Discovery was made by researchers from Unifesp, USP and Cetesb; viruses can help combat antibiotic resistant bacteria
Research conducted by 3 centers funded by FAPESP (São Paulo State Research Support Foundation) resulted in the discovery of 62 new types of phagos – viruses that infect and kill bacteria.
The work involved CEPID B3 (Bacteria and Bacteriophage Biology Research Center), the Aries (Paulista Institute for Antimicrobial Resistance Institute) and the Food Research Center, with the participation of CETESB (São Paulo State Environmental Company) and the São Paulo Zoo.
The initiative was led by Julio Cezar Franco, professor at Unifesp (Federal University of São Paulo) and researcher at Cepid B3. He temporarily walked away from Unifesp’s Diadema campus to work at the USP Institute of Chemistry (University of São Paulo), where Cepid B3 is headquartered. He also collaborated with Professor Aline Maria da Silva (1959–2024).
The first samples came from Aries and Cetesb, which collects material in sewage treatment stations from Greater São Paulo. Microorganisms obtained in hospitals, airports and composting areas provided by the São Paulo Zoo were also used. Forc contributed bacteria associated with food contamination, such as those that cause salmonelosis.
Franco isolated the phagos of the samples and tested them in plates with laboratory -grown bacteria. When a virus was able to kill a bacteria, transparent areas emerged known as Lise plates. The process was repeated hundreds of times until the identification of the 62 new phagos.
According to the researcher, discovered viruses can be used to develop strategies against antibiotic resistant bacteria, a common problem in hospitals, as well as to prevent food contamination.
Franco advocates the creation of phagos banks for application in therapies and biological control of bacteria. The next step, he said, will be the sequencing of microorganism genomes to understand how the infection occurs and how to make it more efficient.
He also intends to expand cooperation between research centers and encourage the exchange of experiences among students of the institutions involved.
With information from
