Health webchat with Ann Keen

Local water companies don't test for phages in our tap water. It's a 'free for all' in our bathing water and drinking water - the phage content isn't regulated or monitored.



Full marks to Sutton and East Surrey Water plc for  answering a question within one working day.



The Environment Agency states in a 2008 science report about sewage risks (page 20) that bacteriophages ( ) are harmless.


So it's official, with the geographers making it nice and simple, just as we were saying all along.

Here's the reference: 'Sewage risks to urban groundwater':
www.shef.ac.uk/content/1/c6/08/16/06/Sewage%20risks%20science%20report.pdf

Here is a short item about phages from Australia's National Nine News.

The conference was really good. I didn't understand most of it but there was an introduction by Prof. A. Gorski about phage therapy (in Poland their clinic welcomes patients with antibiotic resistant infections - and they are in the EU), and I managed to video an excellent presentation by Tony Smithyman from Australia who incidentally has just won a cash award. Meanwhile I had just written an article about FW Twort.
Here's the first news item after the conference.

First Phage Biotech Conference Creates Interest in New Trade Body

Region : All

The first international phage biotechnology conference, held this week at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre, is expected to lead to the formation of an International Phage Society and trade body to represent the interests of a wide variety of scientists, clinicians and biotechnology businesses working with bacteriophages. These organisations would represent and promote the interests of members in areas such as regulatory affairs, funding, and raising commercial and public awareness of these smallest forms of life.

Bacteriophages are viruses which only infect bacteria, and recently an explosion of interest in their use for a variety of medical and industrial applications has occurred. For example, phage therapy uses phages to kill bacteria resistant to antibiotics, such as MRSA in hospital infections and listeria on foodstuffs.

Initiated by Edinburgh firm Big DNA Ltd, which is developing vaccines which use bacteriophages as their delivery vehicle, international delegates voted the event a huge success, and one of the best conferences they had ever attended, covering a wide range of topics from pure research to industrial and medical applications. Organised by Dr Jason Clark from Big DNA, over 150 delegates took part from a very wide range of backgrounds and countries.

Dr John March, chief executive of Big DNA said: ”My hope is that the wide range of scientists, clinicians and biotechnologists currently researching or putting phages to practical use are able to pool their knowledge and expertise to accelerate progress towards further development in this exciting field of biotechnology.  The same basic issues affect researchers and industrialists from many different disciplines. I firmly believe that by collaborating together, we can all reach our scientific goals faster, cheaper and better, for the good of mankind.”

It is hoped that a Bacteriophage Society will be set up as an outcome of this conference which would assist those involved in R&D and that a trade organisation could also be formed by those involved in clinical trials of several phage based products which help towards achieving regulatory approval.

A bacteriophage is a virus which only infects bacteria and like antibiotics, can kill the bacteria, especially in situations where there is resistance to antibiotics.  From the 1930s to the 1970s there was great interest in phages, but that waned with the development of antibiotics. But more recently, it has been recognised that bacteriophages have several potential applications in the modern biotechnology industry – they have been proposed as delivery vehicles for protein and DNA vaccines; as gene therapy delivery vehicles; as alternatives to antibiotics; for the detection of pathogenic bacteria; and as tools for screening libraries of proteins, peptides or antibodies.   This diversity, and the ease of their manipulation and production, means that they have potential uses in research, therapeutics and manufacturing in both the biotechnology and medical fields.   That diversity was reflected in the talks at the conference which stimulated both discussion and more importantly, collaboration between delegates.

Dr John March continued: “Normally those working with phages in the fields of cancer, genes or immunology would be attending conferences in those fields, and would never normally meet. We brought together these people for the first time, from diverse scientific backgrounds who can share ideas, processes and the same basic principles in their work, from very different fields across the globe. Although delegates and speakers had very different objectives from each other, we share the same basic principles in our work, such as manufacturing, licencing, regulatory approvals, and I wanted everyone to have the chance to share the use of phage technology and our common themes.”

If you would like more information on the International Phage Society when it is set up, please contact:  john.march@bigdna.co.uk

Here is my article after meeting with Dr Antony Twort.

http://www.amazingphage.info/USERIMAGES/antonytwort-july08.pdf

On Sunday Dr Antony Twort came to tea. Now 85, he is the
biographer of his father, Frederick William Twort F.R.S, described in 1917 as 'the best microbiologist in the country'. The ASM acknowledged in 1999 that the discovery of bacteriophages - the 'Twort/d'Herelle phenomenon', was one of microbiology's fifty most significant events during the past 125 years. No mention of sunlight/UV.

I asked Antony for a message for current phage scientists so it is all noted down. 

I am enjoying reading the biography. It is so funny in places that I am laughing loudly and at other times so tragic that I am gasping out, "Oh no!"
In other eras it would have made a Shakespearean play or a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta. Certainly the story is told with style and humour and also scientific authority.



Here's a little gem.

He's quoting Sir Philip Manson-Bahr, a leading expert in tropical diseases,
who wrote this in 1964 when in his eighties about diphtheria in the 1st World War.

"The Director of Medical Services issued an order that: 'this epidemic must now cease', upon which it ceased, and all subsequent cases were described as tonsillitis. That is how some of the directors worked in those days."

They wouldn't work like that these days of course, would they? 


He also gave me a little red Penguin book from 1949 price one shilling and sixpence - one of about a dozen copies that Frederick Twort had obtained at the time. His own article is followed by d'Herelle's article, who was writing about World War 2. Apparently the use of phage was general in the German and Japanese armies; in Russia - in civil medicine as well as in the army. He described the testing and treatment of bubonic plague in Annam 1920, Egypt 1926, southern Russia 1940s, and cholera in the Punjab 1927, Patna, Assam, China and Japan.

It sounds to me as if both bacteriologists did a darned good job and got very little thanks, unlike the director chaps on comfortable pensions.



Today the postman brought me another little gem from Antony Twort. It was a press cutting from The Independent 13 June 1998 approaching 50 years since the birth of the National Health Service in 1948.  He had qualified that same year so the article was how he had fitted into the system. He pointed out that there was the anxiety about lay administration and who was in control. He recalled the Christmas show that year when they all sang a song: "The Army of Clerks has Won the Day". I can't help whistling that old tune - Mademoiselle from Armentiers. I shall have to ask him for the new words, because they might be useful ...........

Thank you Mike J for sending the genealogy of Ernest Hanbury Hankin 1865-1939. British born and bred, (and educated at St John's College, Cambridge) he went on to be chemical examiner, Government analyst and bacteriologist of the United Provinces and Central Provinces of India from 1892 for many years, "where in the face of a good deal of opposition he was able to perform great services in the prevention of epidemics of cholera".  

