salmonella-targeted bacteriophage

Salmonella-targeted bacteriophage therapy is a therapeutic strategy that utilizes bacteriophages, which are viruses that exclusively infect and kill bacteria, to specifically target and eliminate Salmonella species. [3] This approach is being developed as an alternative to traditional antibiotics, particularly in light of rising antibiotic resistance. [2, 3] The bacteriophages are highly specific, meaning they attack only the target Salmonella bacteria without harming the host's cells or beneficial gut microbiota. [2, 3] The mechanism involves the lytic cycle of the phage, where it injects its genetic material into the bacterium, replicates, and ultimately causes the bacterial cell to burst (lyse), releasing new phages to infect other bacteria. [3] This approach is used both in human medicine to treat infections like gastroenteritis and in the food industry and agriculture as a processing aid to reduce Salmonella contamination on products such as poultry, meat, and fresh produce. [4, 9, 19] Several companies are developing and marketing phage cocktails, which are mixtures of different phages, to provide broad coverage against various Salmonella serovars. [7, 19]

Brand names

SalmoFreshPhageguard S

Other names

salmonella phage therapy