Journal Article

Bacteriophages for the Targeted Control of Foodborne Pathogens

Bumunang, Emmanuel W., Zaheer, Rahat, Alexander, Trevor, McAllister, Tim A., Niu, Dongyan, Narvaez-Bravo, Claudia, Stanford, Kim

2023

Overview

Foodborne illness is exacerbated by novel and emerging pathotypes, persistent contamination, antimicrobial resistance, an ever-changing environment, and the complexity of food production systems. Sporadic and outbreak events of common foodborne pathogens like Shiga toxigenic E. coli (STEC), Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Listeria monocytogenes are increasingly identified. Methods of controlling human infections linked with food products are essential to improve food safety and public health and to avoid economic losses associated with contaminated food product recalls and litigations. Bacteriophages (phages) are an attractive additional weapon in the ongoing search for preventative measures to improve food safety and public health. However, like all other antimicrobial interventions that are being employed in food production systems, phages are not a panacea to all food safety challenges. Therefore, while phage-based biocontrol can be promising in combating foodborne pathogens, their antibacterial spectrum is generally narrower than most antibiotics. The emergence of phage-insensitive single-cell variants and the formulation of effective cocktails are some of the challenges faced by phage-based biocontrol methods. This review examines phage-based applications at critical control points in food production systems with an emphasis on when and where they can be successfully applied at production and processing levels. Shortcomings associated with phage-based control measures are outlined together with strategies that can be applied to improve phage utility for current and future applications in food safety.

• Publisher: MDPI AG,MDPI
• Subject: Antibacterial agents / antibacterial properties / antibiotic resistance / Antibiotics / Antimicrobial resistance / bacteriophage / bacteriophages / Biofilms / Biological control / Campylobacter / Changing environments / Control methods / Disease prevention / Drug resistance in microorganisms / E coli / Economic impact / Environmental changes / Epidemics / Fishes / Food / Food contamination / Food contamination & poisoning / Food processing machinery industry / Food production / food production system / Food safety / Food science / Food systems / foodborne disease / Foodborne diseases / foodborne illness / Foodborne pathogens / foods / Fruits / Health aspects / Health care / humans / Infection / Infections / Listeria / Listeria monocytogenes / Pathogenic microorganisms / Pathogens / pathotypes / Pests / Phages / Poultry / Pregnancy / Product recalls / Public health / Review / Safety / Safety and security measures / Salmonella / Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli / single-cell variants / Stainless steel / Womens health