Liver transplant baby saved by “trained” virus at Saint-Luc hospital

Doctors at the Saint-Luc university hospital in Brussels have saved the life of a 13-month-old baby using a revolutionary technique thought to be a world first. The baby was born with a liver condition that required a transplant. Afterwards it was struck by an infection of the liver and blood supply which did not respond to antibiotics. Instead, doctors at the hospital turned to a technique where Belgium is at the cutting edge of developments: using bacteriophages, or viruses which consume bacteria, to target the germs causing the infection.

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