Targets and Kills V. Parahaemolyticus, Reducing Seafood-Born Illness and Enabling Safer Molluscan Shellfish Consumption
This bacteriophage cocktail of two bacteriophages specifically targets and kills multiple strains of Vibrio parahaemolyticus, bio-controlling the pathogen in foods and food products. V. parahaemolyticus is a naturally occurring marine bacterium frequently found in coastal waters and often accumulates in molluscan shellfish, such as oysters, through filter-feeding activities. A subpopulation of V. parahaemolyticus is virulent and can cause serious illness in humans. Despite the efficacy of cooking in reducing pathogenic bacteria, many food items, like shellfish, are consumed raw or undercooked, making it a leading cause of seafood-associated gastrointestinal illness.
Existing bacteriophage-based food safety products target several foodborne bacteria; however, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved a bacteriophage formulation to address V. parahaemolyticus. There is a critical need for a targeted, safe, and environmentally compatible intervention for inactivating diverse environmental and clinical strains of V. parahaemolyticus in seafood without affecting product quality or requiring significant process changes.
Researchers at the University of Florida have developed a bacteriophage cocktail for targeting and killing V. parahaemolyticus to address this gap in food safety. The cocktail is composed of two bacteriophages that have demonstrated broad activity against clinical and environmental strains, with proven stability under a range of pH and temperature conditions.
Application
Phage-based cocktail formulation for inactivating V. parahaemolyticus and reducing the risk of foodborne illness
Advantages
- Two phage cocktails targeting multiple environmental and clinical V. parahaemolyticus strains, reducing the likelihood of resistance development
- Highly lytic activity, rapidly mitigate V. parahaemolyticus, enabling rapid reduction of pathogen levels on or within seafood products and marine waters
- Stability across diverse pH and temperature ranges, supporting reliability in typical seafood processing, storage and distribution conditions
- Natural biological mechanism specific to V. parahaemolyticus, minimizing impact on non-target organisms and avoiding chemical residues in the environment or food
Technology
The cocktail is comprised of two isolated lytic bacteriophages derived from Florida oysters. Each phage recognizes and infects different subsets of V. parahaemolyticus strains, and in combination the cocktail achieves complete lysis of all ten tested environmental and clinical isolates. Upon binding to the bacterial cell surface, the phages inject their genetic material, hijack the host’s replication machinery, and drive production of progeny virions, culminating in bacterial cell lysis and release of new phage particles that can propagate through the V. parahaemolyticus population. Both phages remain stable and active across a wide range of pH and temperatures, making them suitable for real-world seafood environments. The cocktail is formulated to remain active in typical seafood and marine waters, providing a practical and safe biocontrol strategy for producers and processors. This approach helps reduce Vibrio contamination and supports safer consumption of raw or minimally processed seafood.
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