Abstract
Listeria monocytogenes is a bacterial pathogen responsible of listeriosis, a disease that in humans is often related to the contamination of ready-to-eat foods. Phages are candidate biodecontaminants of pathogenic bacteria thanks to their ability to lyse prokaryotes while being safe for eukaryotic cells. In this study, ΦIZSAM-1 was isolated from the drain-waters of an Italian blue cheese plant and showed lytic activity against antimicrobial resistant Listeria monocytogenes strains. This phage was subjected to purification and in vitro efficacy tests. The results showed that at multiplicities of infection (MOIs) ≤ 1, phages were able to keep Listeria monocytogenes at low optical density values up to 8 h, with bacterial counts ranging from 1.02 to 3.96 log10 units lower than the control. Besides, ΦIZSAM-1 was further characterized, showing 25 principal proteins (sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis profile) and a genome of approximately 50 kilo base pairs. Moreover, this study describes a new approach to phage isolation for applications in Listeria monocytogenes biocontrol in food production. In particular, the authors believe that the selection of phages from the same environments where pathogens live could represent a new approach to successfully integrating the control measures in an innovative, cost effective, safe and environmentally friendly way.
Highlights
Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes) is a Gram-positive foodborne pathogen that causes listeriosis
An interesting finding was reported by EFSA experts in 2016 on the safety and efficacy of ListexTM P100 to be used against L. monocytogenes contaminations [10]
In this document, L. monocytogenes strains originally resistant to ciprofloxacin and erythromycin, reverted to being antibiotic-sensitive after infection with ΦP100
Summary
Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes) is a Gram-positive foodborne pathogen that causes listeriosis. Bacteriophages are the simplest lifeforms on earth and their number on our planet is estimated to be 1031 [2]. They are the natural enemies of bacteria and play a key role in the biocontrol of prokaryotic cells in order to avoid their excessive multiplication in the environment. For this reason, together with their selective activity against specific hosts/strains and due to being safe towards eukaryotic cells, their role as potential bio-decontaminants against pathogenic foodborne bacteria has recently become more frequently investigated by the scientific community [3]. Phagebased biocontrol strategies have received increasing interest in recent years due to the relatively low cost of their preparations and applications [4]
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