\u201cBut,\u201d Hwang said, \u201cbacteria are not stupid.\u201d<\/p>\n
As antibiotics have seen increased usage \u2014 and in many cases been overprescribed<\/a> \u2014 bacteria have developed ways to outmaneuver the medications. Researchers have estimated<\/a> that nearly 40 million people worldwide could die between 2025 and 2050 from antimicrobial-resistant infections.<\/p>\n \u201cPharmaceutical companies, they invest billions of dollars to develop new antibiotics,\u201d Hwang said. \u201cBut Mother Nature has its own solution already.\u201d<\/p>\n Bacteria\u2019s \u2018kryptonite\u2019<\/p>\n Bacteriophages, or phages for short, are viruses that selectively target bacteria but avoid human cells. Nearly every bacterium is hunted by a specific phage \u2014 its \u201ckryptonite,\u201d Hwang said.<\/p>\n These viruses typically have a wide head that contains its genetic material, DNA or RNA, and a tail they use to inject it into the bacteria.\u00a0<\/p>\n Phages can be found wherever bacteria exist. In other words, they\u2019re everywhere. In the ocean alone, for example, researchers have estimated<\/a> that there are more viruses \u2014 most of them phages<\/a> \u2014 than all other ocean organisms.<\/p>\n Of course, just like with antibiotics, bacteria also develop resistance to phages over time. But phages are also able to adapt to these defenses, with each side constantly adapting to outsmart the other.<\/p>\n Researchers are still uncovering new phages and sequencing their genomes, an increasingly important<\/a> area of biology given the potential to use phages in clinical settings as an alternative or supplement to antibiotics.\u00a0<\/p>\n Much of that research has taken place in Europe, where phages are actually used in medicine. But it remains a niche area of research<\/a> in the U.S., Hwang said.<\/p>\n Hwang and his three-person team of researchers are part of Naval Medical Research Unit San Antonio (NAMRU-SA), which aims to advance innovations in military medicine. San Antonio, also known as Military City USA, has a robust military medical research presence.<\/p>\n A surprising military priority<\/p>\n The U.S. Navy\u2019s interest in phages was very specific and somewhat surprising: root canals.<\/p>\n As the research unit\u2019s chief science director, Dr. Darrin Frye explained, the Navy wants to minimize the time sailors spend away from battle, and dental issues can present unique challenges overseas.<\/p>\n Root canals are susceptible to bacterial infections. And a specific bacterium is usually the culprit: Enterococcus faecalis, found in up to 77% of cases where a root canal treatment has failed.<\/p>\n E. faecalis is a bacterium that usually lives happily in our guts, causing no harm, but it can cause major issues when it ends up somewhere it\u2019s not meant to be. Other than dental infections, E. faecalis is also responsible for urinary tract infections, bloodstream infections and heart valve infections, which can be fatal.<\/p>\n E. faecalis is notably resistant to many antibiotics, and it has become increasingly resistant to even some of the strongest antibiotics that are used as a last resort.<\/p>\n In 2024, Hwang and his colleagues set out to find E. faecalis\u2019s kryptonite.\u00a0<\/p>\n Because E. faecalis is present in our digestive tracts, Hwang and his team figured they could find the bacterium and the phages that feed off it in wastewater.\u00a0<\/p>\n After collecting sewage samples from wastewater treatment plants in Austin, Arlington and Laredo, the team isolated and sequenced the genomes of 14 newly discovered phages, including one entirely new species. The results were published<\/a> in \u201cMicrobiology Resource Announcements\u201d in August 2025.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/MilitaryCityUSA_InternationalAirportConcessions_SATStoresBusiness_02_03.13.2026_ShariBiediger.jpg\")
The San Antonio International Airport\u2019s newest concession store, Military City USA, opened in March. Credit: Shari Biediger \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n