Presumably that was human opposition but there were other, practical difficulties to be overcome. Hankin's 1896 account, published in French but also available in English, tells an absolutely gruesome tale of dead bodies being ripped to pieces by the huge turtles in the Jamuna river, whilst he was taking his water samples to test the effluvium for microbes. He dealt these turtles a powerful blow with heavy bamboo and he still couldn't easily drive them away. He kindly described these turtles as wonderful undertakers! 

So all of you scientists who want to quote his brave and painstaking input into the story of bacteriophages, please would you check that you are correctly identifying him as E.H. - and not M.E. - a mistake which has crept into some notable publications and is being perpetuated by online thingies like Wikipedia.

And while we are checking the history, I am looking out for C.E.Nelson, F.R.C.S. -  a British surgeon who, maybe even earlier than Hankin, confirmed the purity of the water from the Ganges, and how it kept well for drinking, even on long sea journeys. 

All of these scientific observations and studies have contributed to what we know about the healing power of bacteriophages today. Considering that the River Jordan was referred to in the Old Testament (2 Kings) as having healing properties, it explains the origin of baptism by immersion, and the traditional floating of the dead on rafts, along the sacred rivers in India. The dangerous bacteria - dysentery and cholera, are defeated purely and simply, in next to no time, by the invisible bacteriophages in the water.

Hence, science, nature and religion join together.

I am reminded of my dear old US Veteran friend Roy, may he rest in peace. I still chuckle over his joke - how do you make holy water?  You have to imagine his quiet Texas accent as he was driving his huge truck through torrential rain and floods.

"You put it on the stove and boil the devil out of it."


In the UK this week there are some 'India in London' events. One of these is a theatre production at Sadler's Wells, with a discussion afterwards. It is all about the River Ganges and bacteriophages. The tickets are free so my friends and I might see you there. It's sponsored by the Wellcome Trust. Click on page "2008" for more details.

The research into Myra's dramatic recovery from a burst appendix has led me, first of all, to Major-General P.H. Mitchiner, the famous British surgeon from Reigate whose name is spelled incorrectly on the NHS hospital ward signage and elsewhere.

The next revelation was medically trained scientist F W Twort's original archives in London. He was so misquoted and under-reported. His lifetime's work on phages was not given the credit and respect it deserves. I am in contact with his son and biographer, Dr Antony Twort, who lives not far away from here. We are comparing notes and meeting up for tea this weekend.

Evidently the authors of standard phage textbooks have failed to access these primary sources of information so it will be my pleasure to start a brand new notebook and ultimately put the record a bit straighter.

There is another British scientist whose discoveries have been rather 'taken over' by others or ignored. Hankin was working for the British government in India. Even in the 1890s he was collecting data  about the Ganga and the Jamuna rivers. He discovered an antiseptic in the water that has a powerful bactericidal action on the cholera germ.

Hands up those who have spotted in his famous paper that human excrement is rendered harmless under the sun.

Any volunteers to tell that to the hospital management teams in 2008, please? Mitchiner was taught it a century ago.

You can check out my latest research story and leave a comment at this website: www.sciscoop.com.

The exact page reference is: http://www.sciscoop.com/story/2008/6/6/64137/33802

Here's a short story for you that has kept me happily occupied with researching for the last few days. It's about Myra, a neighbour of mine here in Reigate.

 http://www.relax-well.co.uk/Gangrene_medicine.html

There are some well-known names including royalty, plus photos, references and archives.  
(approx. 1800 words)







.

Today is 29th April - exactly one year since the Amazing Phage adventure officially began with the first flight to the USA, before going on to Canada, Georgia and Poland.

Now there are several notebooks full of information, dozens of autographs in the Winston Churchill book that I was given, about 9 hours of video footage, hundreds of photographs, 24 mini-videos on YouTube whilst I have been practising simple editing skills -  and thousands of emails! The official 20 page report was published in October, and in June of this year I shall be going to the Guildhall in the City of London to receive my silver medallion. I think there would be less than 4000 people who have ever been given this award so, to me, it will be a very special occasion and a great honour. 

The next piece of news is that I have accepted an invitation from Reigate Hill Probus Club for September 15th on the subject of "Amazing Phage".  So all the video footage needs to be edited and narrated, to produce a half-hour programme suitable for an audience of retired professional and business people.  I am not going to say much! Thank goodness it was possible to go to the Evergreen Meeting in August as an extra visit - some of the video footage taken there is really super, and probably all the phage scientists who were at the barbecue and the salmon bake will find that they are in the finished programme - and even if not, they will recognise lots of people from all over the world. There are also the doctors and nurses, and patients who have received phage therapy in all the countries I visited, including the US phage clinical trial with woundcare, and a brief visit to the hospital in London where the Phase 2 clinical trial had taken place with persistent ear infections (successfully).

It is rather fitting that September 15th will be the anniversary of Battle of Britain Day. Winston Churchill was the Prime Minister at the time. Actually he was a regular visitor to Reigate, my home town, over many years, and during both World Wars. He used to visit socially with his wife, Clementine, since he was in the same circle of friends as King Edward VII and the Hon. Mrs Ronnie Greville. He also visited on business and even held secret meetings here sometimes. It is also rather interesting that the hotel where the Amazing Phage programme will first be shown is one of the very same buildings used as Military Headquarters for General Montgomery during WW2!

I shall be taking along a toy phage and a toy MRSA superbug, so that the audience can get the idea, and of course some real phage. The programme will then be available on the internet and probably as a limited edition DVD - reserve your copy now. There is a lot of work to be done before then .................... Thanks everyone for your interest during this year.

This was the subject of the last talk at a UK bacteriophage conference on Friday afternoon, when the results of a randomised double-blind Phase 2 clinical trial were announced.

The answer is: Yes.  





Here's a 3 minute video slide show based on the bacteriophage conference meeting -  watch out for the surprise at the end! Enjoy.... :)

As from today, the Churchill Fellows Report about The Health Value Of Bacteriophages is online for posterity on the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust website at  http://www.wcmt.org.uk/public/reports/168_1.pdf - "a very suitable external link" and sufficiently authoritative for the Wikipedia Phage Therapy page apparently. 
...........................................................................................................................................................



Secondly, today's news from DEFRA, and if you are looking for postgrad scholarship schemes to apply for, please read the last paragraph first:

 

"Many thanks for your email including your report which provides an interesting update on some of the work in this area. I am sorry for my delay in replying.

