Abstract :
Water of Ganga river is reported to have more than 200 isolates of phages. This study has used the naturally available cocktail of phages in the Ganga water as a treatment for chronic Psoriasis. In the conventional Phage Therapy (PT) phages that are active against specific bacteria are first identified; then isolated, multiplied and administered to the patient.We have made a novel innovation of administering the naturally available cocktail of phages in the water of the Ganga river without first identifying the target bacteria and isolating specific phages that may be active against them. In doing so, we enable the large numbers
of phages to self-identify the bacteria that are present and act against them. This approach shortcuts the tortuous process of conventional PT. Further, the phages act against a number of bacteria simultaneously and provide good results in psoriasis which has multiple causes.
Patients who took Ganga water for only 2 weeks showed benefit but the benefit did not sustain after stoppage of the treatment and the disease relapsed to the pre-treatment levels. The same patients showed sustained benefit after they took Ganga water for four weeks. Conclusion is that Ganga water can be used for therapeutic purposes as long as the treatment is continued for at least four weeks. The study underscores the need to establish more robust protocol for treatment of dermatological and possibly other diseases with the cocktail of phages available in the waters of the Ganga river.
Keyword :
Psoriasis, Phage, Ganga water dermatological microbiome