title: Efficacy of two Staphylococcus aureus phage cocktails in cheese production.
abstract: Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most prevalent pathogenic bacteria contaminating dairy products. In an effort to reduce food safety risks, virulent phages are investigated as antibacterial agents to control foodborne pathogens. The aim of this study was to compare sets of virulent phages, design phage cocktails, and use them in a cocktail to control pathogenic staphylococci in cheese. Six selected phages belonging to the three Caudovirales families (Myoviridae, Siphoviridae, Podoviridae) were strictly lytic, had a broad host range, and did not carry genes coding for virulence traits in their genomes. However, they were sensitive to pasteurization. At MOI levels of 15, 45, and 150, two anti-S. aureus phage cocktails, each containing three phages, one from each of the three phage families, eradicated a 10(6)CFU/g S. aureus population after 14 days of Cheddar cheese curd ripening at 4°C. The use of these phages did not trigger over-production of S. aureus enterotoxin C. The use of phage cocktails and their rotation may prevent the emergence of phage resistant bacterial strains.
authors.affiliation: Département de biochimie, de microbiologie, et de bio-informatique, Faculté des sciences et de génie, Groupe de recherche en écologie buccale, Faculté de médecine dentaire, Félix d'Hérelle Reference Center for Bacterial Viruses, Université Laval, Québec G1V 0A6, Canada.
authors.forename: Lynn
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: El Haddad
authors.affiliation: Techniques de santé animale, Cégep de Sherbrooke, 475 rue du Cégep, Sherbrooke, Québec J1E 4K1, Canada.
authors.forename: Jean-Pierre
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Roy
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Science, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, United States.
authors.forename: Georges E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Khalil
authors.affiliation: Food Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food, 3600 Casavant Blvd West, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec J2S 8E3, Canada; Institut sur la Nutrition et les Aliments Fonctionnels (INAF), Université Laval, Québec G1V 0A6, Canada.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: St-Gelais
authors.affiliation: Food Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food, 3600 Casavant Blvd West, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec J2S 8E3, Canada; Institut sur la Nutrition et les Aliments Fonctionnels (INAF), Université Laval, Québec G1V 0A6, Canada.
authors.forename: Claude P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Champagne
authors.affiliation: Département des sciences des aliments, Faculté des sciences de l'agriculture et de l'alimentation, STELA, Université Laval, Québec G1V 0A6, Canada; Institut sur la Nutrition et les Aliments Fonctionnels (INAF), Université Laval, Québec G1V 0A6, Canada.
authors.forename: Steve
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Labrie
authors.affiliation: Département de biochimie, de microbiologie, et de bio-informatique, Faculté des sciences et de génie, Groupe de recherche en écologie buccale, Faculté de médecine dentaire, Félix d'Hérelle Reference Center for Bacterial Viruses, Université Laval, Québec G1V 0A6, Canada. Electronic address: Sylvain.Moineau@bcm.ulaval.ca.
authors.forename: Sylvain
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Moineau
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D061046:Biological Control Agents; D002611:Cheese / Q000382:microbiology*; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D005516:Food Microbiology / Q000379:methods; D059022:Food Safety / Q000379:methods; D058507:Host Specificity; D017900:Myoviridae / Q000502:physiology*; D061352:Pasteurization; D017902:Podoviridae / Q000502:physiology*; D017906:Siphoviridae / Q000502:physiology*; D013202:Staphylococcal Food Poisoning / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000821:virology*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D061046:Biological Control Agents; D004768:Enterotoxins
keywords: Cheese; Enterotoxin; Phage; Staphylococcus