In terms of further developments in Defra since our last correspondence I can update you on some research work which has been continuing throughout 2007 and on plans for upcoming research.

In one project (OZ0325)  we have been working with the egg production industry to evaluate  the use of phage therapy in laying flocks of domestic birds infected with Salmonella enteritidis with the aim of supporting the industry in meeting EU targets to reduce disease prevalence in flocks. You may also be interested to note that we are running another project (OZ0610)  to consider the presence of Campylobacter phages in the farm environment and whether the presence of phages affects the recovery of Campylobacter. We would expect to publish the final reports of these projects on the Defra website towards the end of 2009. Summaries of the projects can be found at

Project OZ0325  http://randd.defra.gov.uk/Default.aspx?Menu=Menu&Module=More&Location=None&ProjectID=14389&FromSearch=Y&Publisher=1&SearchText=oz0325&SortString=ProjectCode&SortOrder=Asc&Paging=10#Description

Project OZ0610  http://randd.defra.gov.uk/Default.aspx?Menu=Menu&Module=More&Location=None&ProjectID=13370&FromSearch=Y&Publisher=1&SearchText=oz0610&SortString=ProjectCode&SortOrder=Asc&Paging=10#Description

The researchers may publish their research either through journals or by presenting at relevant conferences before this time. If you would like to send me more details of the conferences planned for 2008 then I would happily pass them on to the teams involved.

The Food Standards Agency with joint funding from Defra, will be reviewing their strategy for reducing Campylobacter this year. The FSA is commissioning a six-month review of all on-farm interventions  and  strategies for the control of Campylobacter in chicken  and for prioritising research in this area. The use of bacteriophage therapy will be considered along with other interventions.

Furthermore you may be interested to note that the FSA is seeking candidates for their postgraduate scholarship scheme. In the area of meat hygiene, proposals in meat production are welcomed that address methodology to reduce Salmonella in pigs, in particular pre-, pro- and syn-biotic dietary interventions and pre and post harvest bacteriophage control. The deadline for applications is 29th Feb 08." "In terms of the FSA scholarship, more information can be found at http://www.food.gov.uk/science/researchpolicy/researchfunding/scholarshipscheme/"

from: Surveillance, Zoonoses, Epidemiology and Risk
Food and Farming Group
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Phages can be Phun - here's a little collection of photos from my travels in Georgia, Poland and USA showing the health value of bacteriophages simply - 80 days in 8 minutes.

 
And what do scientists say about it so far?

"Looks really good"

"Photos, great idea"

Israelis join exclusive science club
Jerusalem Post, Israel - 7 hours ago
By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH Tel Aviv University has hit the jackpot, with three of its scientists included in the list of 50 of the world's leading innovators ...
The therapeutic potential of phage therapy stems from the fact that it does not affect mammalian cells and therefore results in no adverse effects. ...
.
Congratulations to Professor Beka Solomon. The great value of phages for humankind was made clear right from the start in her presentations in Toronto during May and Olympia during August.

Hopefully the forthcoming announcements of this success in various editions of "Scientific American" will increase public awareness and also spark significant investment into these technologies - plus international cooperation.

If you're looking for stocking stuffers for scientists there are some new GiantMicrobe designs in soft toys, including Maggot, MRSA, Penicillin and T4-Bacteriophage. 

Click on the links to order and see the whole range including E.coli, Salmonella, Staph, Pneumonia etc. :
http://www.giantmicrobes.com/affiliates/idevaffiliate.php?id=127_0_1_7

T4 bacteriophage - 'Exotics'


MRSA - 'Infirmaries'
















Maggot - 'Critters'







They ask us to note that due to manufacturing constraints, there are a limited number of T4 and Penicillin available. In order to manage demand, these items are being made available at an introductory price of $12.95.

Penicillin - 'Exotics'

People are asking me what will I be doing next, now that the report is written and out there.

Well, that is only the start. At the moment I am creating a PowerPoint presentation about my travels -  '80 days with a Churchill Fellowship' but be warned. In this one there is not much at all about bacteriophages -  there are too many other things that you would enjoy.  What about all that fun in Poland on the gnome hunt?

There is a whole photo gallery just devoted to that.
http://www.amazingphage.info/page23.htm.

And there is the statue of the Angel in the Botanical Gardens  -  the giant hairy spider in the pet shop - the cows in the snow-covered fields in the Caucasus mountains - the bed bug bites - the Buddy Holly tribute - the drama of the little boating accident - the magnificent lock on the door of the university - the mysterious hole in the middle of the road - George Washington - various sewers - Niagara Falls at night - funny trees - naughty nighties - a British bulldog - the fantastic swimming pool where I got to wear a hat and found loads more gnomes - the sulphur bath - all sorts of things. There was the underground tour in Seattle too-  and the daring ride I went on just by the Seattle Space Needle. That was scary fun but no photos. There is the story of the incredible flying car, too, the 'Do not feed the cowboys'  poster and the joke about how you make holy water. And how does one manage to see the very latest movie preview when your credit cards are all frozen by the bank? Thank goodness for friends.There may be one or two sciencey pictures just to explain why I went all that way - and of course, a picture or YouTube video clip to illustrate the maggot therapy when you might have to close your eyes, but of course you can always read the official report. You could even join in the discussion at my favourite science blogging site -  the address is http://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/viruses-versus-bacteria.html. 

It will be fun to share some of these adventure stories with you. Do say hello on Facebook if you like.

Here's one of the gnomes -  the Pigeonist - on a flying visit.

To complete the story of Amazing Phage, we needed a good quality diagram showing the way that bacteriophages infect bacteria. I am pleased to say that Encyclopaedia Britannica have done the honours. They have also very kindly granted me permission to include their diagram in a slide show. Now who would like to invite me to share this scientific adventure story in an illustrated talk?


By courtesy of Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc., copyright 1994; used with permission.



























My official 20-page report for the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust is now available as a signed, printed copy (£10) or downloadable free of charge from this website (click here).  There is also a half-page news item in a local Surrey newspaper (click here), and some very welcome and appreciative feedback so far from colleagues in Texas, Virginia, Illinois, Poland, Georgia, New Zealand, Scotland and England. This includes a very prompt and positive response that originated from the corridors of power in the Houses of Parliament.

Thank you. Your response helps to make it all worthwhile.























..

Wednesday 12th September was the final day of research in Poland - there were several appointments all lined up for a whistlestop tour of official departments and organisations that are the specialists in Warsaw.

But the day started with a surprise conversation: "We are hunting for new genes", said Dr Lobocka. "This is looking far ahead." We must remember that she is an international expert in molecular biology, having also worked in the USA at the National Institute of Health and also at Imperial College, London..

