Phage inactivation of foodborne bacteria

Bacteriophages exhibit properties attractive to researchers seeking novel ways to control foodbome pathogens and spoilage organisms. Campylobacter, Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes, as well as spoilage organisms, have all responded to phage control on fruit, vegetables, dairy products and meat. An apparent minimum host threshold level is needed for phage replication, and sub-optimal performance occurs at temperatures beneath the optimum of the host. There is a need to infect a majority of the strains of a host species as inactivation of only some strains will be ineffective, although phage "cocktails" may circumvent this problem. Pathogens in food might be controlled by using phage lysis from without or cloned phage-encoded enzymes. Phages could potentially be administered to food animals prior to slaughter to eliminate pathogens. Rigorous assessments are needed before real applications can be considered.