#ARCTIC. #SIBERIA. THIS IS TAIMYR. A new type of bacteriophage has been discovered in the Arctic – this virus can be considered as a component of medicine for the treatment of bacterial infections in humans, Artemy Goncharov, head of the functional genomics and microorganisms proteomics laboratory at the Experimental Medicine Institute reported to TASS.
The bacteriophage Escherichia coli flora2c was isolated from the soil within the bird colony north of cape Flora on West Northbrook island in the Franz Josef Land archipelago. It is active against E. coli.
A genome analysis allows scientists to classify the virus as a new species of the Justusliebigvirus genus. This genus Bacteriophages are considered as promising components of antibacterial drugs for the treatment of human infectious diseases, in particular urinary tract infections.
The results confirm the hypothesis that the bird ecosystems of the high-latitude Arctic can be considered as a base for searching for new bacteriophages that can be used in medicine.
Earlier, This Is Taimyr reported that 40 years of Taimyr research is now available online and that previously unknown algae will help monitor the state of the Arctic.
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Text: Anzhelika Stepanova, Photo: Nikolay Shchipko