She explained -  and I hope I have understood!

The money that investors will put into the genetic research of phages will not only benefit medical and therapeutic research. The main point to make is that there is a huge perspective in finding new genes that encode proteins that will be useful for industry. This is a great revelation!

The visits that morning enabled me to understand this more fully. The science involves proteases that chop up genomes, comparing genomes of different phages that are far more diverse than the mammalian range. Got that?

We were soon on our way to Warsaw University of Life Sciences (the oldest agricultural academic school in Poland) Faculty of Agriculture and Biology (Dept of Biochemistry) where Malgorzata lectures as a professor. The head of the department of Biochemistry is Professor Wieslaw Bielawski, and Dr Slawomir Orzechowski showed me round the labs. This is part of a very large campus.

Next we were at the National Medicines Institute headed by Prof. Waleria Hryniewicz, and shown their work by Dr Ewa Sadowy.

I was able to visit the new Biology Faculty of Warsaw University just long enough to take a photograph of the entrance but the whole building does look very substantial indeed.

Next I was back at the Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics of the Polish Academy of Sciences, where there are five different labs, and I was introduced to the Head of the group, Professor Monika Hryniewicz. Here was an amazing story about phages that she is happy for me to tell you.

In the 1950's when she was about 7 or 8 years old, she was suffering from a chronic throat infection. Her mother was a pharmacist at that time in Warsaw, and having identified the exact bacteria causing the infection, she decided to find the exact phage that would kill those bacteria. We all know where we can find those bacterial phages, don't we? Well, she was successful. Having purified them as necessary, she gave the phages to her young daughter and within very little time at all, suddenly she was better again. How about that?

There were other places to explore and people to be introduced to, including the Genetically Modified Organisms Lab which is underground. Jarastaw Ciesla is in charge of that lab, including some special equipment which is $150,000-worth of real time PCR. I was also shown the dedicated bacteriophage biology and biotech network server in the Department of BioInformatics.  I was especially interested to see the confocal microscopes and the regular fluorescent microscope, and the automatic sequencer with 48 capilllaries thanks to Dr Jacek Nowak, which enables us to learn about genomes.

I hope the Department of Health in the UK are a little bit more aware nowadays of the benefits of UV light, laminar air flow and separate air supplies to ensure that rooms are not contaminated. Goodness knows I have written often enough and sent the Minister some evidence and suggestions, for example from France. Anyway, there in one new lab in the Institute is the certified equipment altogether - it is the Staphylococcus pathogen lamp where a certified UV lamp is obligatory. Yes!

Next was the biggest surprise. 




We were to visit the head office of the Polish Academy of Sciences because Professor Gorski is the Vice President, and he spends 60% of his time in Warsaw. Much to my surprise and delight, I was to learn that these offices are on the 26th floor of the Palace of Culture and Science - that rather unusual building that I described two weeks ago - a gift from Stalin to the people of Warsaw. Actually it is rather nice inside and the view is fantastic. It was good fun asking for a photo to mark the occasion (standing beside the Polish eagle on the wall), and then we went for a delicious late lunch.


The evening was also busy - making sure that I was spelling names correctly (let alone pronouncing them!) and photocopying some interesting abstracts from the phage conference that I had attended at Evergreen College in the States a few weeks ago. The library is brilliant.

Best of all was the fact that, since it was the evening, I could laugh out loud at the brilliantly amusing photographs on the library walls by the photocopier. Picture this - a haystack with the back view of four or five scientists wearing white coats - all carefully examining it. The messages were for all languages.

And there was a tree, with a man in a white coat with a basket. He was quietly gathering multitudes of brightly-coloured antibiotics off the branches. Yeah right!

Thank you Poland for a fascinating and enjoyable visit. It will need several photograph albums but I hope you will all enjoy browsing through them when they are completed.

Along with all this news about genomes from Warsaw, you may find it refreshing to look at the collection of gnomes in Wroclaw.

The draft version of the official Winston Churchill Fellowship Amazing Phage report is currently being prepared for publication, and there is video footage of all these visits for a future DVD, subject to suitable sponsorship.


Meanwhile you may be pleased to know that on my return to the UK ---- I have had a reply from the UK Ministry of Defence. No specific comments - but they do send their best regards, along with thanks for the information, and apologies for the delay in replying. Phew!

____________The end______________
 

Now I am in Warsaw again for the last couple of days of this unique Winston Churchill Travelling Fellowship. This time I am a guest of the Department of Microbial Biochemistry at the Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics of the Polish Academy of Sciences.


It is a great pleasure to meet Dr. Malgorzata Lobocka  and to be visiting the labs.  Already in discussion, my travelling companion Brad (an international educationalist) and I have heard how necessary it is going to be for phage scientists to cooperate and collaborate internationally, in a multi-disciplinary fashion. What is needed is a fully structured and coordinated plan rather than just 'more research'. Then there can be accelerated progress rather than simply repetition with an unnecessary waste of scarce financial resources for scientific research. Dr. Lobocka also advocates big national centres to lead the way, rather than small companies. The overarching principle must be one of integrity.


There are more possibilities for the future.


Very soon it will be time to submit my Fellowship Report to the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust entitled "The Health Value Of Bacteriophages". It seems very fitting that these recommendations can be stated firmly amongst the written conclusions and therefore serve as a guiding light for the future.



Any questions?

I am learning all I can. The main job today is to complete our dwarf hunt since I am so curious by nature. Will we find the dwarf that is riding a pigeon? Will we find the naked one? He only has an umbrella to protect his modesty, silly chap. Will we find the one doing his washing by the river? Will we find out which of the dwarves is/are absent without leave?

We have also seen a marketing niche for someone - we cannot find any little models of these dwarves to buy as souvenirs -  and horror or horrors - the dwarves are not featured in even the latest editions of the tourist guides- the Rough Guide to, or the DK book on Poland.

Here's a video I borrowed off Google so you can see for yourselves. There are also four little dwarves that live at the public swimming pool so that's somewhere else to go today before the music concert.

As for all the amazing new stuff on phages, it will be a great story and an exciting adventure with all the ingredients for a best seller but there is far, far too much to put on a blog. You would be bored silly.


My main concern globally is to check that P.T. would definitely stand for Phage Therapy and not Poor Treatment.

The Institute of Immunology is named after Prof. Hirszfeld. It is very interesting to read a moving article about his life's work on blood groups in particular, and we have him to thank for bringing his collection of phages to Wroclaw when he was appointed to the academic staff of the university in 1944-5.

