Researchers discover new phage infecting human gut bacteria

[gturner]

Using DNA techniques, researchers at San Diego State identified a phage that infects the common gut bacteria called Bacteroidetes, which tends to be found toward the lower end of the digestive tract, and the virus is showing up in about half the fecal samples tested.

So of course the team named the newly discovered virus crAssphage.

Once they develop a treatment, we'll have to sit through the commercials for it without cracking up.

ETA: Forgot the link

 

[rhubarbodendron]

well, since about every second person appears top have these phages, it's quite safe to assume they are harmless to us. I daresay they might possibly even be necessary in order to keep our symbiontic bacteria from growing too many. (I wouldn't be surprised if the other 50% had a different phage with the same effect).

I think linking the phage to obesity is quite daring (to put it mildly). In the US more than 50% are overweight and in countries with a similar rate of these phages the obesity rate might be lower. And to claim that 50% of the world's population are infected is not proper if only two databases have been checked - both in the US.