The increasing global attention to the threat of antibiotic resistance has spurred research and development of antimicrobial alternatives. Once such alternative is bacteriophages. Bacteriophages are viruses that infect and kill bacteria. There are thousands of different types and they are so abundant in the environment – an estimated 1030 live on the planet –…
UK's FSA Publishes 2014 Food Safety Priorities
Last week, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in the U.K. published its Forward Evidence Plan for 2014, outlining priorities for the coming year. The plan is meant to draw the attention of potential research funders and inform stakeholders. A major portion of the plan addresses Campylobacter, Britain’s most common cause of food poisoning. In…
New Spray Product Takes Aim at Salmonella on Poultry
“A sneaky germ.” That’s how the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes Salmonella. The agency follows that uncomplimentary description with a warning that Salmonella can contaminate more than just poultry and eggs. “It sneaks its way into many foods — ground beef, pork, tomatoes, sprouts — even peanut butter,” says the CDC…
STEC Derived HUS: Infection or Toxemia?
For some time now, the worldwide food supply has been under attack by a bacterium we know well as a generally non-trouble-making resident of the human colon (Escherichia coli), which has lately been possessed of a terrible “new” weapon in the form of Shiga toxin. We call this beast “Shiga toxin-producing E. coli” (STEC). We…
Food Processing Trends Underscore Need for Additional Safety
The current trend of minimization in food formulation and processing – such as the reduction of salt levels in products like meat and cheese and milder processing techniques designed to preserve fresh characteristics of products – should trigger a renewed look at food safety measures in the food industry, and might attract the attention of…
Food Pathogen Interventions: Phasing in Phages
Editor’s Note: This article is the continuation of a series on emerging techniques introduced at the Foodborne Pathogen Interventions Symposium in Seattle on April 27. The event was hosted by the Seafood Product Association. Today’s installment focuses on bacteriophages, presented by Dr. Alexander Sulakvelidze of Intralytix™.
The word “virus” usually sends people grabbing for the …
Company Develops Natural Way to Fight E. coli
In the ongoing battle to keep the potentially deadly E. coli O157:H7 pathogen out of hamburger, a range of “killer strategies” has been proposed, among them: zap the meat with irradiation, test the hell out of it, check every carcass for surface contamination, and vaccinate every beef cow against E. coli.
Now comes an “all-natural” …
Bacteriophages Eyed as Antibiotic Alternatives
In the battle against antibiotic resistance in animal agriculture, researchers from Washington and New York states are hoping to help pave the way for U.S. approval of a promising biological therapy that has the potential to not only treat sick cows, but also save human lives threatened by infectious diseases that no longer respond to…
Phages: A New Means of Food Safety?
The process of making food safe is never-ending, and as a result, food safety experts, microbiologists, and industry insiders are constantly searching for new ways to improve the food safety system in the United States.
Within the last few years, food growers and producers have begun to use a novel means of improving food safety …