Today, being a Saturday, it was lovely to do some more sightseeing. The highlight was to visit the University buildings.  If you ever go to Wroclaw, do please make the effort to venture inside and remember to charge the battery for your camera first!

The architectural features have been expertly restored and embellished. They are breathtakingly complex and ornate. Yet amongst them there are state-of-the-art exhibitions of the history of the university - numerous Nobel prizewinners featured in pride of place, plus references to famous names of course including Alzheimer and Bunsen but also composers such as Brahms and Grieg and Berlioz who would have held performances in the music rooms, resulting in their names being engraved in stone for future generations to see. In the upper rooms there are more large black and white photographs of formal occasions as well as historic moments. Amongst them, you would see about five photographs featuring Professor Hirszfeld - when he was lecturing in the Medical Faculty - when he was with a group of medical students at the hospital -  and when he was up there at the front of a huge audience on a major academic formal occasion with the Dean and the Rector leading the proceedings, a military personage standing there in uniform, with women wearing glorious hats to mark the ceremony. There was a lot of damage during the war but except for the photographs, you would have seen virtually  no evidence of that nowadays. The knowledge and learning have certainly not been destroyed. They have been built upon and honoured.


Well, hats off to Poland. Many, many thanks.

It is going to take a long time to pass on all the messages and information about what is happening in Poland with phages.

So for the moment, I have just browsed through the photos on my camera over the last couple of days and listed some highlights for you. We shall have to wait before they can go on the gallery!

In reverse order -

Yesterday evening I was able to tke a photo at the very end of the concert in St Mary Magdalene Cathedral - the first event of Wroclaw's Wratislavia Cantans - Missa Solemnis in D major, Opus 123 by Beethoven. It is a sacred masterpiece. We started with a minute's silence with great respect for Pavarotti.  The English soloists included Susan Gritton (soprano) whose family surname would ring a bell for people from my home town.

During the days at the Institute this week, we have covered a multitude of topics - there is a photo of a letter from an Iraqi doctor asking for information on phages. There is an exciting story, still waiting to develop - Ministry of Defence and British Embassies in USA and Georgia please note!

I had the privilege of detailed discussions with phage scientists and doctors. I would especially like to mention Dr Krystyna Dabrowska who is doing some unique research and publishing some key papers on anti-tumour activity of phages.

There are some very happy photos because yesterday was the name day of Dr Beata Weber-Dabrowska - she was receiving lots of flowers and visitors so I had the pleasure of meeting Maria, a paediatrician who is doing some tests with phages on topical dermatitis. I gather that colonised Staph aureus bacteria may be creating some sort of allergic response. The hospital BioEthics Committee permission was all that was required.

I was invited to attend three outpatient appointments  too in the treatment clinic downstairs with Dr Ryszard Miedzybrodski -  Professor Gorski and I had been talking earlier about whether he considers there are really any side effects or not! Well, the query came up about effects on the liver - this little question had been planted in the public's minds decades ago but where is the proof yeah or ney? Well, right there and then we discovered there was documentary proof that any liver effects had occurred before phage therapy started, not after. Phage therapy is only provided after other methods have been unsuccessful. I was given the names of a couple of antibiotics that this patient had been receiving previously (at her cost).

I was invited to photograph her treatment consultation and examination before discharge prior to corrective surgery on a hip prosthesis that had previously been done incorrectly, as shown by the Xray.

Professor Gorski explained to me about a forthcoming conference he is organising on Dual Use. He has shown me a wonderful letter of support that he has recently received for this from the Director General of UNESCO!

There are also various snaps of recent Polish press coverage about their work - including the cover of Polish Newsweek, the cover of Mikrobiologika, and another 'magazyn'. There are further articles and news of a couple of TV programmes, one done in Germany with an excellent electron micrograph. I was later fascinated to discover an article on the Institute's website entitled "On the brink of a fresh phage in history".  Do look it up in Google for yourself. I have now read the original and please note the date of the newspaper is 5th April 1984. In my opinion it is an absolute disgrace that the authorities have done nothing about the good advice of that science writer. It was 23 years ago!  You can figure out the sums for yourselves but I am just very glad that none of my family have died from bacterial infections in that time. We have suffered though.

I have also been shown the purification process using column chromatography techniques, plus a great photo of E.coli bacteria infected with phage. I have had a chance to show the Polish scientists the book of abstracts from the Evergreeen conference and mentioned the new international phage conference scheduled for next July in Scotland. I hope someone is going to invite Professor Gorski as a key speaker.

This afternoon I hope to take a photo at Professor Gorski's lecture at the International Congree of the Polish Pharmacological Society - to be delivered in Polish I think!

Meanwhile I have a nice little photo of a couple of the dwarves in the city centre. My favourites are the Sisyphuses in Swidnicke St. There are many legends of how they arrived. One is of a mysterious rumble that was heard one night, accompanied by the muffled singing "Roll it, roll it, pal."  In the morning, Wroclaw's astonished citizens found a long row of beautiful granite (?) balls all carefully set in order. Only a few people still do not believe in dwarves.

PS. I just wanted to add that Professor Gorski very kindly asked the permission of his audience if he could, under the circumstances, give his lecture in English!  Wow, it was really interesting. We really must try to keep up with all this - he was explaining aspects of phage that I heard no mention of at the conference a few weeks ago. Well, it's all happening right here in Poland. What I hadn't realised was that phages could attach themselves by their heads, rather than just the tails. Basically, we must open our minds to realise that phages don't only have an anti-bacterial effect - they also can prvent inflammatory diseases of the bowel, they can improve renal function in transplantation, they show anti-viral activity (this is brilliantly neat -  they can do this simply because they are viruses and can therefore block the harmful ones!) And apart from that, they have that anti-cancerous tumour effect that I have already mentioned. There is also very strong evidence of phage safety and if you would like to follow up all the evidence, go ahead and ask Professor Gorski. His last comment in the lecture was that phages in our bodies must be contributing to our immune system. The audience were mainly Polish speaking pharmacologists but I have simply extracted some little nuggets of knowledge that need to be explained to the general public, I consider.

PPS. This is very important. The third patient I was introduced to at the treatment clinic had heart surgery a few years ago and unfortunately he contracted MRSA deep in his chest wound, where pieces of metal had been inserted into the sternum.

In common with many other patients, the MRSA did not respond to strong antibiotic treatment. The Polish hospital authorities felt obliged to offer phage therapy so they referred this gentleman to have treatment here at the Hirszfeld Institute in Wroclaw. After all, it is  the Polish Academy of Sciences and a government-funded department! Naturally, the patient is very pleased to pass on the message to us in the UK that this is possible and the treatment is working. And I thought you would like to know. What do you think about that?

