING WATER MICROBIOME. The present approach to water purification also ignores the fact that the drinking water microbiome contains some bacteria that can be beneficial. The trick is the ecological balance. http://lnkd.in/dfGhnpd View in LinkedIn

BACTERIOPHAGES ARE UBIQUITOUS (continued) "(v) they are present in animal feed; and (vi) we regularly consume phages in drinking water and in virtually all nonprocessed foods." http://lnkd.in/digJGBR View in LinkedIn

HEALTHY BACTERIA IN WATER. "Every gallon of purified drinking water is home to hundreds of millions of bacteria. Water treatment facilities try to remove them – but perhaps encouraging some of the microbes to grow could benefit human health." A sea change of attitude is emerging. http://lnkd.in/dfGhnpd View in LinkedIn

BACTERIOPHAGES ARE THE MOST UBIQUITOUS "microorganisms on Earth ... (i) the total number is estimated to be 10(30)-10(32) phage particles or plaque-forming units (PFU); (ii) within the United States, each person sheds approximately 3 x 10(9) PFU of coliphages per day; (iii) 1 ml of nonpolluted water often contains as many as 2 x 10(8) PFU of phages." http://lnkd.in/digJGBR View in LinkedIn

PHAGE SAFETY. "Phages ... cannot infect eukaryotic cells ... we are exposed to them routinely ... In the 90 years during which phages have been used to treat human infections, their use has led to no reported serious side effects" http://lnkd.in/digJGBR View in LinkedIn