Creek survey uncovers bacteriophages that could combat superbugs

A survey of a waterway on Wurundjeri land has led to the discovery of new viruses that kill the superbug Klebsiella.

With estimates that superbugs will kill at least 10 million people a year across the world by 2050, the finding, led by a partnership of Traditional Owners and Monash University researchers suggests that small waterways may be an untapped source of viruses with genetic variations capable of addressing the rise in drug-resistant superbugs.

Working with the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation, the Monash University team led by Professor Trevor Lithgow, from the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, found two versions of a bacteriophage (a virus that kills bacteria). Elders named the bacteriophage in Woi Wurrung language Merri-merri-uth nyilam marra-natj (MMNM), which translates as "Dangerous Merri lurker" in English.

Importantly, the researchers found that a single genetic difference between the two forms of MMNM was sufficient to change how well they could kill bacteria. According to Professor Lithgow, this sequence variation was then subject to further, forced evolution in the lab. "All of the various new phages that we evolved can kill Klebsiella, but some of the variant phages kill better than others," he said.

Image source: Wikimedia Commons, CC0.