First I can update you on the Rommel riddle - I am advised that it was a different Rommel - one German and one Polish. Simple eh!

Secondly I can confirm that I am collecting lots of information about phage therapy in Wroclaw and will be reporting on it in a few days. Yesterday I had the great honour of meeting the Director of the Institute, Professor Jack Szepietowski and also received a phone call welcoming me from Professor Gorski, the Director of the Bacteriophage department. Meanwhile his associates in the department are showing me their work and very helpfully answering queries about the points that we would love to have explained. More news in a few days.

Now I can tell you what my New Zealand friend Brad is doing for her research project whilst  in Wroclaw.

It's all about the gnomes, goblins and dwarves that touched down here on November 8 in the year 780. The latest one arrived April 26, 2007, to the cheers of a crowd waving red umbrellas. So far I have photos of three of them to share with you, all in good time. Officially they only speak German, Czech, Latin or French. They are a direct tribute to the Orange Alernative Movement (a key part in the anti-communist protests in the late 80s). People sang Stalinist anthems in front of the chimpanzee cage at Wroclaw Zoo in a 2000-strong parade calling for the release of Santa Claus. The reference document is 'Wroclaw In Your Pocket' - excellent!

Yes, so far we have only seen three of these gnomes. Brad's mission is to find the others. Will she complete her task to find every single one (14 - and also uncover the mystery of the gnome that is Absent Without Leave? They do have tracking devices but we are going by female intuition and empathy with said creatures. Will our delay to the UK be delayed should the mission not be accomplished in time?

Meanwhile the phage research continues apace. I have my press release to write by next week, oh heck!

It is possible to fly direct to Wroclaw whereas our journey was via Warsaw where it was very straightforward to book intercity seats on the train for a relaxing five-hour journey taking the time to read, rest and look at the scenery. A train ticket is very cheap, your window seat is reserved and you even get a free cup of coffee and a biscuit - how about that for service! Watch out though - just on the outskirts of Wroclaw is a small railway station also called Wroclaw. Luckily the guard whisked our luggage back onto the train for the extra ten minutes otherwise perhaps we would have been rather stranded.

The station building actually looks a bit like a castle. The welcome at the hotel was warm and helpful, and in no time we had discovered the large shopping mall right next door with numerous eating places and enough fashion shops to kit out a good proportion of the young people in this lovely old city. We have not spotted any obesity, thankfully, even though there are a couple of fast food outlets and lots of icecream parlours in evidence. There is really very little litter either. Well done Poland!

Wandering around the old town was an absolute delight - it is rather like a mini-Prague perhaps. The Botanical Gardens are first rate, and right in the centre is a bust of Carl Linnaeus who inspired it. At some stage I shall be able to add lots of photos to the Poland Gallery and you will see not just the magnificent variety of plants expertly labelled and displayed but the general spectacular layout, the educational features, uniquely brilliant works of artistry and nature's own creations - butterflies, frogs, even snakes so close up that we could have stroked them if we had known they are harmless.

Wroclaw is the location for the 2012 football event - not surprisingly, it would be rather a good spot for investors. Maybe they would like to know about the special potential with phages, since the Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy is just down the road (2 zlotis on the tram - 40p). It is another phage centre of excellence and the reason for my visit. Ha! 


I was told today whilst being transported back to the hotel by car that I'm a VIP!


Ha ha!

The first day was a feat of endurance, since I had only had one hour of sleep. But my New Zealand friend Brad accompanying me (and her nephew Jack doing the driving) arrived with the car at 4.30am. The flight was uneventful except for an abortive landing attempt. Just as we were approaching the runway in Warsaw, a rescue helicopter appeared out of nowhere and our pilot was asked to make a sharp re-ascent into the skies again for another 10-15 minutes. There were some upset tummies at this time!  The cabin crew were busy asking people to sit down, sit down. sit down since it would have been rather dangerous otherwise. Anyway, we eventually had a perfectly smooth landing and the captain spoke to us all very positively, explaining what had happened and joking that there would be no extra charge for the tour round Warsaw! It was an interesting skyline, dominated by one huge building of controversial old Soviet design. (when Big Brother Was Watching You) - I think it is built with 40 million bricks.  In contrast there are numerous modern corporate high rise buildings whereas in the suburbs, there are loads and loads of flats, all concrete and uniform. Yet in between, there are 'Legoland' style rows of properties and the vast sweeping river that carves its own path.

We took the bus from the airport to save money, avoiding the taxi drivers touting for business, and after several miles it was clearly time to disembark, by the railway station. What a hassle - we were on the wrong side of the road for where we needed to be! There was no way of crossing the street with my suitcase even though the hotel was a short stroll away. By the bus stops, the only passenger lift for disabled people was broken.  Between us, Brad and I negotiated the luggage down into the subway with some ingenuity, scouting ahead for the best routes, and also teamwork and offers of help from local people (women!) carrying the suitcase up the next flight of steps. I was so worried about that sacro-iliac joint again after similar difficulties in Chicago back in May, necessitating extra expense with physiotherapy and much less sightseeing than I would have hoped, considering this is a Travelling Fellowship. The problem is the weight of the paperwork and the books, the old laptop and battery chargers for the camera, video etc..

In a few hours we had located an excellent vegetarian cafe, the banks, the shopping mall, the street layout and also found out about the Philharmonic Orchestra playing that evening as part of the Chopin Festival. So that was really stunning. Everyone was beautifully dressed, the auditorium was almost full to capacity, the chandeliers were dripping with magnificent crystal and the orchestra and soloists were playing to perfection. "BRAVO", shouted the lady in front of us holding her posy of flowers, at the end of the Brahms concerto, just before the wonderful applause and even a solo piece as an encore. She wasn't there after the interval but we had been people-watching and admiring the outfits.

We moved forward a couple of rows to the better seats (as you do) and next, it was that magnificent Tchaikovsky piano concerto that brought goosebumps to my arms and tears to my eyes. Now, what was it a signature tune for? The soloist's wrists were practically dancing in the air above the piano keys with expression and delight.

The evening compensated in some way for my exhaustion and great disappointment that the laptop's main switch laptop had actually failed to survive the journey. No photos for this blog yet then!

The next two full days in Warsaw were a chance to visit the museums and gain some awareness of the vast wealth of science and culture there is, adding so much to the political story of human rights, war and peace. Visiting Warsaw would be a quick way for anyone to learn - it would certainly be an excellent visit to inspire any UK student's interest in 20th century politics, philosophy and economics, and meanwhile fill them with the awe and wonder of science, culture and architecture.

