title: Bacteriophage preparation lytic for Shigella significantly reduces Shigella sonnei contamination in various foods.
abstract: ShigaShield™ is a phage preparation composed of five lytic bacteriophages that specifically target pathogenic Shigella species found in contaminated waters and foods. In this study, we examined the efficacy of various doses (9x105-9x107 PFU/g) of ShigaShield™ in removing experimentally added Shigella on deli meat, smoked salmon, pre-cooked chicken, lettuce, melon and yogurt. The highest dose (2x107 or 9x107 PFU/g) of ShigaShield™ applied to each food type resulted in at least 1 log (90%) reduction of Shigella in all the food types. There was significant (P<0.01) reduction in the Shigella levels in all phage treated foods compared to controls, except for the lowest phage dose (9x105 PFU/g) on melon where reduction was only ca. 45% (0.25 log). The genomes of each component phage in the cocktail were fully sequenced and analyzed, and they were found not to contain any "undesirable genes" including those listed in the US Code for Federal Regulations (40 CFR Ch1). Our data suggest that ShigaShield™ (and similar phage preparations with potent lytic activity against Shigella spp.) may offer a safe and effective approach for reducing the levels of Shigella in various foods that may be contaminated with the bacterium.
authors.affiliation: Intralytix, Inc., Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.
authors.forename: Nitzan
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6632-9373
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Soffer
authors.affiliation: Intralytix, Inc., Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.
authors.forename: Joelle
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Woolston
authors.affiliation: Intralytix, Inc., Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.
authors.forename: Manrong
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Intralytix, Inc., Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.
authors.forename: Chythanya
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Das
authors.affiliation: Intralytix, Inc., Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sulakvelidze
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001435:Bacteriophages / Q000502:physiology*; D002645:Chickens / Q000382:microbiology; D019662:Cucurbitaceae / Q000382:microbiology; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000517:prevention & control; D018545:Lactuca / Q000382:microbiology; D008460:Meat / Q000382:microbiology; D012764:Shigella sonnei / Q000821:virology*; D015014:Yogurt / Q000382:microbiology