Avoid food poisoning Use viruses to prevent bacteria

Addition of bacteriophages: With viruses against bacteria in food

Yersinia are bacteria that are also found in pork. Eating contaminated foods can lead to painful gastrointestinal infections. Researchers have now found that the pathogens can be killed by viruses.

Kill pathogens with viruses

Medics repeatedly warn against the health hazards of pigs. After all, raw meat is the leading cause of hepatitis E infection. But there is another danger: Mett can be contaminated with Yersinia. The consumption of foods contaminated with these bacteria can lead to painful, febrile diarrheal diseases, so-called yersinioses. Researchers from Finland and South Korea have now found a way to kill the pathogens: using viruses.

Raw pork like Mett can be contaminated with Yersinia. These bacteria can cause painful gastrointestinal infections. Researchers have now found that the pathogens can be killed by viruses. (Image: ExQuisine / fotolia.com)

Infection by eating raw pork products

"The biggest risk factor for infection with Yersinia is the consumption of raw pork products, such as Mett or Hackepeter," writes the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) on its website.

"Consumers can protect themselves against Yersinia infections by following the rules of kitchen hygiene when preparing food: they should heat meat to at least 70 ° C for at least two minutes prior to consumption, and transfer bacteria from raw meat to other foods avoid, "explain the experts.

Finnish and South Korean microbiologists have now discovered that Yersinia in food can also be killed by viruses.

Bacteria attacking viruses

Professor Mikael Skurnik from the University of Helsinki has been dealing with bacteriophages (phages) for a long time.

In the biological sense, these are "viruses that only attack and dissolve bacteria (eat, ie," bacterial eater ")," it says on the website of the Leibniz Institute DSMZ - German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures GmbH.

Now, Professor Skurnik, in collaboration with researchers from Seoul National University in South Korea, has investigated the possibility of using phages to eradicate pathogens in food, thus preventing food poisoning.

The scientists focused on the bacterium Yersinia enterocolitica, by far the most common cause of yersiniosis.

People can also be infected via kitchen appliances

According to a statement from the University of Helsinki, the disease is usually transmitted through raw or uncooked pork.

Another source of infection, though a much rarer one, is milk. Humans can also be infected via kitchen utensils used to handle contaminated food.

Yersiniosis symptoms include fever, severe abdominal pain and diarrhea, which can last up to three weeks. In some cases yersiniosis can also cause weeks of arthritis.

Destroy Yersinia with bacteriophages

According to the researchers, Yersinia could be destroyed by the addition of bacteriophages. This treatment is effective both in food and in kitchen appliances.

"We focused on the foods that most commonly carry infections, as well as the kitchen utensils that are the most commonly used foods," Skurnik said.

The scientists added Yersinia to raw and grilled pork and milk, then subjected the food to phage treatment and observed development for three days.

They found that "phage treatment inhibited bacterial growth in food while increasing the number of phages in the diet, suggesting that phages infect bacteria and grow in themselves in the refrigerator," said Skurnik.

The researchers then inoculated kitchen utensils such as wood and plastic cutting boards, knives and surgical gloves with the bacteria and phages and monitored the utensils for two hours. Again, the phages effectively inhibited bacterial growth.

The results of the study were recently published in the journal "International Journal of Food Microbiology".

Routine in the processing of food

According to Skurnik, no studies have yet been conducted on the use of phages in food treatment.

However, treating phages with phages is not a completely new idea: in the US, there is a phage product on the market that is sprayed on raw food products to prevent the growth of Listeria.

In the future, phage decontamination may be routine in food processing, according to the University's announcement.

"One option is a phage mixture that is effective against several bacteria such as Salmonella and Campylobacter as well as the most common food poisoning-causing bacteria in the gut. This mixture could also be given as a precaution to livestock, for example, about their drinking water, "said Skurnik. (Ad)