title: Bacteriophages safely reduceSalmonellacontamination in pet food and raw pet food ingredients.
abstract: Contamination of pet food withSalmonellais a serious public health concern, and several disease outbreaks have recently occurred due to human exposure toSalmonellatainted pet food. The problem is especially challenging for raw pet foods (which include raw meats, seafood, fruits, and vegetables). These foods are becoming increasingly popular because of their nutritional qualities, but they are also more difficult to maintainSalmonella-free because they lack heat-treatment. Among various methods examined to improve the safety of pet foods (including raw pet food), one intriguing approach is to use bacteriophages to specifically killSalmonellaserotypes. At least 2 phage preparations (SalmoFresh® and Salmonelex™) targetingSalmonellaare already FDA cleared for commercial applications to improve the safety of human foods. However, similar preparations are not yet available for pet food applications. Here, we report the results of evaluating one such preparation (SalmoLyse®) in reducingSalmonellalevels in various raw pet food ingredients (chicken, tuna, turkey, cantaloupe, and lettuce). Application of SalmoLyse® in low (ca. 2-4×106PFU/g) and standard (ca. 9×106PFU/g) concentrations significantly (P< 0.01) reduced (by 60-92%)Salmonellacontamination in all raw foods examined compared to control treatments. When SalmoLyse®-treated (ca. 2×107PFU/g) dry pet food was fed to cats and dogs, it did not trigger any deleterious side effects in the pets. Our data suggest that the bacteriophage cocktail lytic forSalmonellacan significantly and safely reduceSalmonellacontamination in various raw pet food ingredients.
authors.affiliation: Intralytix, Inc. , Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Nitzan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Soffer
authors.affiliation: Intralytix, Inc. , Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Tamar
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Abuladze
authors.affiliation: Intralytix, Inc. , Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Joelle
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Woolston
authors.affiliation: Intralytix, Inc. , Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Manrong
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: The Procter and Gamble Company , Mason, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Leigh Farris
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Hanna
authors.affiliation: The Procter and Gamble Company , Mason, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Serena
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Heyse
authors.affiliation: The Procter and Gamble Company , Mason, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Duane
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Charbonneau
authors.affiliation: Intralytix, Inc. , Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sulakvelidze
keywords: SalmoLyse®; Salmonella; bacteriophage; food safety; pet food; phage; raw pet food