Bacteriophage-based weapons for the war against foodborne pathogens

The control of foodborne bacterial pathogens in raw or processed foods and the food processing environment has been likened to endless warfare. Phages lytic to foodborne pathogens have been weaponized and provided to the food industry to support frontline efforts against implacable enemies including Salmonella enterica, Shigella spp., Listeria monocytogenes and Shiga-toxigenic E. coli. Industrial experience and on-going laboratory-based investigations show that phage-based biological warfare clearly has merit but that improved lethality, stability and deliverability of the weapons would enhance their strategic value. The present paper summarizes recent research contributing to the improvement of phage-based weapons by the expansion of host-range to increase lethality, hardening of phage ammunition against harsh battlefield conditions and by the development of means to guide and deliver the phage to their targets.