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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, January 2009, p. 93-100, Vol. 75, No. 1
0099-2240/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.01711-08
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Virulent Bacteriophage for Efficient Biocontrol of Listeria monocytogenes in Ready-To-Eat Foods{triangledown}

Susanne Guenther, Dominique Huwyler, Simon Richard, and Martin J. Loessner*

Institute of Food Science and Nutrition, ETH Zurich, Schmelzbergstrasse 7, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland

Received 24 July 2008/ Accepted 5 November 2008

Food-borne Listeria monocytogenes is a serious threat to human health, and new strategies to combat this opportunistic pathogen in foods are needed. Bacteriophages are natural enemies of bacteria and are suitable candidates for the environmentally friendly biocontrol of these pathogens. In a comprehensive set of experiments, we have evaluated the virulent, broad-host-range phages A511 and P100 for control of L. monocytogenes strains Scott A (serovar 4b) and WSLC 1001 (serovar 1/2a) in different ready-to-eat (RTE) foods known to frequently carry the pathogen. Food samples were spiked with bacteria (1 x 103 CFU/g), phage added thereafter (3 x 106 to 3 x 108 PFU/g), and samples stored at 6°C for 6 days. In liquid foods, such as chocolate milk and mozzarella cheese brine, bacterial counts rapidly dropped below the level of direct detection. On solid foods (hot dogs, sliced turkey meat, smoked salmon, seafood, sliced cabbage, and lettuce leaves), phages could reduce bacterial counts by up to 5 log units. Variation of the experimental conditions (extended storage over 13 days or storage at 20°C) yielded similar results. In general, the application of more phage particles (3 x 108 PFU/g) was more effective than lower doses. The added phages retained most of their infectivity during storage in foods of animal origin, whereas plant material caused inactivation by more than 1 log10. In conclusion, our data demonstrate that virulent broad-host-range phages, such as A511 and P100, can be very effective for specific biocontrol of L. monocytogenes in contamination-sensitive RTE foods.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Institute of Food Science and Nutrition, ETH Zurich, Schmelzbergstrasse 7, LFV B20, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland. Phone: (41) 44 632 3335. Fax: (41) 44 632 1266. E-mail: martin.loessner{at}ethz.ch

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 14 November 2008.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, January 2009, p. 93-100, Vol. 75, No. 1
0099-2240/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.01711-08
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.





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