We walked and walked, admiring the magnificent building reconstructions over the last 60 years. We had soon located the main landmarks. We visited the brand new museum of the Warsaw Uprising and I must say, I did appreciate the relative peace and gentleness of the children's area telling the same story but through their eyes, plus the rose garden where there are old war photographs but with touches of colour added to them. I had found the darkness and the small faded print of the terrible story far too much for my eyesight and my nerves. However the basic message was plain, along with various quotes and artefacts that tell the public how the Polish Home Army were so let down that August by the Allies who for ages just did nothing to help.

750,000 deaths?
84% of the buildings destroyed.

Interestingly there are various references to the way that Georgian soldiers had helped. There is even an obelisk in the Freedom Garden, commemorating the link in several different languages - Polish, Georgian and English. Strange that the Georgians and the Poles both make use of phage therapy - as do the Germans. The UK and USA have some catching up to do.

Here are some of the texts being exhibited from the Polish perspective. Perhaps we should contemplate them.

1. The Big Three

'In 1943, at the conference in Teheran, the leaders of the Big Three determine the postwar distribution of power. Polish leaders are not aware of this agreement. The Allies remain indifferent to the outbreak of the Rising. The British government is untruthful in reporaching the Polish authorities for the lack of coordination on the timing of the Rising. All throughout August the Allies procrastinate in recognising the Home Army as an allied army, so the Germans feel free to murder the captured insurgents. The British press is silent at first, and then later a significant part underestimates the significance of the Rising and tried to justify Stalin's actions.'

2. The Anglo American Press of the Rising

'Only exceptionally does someone notice in the Rising a "great contribution to the Allied cause". Lieut. Ward writes fot the Times from Warsaw. George Orwell strongly condemns the "low and cowardly posture of the British press" in the Tribune.'

3. Victims of Uncle Joe's Policy

...'Only Stalin is satisfied -  he can avoid the accusation of not having helped the Rising'.

Several hours later, I appreciated the grandeur and quietness of the much older museum in the central square - a mile or so away in Warsaw's Old Town. The ladies ushered the last one or two visitors fairly quickly because it was late Friday afternoon -  but I managed to notice a bronze bust of General Rommel to add to this amazing phage story!

As far as I knew until then, Rommel was a General in the German Army who had led the troops in North Africa and they had all been issued with packs of phages as a safeguard against bacterial infections.  I had not realised that, from what I was being informed, Rommel was a Polish General. The museum text described that he was captured by the Germans during 1939-45. So that is puzzling to me as yet.

"A bust of General Juliuz Rommel, Stefan Chmielarski c.1935, bronze, mould.

(1881-1967) Polish Army General. In September 1939 he first commanded the "Lodz" Army and later the "Warsaw" Army. From 1939 to 1945 in German captivity."

There are a couple of other little stories about this first visit to Warsaw - and much more closely associated with phages. If you are a phage buff, you will know that phages are found all over the place, especially in sewage. Whilst walking round Warsaw it was interesting to see that a new sewer was being installed in one of the roads, and the pavement was right beside it! So there is now a rather close up view of a sewer, as if you wanted to know what they look like. Perhaps the Polish health and safety approach is a rather practical one - if you happen to be standing too close and you fall in, that's your own tough luck!

Then later as we were walking the route from the Presidential residence to the old Royal Castle, what should be happening but a complete clearance of the road surface and removal of all the tramlines and sewers. Again, right beside us just a few inches away, was a dirty great big sewer  being heaved and shoved out by heavy equipment - bash, bash, bash! There was plenty of time to take close up shots of what was going on, and even a bit of video footage on the mobile phone. In the interests of equality, I think the person in charge was the woman. Between them, they did a great job and on our return an hour or two later, it was all done, the sewer was removed, the hole covered up and the road surface smoothed over with sand just as beautifully as a newly iced cake. Those sewers would have had a very dramatic story to tell, I gather.

Anyway there are plenty more phages in Poland. It is intriguing that sauerkraut, pickles and salami-type meats are also a natural source of phages.  I had sent a very hurried note to a colleague of mine back in England to the effect that at least there are plenty of phages in these Polish supermarkets, and next thing I knew, he had forwarded my message halfway round the world to another phage colleague in Canada! So be aware - if there is a huge increase in the Polish tourist market all of a sudden with rumours going round that you can nip over here and buy phages off the shelf - well, it was just a matter of someone taking my words rather literally.

The next two weeks are the third phase of this Churchill research - currently in Warsaw and then on to Wroclaw. Please revisit regularly for news updates.  Sorry, the photos will have to wait because of technical difficulties with my laptop, but the news should be very interesting!

The wonders of modern science.

Today I was visiting the Marie Curie Museum, situated at her birthplace here in Warsaw. There are some great quotes too:


"What kind of compensation does society give to scholars in return for their splendid self-sacrifice, as a reward for the great deeds done for humanity? ...One's youth and strength, spent in an everyday struggle to live, are the prices to be paid for acceptable working conditions."

and

"I believe international work is a heavy task, but that it is nevertheless indispensable to go through an apprenticeship in it, at the cost of many efforts and also of a real spirit of sacrifice."

and

"We have been given half of the Nobel Prize. I do not know exactly what that represents (...) We are obliged to lecture there during the six months follwing December 10. We did  not go to the ceremonial meeting because it was too complicated to arrange."


and


"We do not know exactly what the essence of radioactivity is, I expect though, that the mysteries of nature shall, with time, once again heed to the labours of a researcher."

And perhaps the same could have been said for phages way back then in the early 20th century. The thing is, we know what phages are now, don't we? Since then, medicine has been transformed by Marie Curie's discoveries but not yet really by phages - unless you happen to be living in one of the countries I have visited this year as part of this Winston Churchill research.

See ya.

The Illinois Governor signed Jeanine Thomas'  bill today after another bitter fight. She has won. MRSA screening in Illinois hospitals starts immediately. This is history and hopefully more states will start.

For further information see my interview with Jeanine back at the end of May as part of this Winston Churchill Fellowship research.

Meanwhile Laura Roberts has written her a 100 words explaining how she has recovered from MRSA by having had phage therapy!

Whilst here in Seattle for a couple of days after the Phage Meeting, I have received a newspaper cutting about one hospital in Wales that has reduced its MRSA levels by 72% over six years by doing the cleaning themselves.

