Application of Host-Specific Bacteriophages to the Surface of Chicken Skin Leads to a Reduction in Recovery of Campylobacter jejuni

Abstract

Retail poultry products are widely purported as the major infection vehicle for human campylobacteriosis. Numerous intervention strategies have sought to reduce Campylobacter contamination on broiler carcasses in the abattoir. This study reports the efficacy of bacteriophage in reducing the number of recoverable Campylobacter jejuni cells on artificially contaminated chicken skin

Bacteriophage biocontrol ofListeria monocytogeneson soft ripened white mold and red-smear cheeses

“…24 Resistance to a specific phage added to food was also not observed with Salmonella Enteritidis on fresh-cut fruit during a 7 day period, 39 or Campylobacter jejuni on chicken skin after 10 days. 40 However, some phage-insensitive Brochothrix thermosphacta emerged on pork adipose tissue 8 days after phage was added. 41 Altogether, the available data indicate that development of phage resistance on foods seems to be variable and hard to predict, but the probability and frequency seems to be relatively low.…”

Phages as Therapeutic Tools to Control Major Foodborne Pathogens: Campylobacter and Salmonella

“…Atterbury et al (2003) studied the survival of C. jejuni and phages on chicken skin at temperatures of 4°C or -20°C. A dose of 10 6 CFU C. jejuni NCTC 12662 PT14 was inoculated on the surface of chicken skin and then samples were stored at these two temperatures for a period of one hour to ten days (Atterbury et al, 2003a). The results showed that there was a reduction of 1 or 2 log 10 CFU on Campylobacter counts for skin stored at 4ºC or -20ºC, respectively.…”

“…In fact, Campylobacter counts and phage titer did not fall during the experimental period which indicates that a nonspecific adsorption did not occur. Conversely when the same phage was added to its susceptible host, under the same conditions described above, the Campylobacter numbers were reduced by 0.8 log 10 CFU/ml (Atterbury et al, 2003a).…”

Phage-based biocontrol strategies to reduce foodborne pathogens in foods

“…7 Others have assessed the phage-based control of L. monocytogenes in meat, with research studies demonstrating that the combination of a L. monocytogenes phage and nisin (a bacteriocin produced by lactic acid bacteria that is approved for use in ready to eat meats to control the presence of L. monocytogenes) provided an antimicrobial effect against L. monocytogenes in broth, but not in buffer or raw beef, 5 leading the researchers to conclude that the use of nisin and bacteriophages has potential to control L. monocytogenes in meats, but more research detailing the ecological aspects of complex systems like foods must be achieved before any practical use of these treatments can be realized. 5 Atterbury et al 36 conducted experiments using phages to reduce Campylobacter jejuni on chicken skin. At 4°C, Campylobacter recovery from controls inoculated with 10 6 and 10 4 CFU remained constant through the entire course of the experiment, and in chicken samples inoculated with the lowest phage titer (10 3 PFU), no significant reduction in C. jejuni numbers was observed.…”

“…The efficacy of the phage treatment was more pronounced in frozen chicken samples, leading the authors to conclude that the use of phage therapy, when coupled with a freeze step, could be an effective treatment to reduce C. jejuni on poultry. 36 Goode and coworkers 6 artificially contaminated portions of chicken skin with S. Enteritidis and half of the contaminated samples were inoculated with Salmonella typing phage 12 at a MOI of 1. The samples were incubated at 4°C and samples were obtained prior to phage application and 24 and 48 h following addition of the phage.…”