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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

PHAGE SPECIFICITY. Phages are highly specific for the type of species and strain within that species of bacteria that they prey on, and are obligate parasites for that target group. They have co-evolved over vast time frames, and as the host tries to evade predation by the phage, the phage develops strategies to overcome that resistance. http://lnkd.in/dyYTNk7 View in LinkedIn

SELECTIVE REMOVAL OF PATHOGENS from drinking water is not possible using chemical disinfectants, nor physical methods such as membranes, UV, or carbon filtration. At the end of the day, only bacteriophage control can selectively wipe out the undesirable bacteria and leave the good bacteria. The few advocates of probiotic water have not appeared to join the dots. View in LinkedIn

APPLYING MICROBIOME THINKING to water purification technology is the glimmer of hope for the future, but the advocates are few, the wish unformulated, and the data waiting to be presented. Furthermore, the water purification industry, mostly in private hands, appears studiedly disinterested in any change from the status quo. View in LinkedIn

LARGE PUBLIC WATER distribution systems are simply too complex and prone to intrusions and leaks to manage effectively. It is simply an impossible task. Better that they adopt benign best practices to deliver water to small communities or individual households for final purification at Point of Entry to the homes. This appears to be the only logical solution to our current dilemma. View in LinkedIn