I cannot help but wonder whether that could be even better if we took a leaf out of the book of hospitals overseas: first of all there are the bacteria in the air that the authorities have been told about many times at top level but still there appears to be nothing in the policies. Correct me if I am wrong - I wouldn't know because they usually don't reply.

Secondly there are self-replicating phages of course, that can be used for surfaces etc. etc.. But then, I am repeating myself.  

Come on Sir Trevor - did they show you the email from 14th Feb after your programme?

At the Evergreen International POhage Meeting here in Olympia there are 75 speakers covering a whole range of phage related research.

The key points relating to the health value of bacteriophages are now being emphasised in the Phage Therapy sessions:

for example, the concept that antibacterial therapies would need to have anti-biofilm and anti-bacterial features:

phages could be used as a control strtegy on central venous catheters;

bacteriophage is being used already to control foodborne pathogens and could be extended;

the Phase 2 clinical trial against Pseudomonas aeruginosa is nearing completion in a London hospital;

bacteriophages are used routinely in Georgia for treating open maxillofacial injuries;

bacteriophages break senile plaques in an animal brain model of Alzheimer's Disease so here we have a novel therapeutic avenue;

phages, antibiotics and plant antibacterials are used with newborns in Georgian maternity hospitals and we have seen the data;

the Eliava Institute in Georgia is being renovated and has 90 years of experience with phages - there is much potential in the marketplace and for collaboration worldwide.


Today we shall be hearing more about agriculture - bacteriophages for the control of E coli in cattle; more on food safety; treating Salmonella in chickens; treatng fruit and vegetable produce; and then culminating with more talks on phage therapy. There will be a reference to Anthrax and how phages help in biodefence - and, as I had hoped, a description of the Phages in the Battlefield project which I believe has so much promise and deserves worldwide support at top government level. They appear to have done nothing about it so far in the UK although I brought it to their attention in mid-May. Perhaps the Americans will be more receptive and individuals may of couse ask for action, as I have done.

All of these subjects are referred to in my draft report for the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust which you can read and comment on before I submit it in September/October (after the forthcoming visit to Poland).

Also please see the main menu of this site to view the Evergreen photo gallery and the Phages in the Battlefield slideshow.

You are missing an excellent meeting but hopefully these notes and photos will give you a quick overview for future reference.

There are lots of photos now in the Amazing Phage Evergreen Phage Meeting gallery:  http://www.amazingphage.info/page16.htm

Here's just one:












































...................

Arrived Friday at Seattle for the 17th International Evergreen Phage Meeting at the kind invitation of Professor Betty Kutter, Olympia University. It is a spectacular location here by the Olympic Peninsula - the snow-topped Olympic Mountains provide breath-taking views over towards Canada. There is a wide variety of wildlife, including deer and raccoons, and many beautiful wildflowers by the roadsides, especially as you drive up into the higher ground and survey the magnificent landscape.

The Phage scientists are gathering from all over the world.

This is where I am meeting with them and several people are helping with the finished wording of the Churchill Report, so in effect it will be even more of a combined effort.

Phages have just made their first public appearance on canada dot com. Congratulations to Peggy and friends - here's the exact page, and some UK feedback on her letter:

> Hi grace
>
> I think that is probably the best written outline of bacteriophage
> function I have seen. A very neat nutshell.
>
> Sleep well in Seattle.
>
> Barrie

Yes, next Friday I shall be flying thousands of miles to the 17th Evergreen Phage Biology Meeting. It's a wonderful surprise and a very generous gesture from the organisers. Thanks too, to the Director General of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust for their help. There are phage scientists from more than 21 countries all over the world - 72 talks and 55 posters.

And will I get to see that Arrowsmith film - the Pulitzer-prizewinning novel by Sinclair Lewis?
Yes.

Neat!

You have to laugh though. On the Wikipedia page for Arrowsmith, would you believe the reviewer didn't make any mention of bacteriophages! Typical. How long will that take for someone to update it? Frankly, I am rather busy.

Now here's an idea for encouraging phage networking and other strategies that could work well with them too.

European funding!

Perhaps the contributors to the new bacteriophage book and/or the academic institutions will consider submitting an application.

http://www.esf.org/activities/research-networking-programmes/2007-call-for-proposals.html

We could do with some funding for a DVD and some materials too - thanks!

I am pleased to say that the Science and Technology Center in the Ukraine financed 5 bacteriophage projects - total amount about 900,000 USD, so it's about time for Europe to catch up a bit. Can't Europe do better?

While we are talking about funding, here is the information about the UK and the 16.5 million GBP available so far. Are we going to have phages included in the research from now on, or not?


http://www.mrc.ac.uk/ApplyingforaGrant/CallsForProposals/TranslationalInfectionResearch/index.htm

Translational Infection Research







The final date for both of these opportunities is October.

Ooh, there is some very interesting news from Poland. It's a preprint of a paper to appear in Adv Hyg Exp Med. and soon to be online anyway.

We believe it should be an important contribution for a wider application of phage therapy. It is entitled:

"Phage therapy of staphylococcal infections (including MRSA) may be less expensive than antibiotic treatment"

Think about it!

Who would like to read it?






Key words: phage, MRSA, cost of therapy, staphylococcal infection
Word count: 1921
Tables: 2
References: 39


Here you are - a quote:

"This is about half the cost of 10-day therapy with vancomycin and several times less compared with the other drugs shown in Table 2." So, we await news of what the MoD and the DoH are going to do about it.



PS 9.07. It is now online at http://www.relax-well.co.uk/less_expensive_than_antibiotics.pdf and several other places.

...

Book review - pdf

Bacteriophage Genetics and Molecular Biology
Edited by Stephen Mc Grath and Douwe van Sinderen
Publication date: 1 July 2007
Publisher: Caister Academic Press, UK
£150

This beautifully produced, hardback book is also manageable in size and clearly a significant investment for any forward-thinking university or hospital library. It would be a source of inspiration and scientific excitement for students and researchers in a variety of fields, including medicine and industry.


There are 36 contributors spanning 11 countries across Europe and North America. The editors start off by providing postal and email addresses for all the co-authors; this will help to encourage respectful networking and sharing of knowledge during the current rapid developments in phage science. Refreshingly, they have decided not to state academic status or qualifications, thus indicating a spirit of egalitarian collaboration and initiative, meanwhile suggesting that times do change, and we are all learning.


The 12 chapters are mostly co-authored by colleagues working locally. The 352 pages include nearly 70 pages of published references, 30 figures and 6 tables, 9 pages of index and 1 colour plate to illustrate some biological chemistry.


The first chapter is an immediate overview, barely touching on the old history of phage