Killers into cures.

The human body supports billions of microbes. Prof. Robert Winston explains the actions of bacteria and viruses in a programme fully illustrated with cinemicrography, time-lapse sequences, endoscopies and film of patients. Chickenpox, vancomycin resistant enterococcus infection (VRE) following severe burns, tuberculosis and AIDS are the chief viral or bacterial diseases discussed and shown. While these organisms can kill, they can also be made to fight disease. Scientists are working on ways of using viruses to destroy cancer and bacteria to treat asthma and there is some hope that a vaccine to prevent HIV infection may be produced from the immune systems of people apparently resistant to the virus.