The use of bacteriophages to control and detect pathogens in the dairy industry

Authors

Lisa O'Sullivan, Department of Biological Sciences, Cork Institute of Technology, Bishopstown, Cork, Ireland
Declan Bolton, Teagasc - Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority
Olivia McAuliffe, Moorepark Food Research Centre
Aidan Coffey, Department of Biological Sciences, Cork Institute of Technology, Bishopstown, Cork, IrelandFollow

ORCID

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4116-9913

Document Type

Article

Disciplines

Biology

Publication Details

International Journal of Dairy Technoloy

© 2019 Society of Dairy Technology

Abstract

Dairy products are susceptible to bacterial contamination during both primary production and the processing stages. Pasteurisation and high hydrostatic pressure are used to eliminate bacteria from milk; however, some heat-tolerant pathogens and bacterial spores may survive these processes. Bacteriophages (phages) are viruses that infect and lyse specific bacteria. These or their encoded proteins may be exploited for pathogen biocontrol in milk products and for mastitis treatment during primary production. The host specificity of phages and their proteins may also be exploited for pathogen detection. Various examples of phage-mediated pathogen biocontrol and detection in the dairy context are discussed in this review.

Recommended Citation

O’Sullivan, L. et al., 2019. The use of bacteriophages to control and detect pathogens in the dairy industry. International Journal of Dairy Technology, 73(1), pp.1–11. Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1471-0307.12641.