Characterization of Broad Spectrum Bacteriophage vB ESM-pEJ01 and Its Antimicrobial Efficacy Against Shiga Toxin-Producing <i>Escherichia coli</i> in Green Juice
Shiga toxin-producing <i>Escherichia coli</i> (STEC) infections have increased in humans, animals, and the food industry, with ready-to-eat (RTE) food products being particularly susceptible to contamination. The prevalence of multidrug-resistant strains has rendered the current control...
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2025-01-01
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| author | Eun Jeong Park Seungki Lee Jong Beom Na Ye Bin Kim Kee Man Lee Seon Young Park Ji Hyung Kim |
| author_facet | Eun Jeong Park Seungki Lee Jong Beom Na Ye Bin Kim Kee Man Lee Seon Young Park Ji Hyung Kim |
| author_sort | Eun Jeong Park |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Shiga toxin-producing <i>Escherichia coli</i> (STEC) infections have increased in humans, animals, and the food industry, with ready-to-eat (RTE) food products being particularly susceptible to contamination. The prevalence of multidrug-resistant strains has rendered the current control strategies insufficient to effectively control STEC infections. Herein, we characterized the newly isolated STEC phage vB_ESM-pEJ01, a polyvalent phage capable of infecting <i>Escherichia</i> and <i>Salmonella</i> species, and assessed its efficacy in reducing STEC in vitro and food matrices. The phage, belonging to the <i>Tevenvirinae</i>, exhibits effective bacteriolytic activity, a short latent period, large burst size, and stability under a broad pH range and moderate temperatures. Moreover, the phage demonstrated strong anti-biofilm efficacy even at low concentrations. Genomic analysis revealed that the phage was similar to the well-characterized RB49 phage (T4-like phage) but possesses distinct host-specificity-related genes that potentially contribute to its extensive host range. The efficacy of phage vB_ESM-pEJ01 was evaluated in artificially STEC-inoculated green juice samples, where it significantly reduced STEC and the abundance of Shiga toxin-producing genes at 4 and 25 °C. Therefore, these results suggest that the polyvalent phage vB_ESM-pEJ01 is a promising biocontrol agent for foodborne pathogens in RTE foods such as fresh juices. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2080a17baa11449394433d5874cc75a6 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2076-2607 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Microorganisms |
| spelling | doaj-art-2080a17baa11449394433d5874cc75a62025-01-24T13:42:39ZengMDPI AGMicroorganisms2076-26072025-01-0113110310.3390/microorganisms13010103Characterization of Broad Spectrum Bacteriophage vB ESM-pEJ01 and Its Antimicrobial Efficacy Against Shiga Toxin-Producing <i>Escherichia coli</i> in Green JuiceEun Jeong Park0Seungki Lee1Jong Beom Na2Ye Bin Kim3Kee Man Lee4Seon Young Park5Ji Hyung Kim6Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, College of Bionano Technology, Gachon University, Seongnam 13120, Republic of KoreaBiological and Genetic Resources Assessment Division, National Institute of Biological Resources, Incheon 22689, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Food Science and Biotechnology, College of Bionano Technology, Gachon University, Seongnam 13120, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Food Science and Biotechnology, College of Bionano Technology, Gachon University, Seongnam 13120, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Food Science and Biotechnology, College of Bionano Technology, Gachon University, Seongnam 13120, Republic of KoreaLaboratory of Aquatic Biomedicine, College of Veterinary Medicine and Research Institute for Veterinary Science, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Food Science and Biotechnology, College of Bionano Technology, Gachon University, Seongnam 13120, Republic of KoreaShiga toxin-producing <i>Escherichia coli</i> (STEC) infections have increased in humans, animals, and the food industry, with ready-to-eat (RTE) food products being particularly susceptible to contamination. The prevalence of multidrug-resistant strains has rendered the current control strategies insufficient to effectively control STEC infections. Herein, we characterized the newly isolated STEC phage vB_ESM-pEJ01, a polyvalent phage capable of infecting <i>Escherichia</i> and <i>Salmonella</i> species, and assessed its efficacy in reducing STEC in vitro and food matrices. The phage, belonging to the <i>Tevenvirinae</i>, exhibits effective bacteriolytic activity, a short latent period, large burst size, and stability under a broad pH range and moderate temperatures. Moreover, the phage demonstrated strong anti-biofilm efficacy even at low concentrations. Genomic analysis revealed that the phage was similar to the well-characterized RB49 phage (T4-like phage) but possesses distinct host-specificity-related genes that potentially contribute to its extensive host range. The efficacy of phage vB_ESM-pEJ01 was evaluated in artificially STEC-inoculated green juice samples, where it significantly reduced STEC and the abundance of Shiga toxin-producing genes at 4 and 25 °C. Therefore, these results suggest that the polyvalent phage vB_ESM-pEJ01 is a promising biocontrol agent for foodborne pathogens in RTE foods such as fresh juices.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/13/1/103Shiga toxin-producing <i>Escherichia coli</i> (STEC)polyvalent phagebiocontrolfood applicationgreen juice |
| spellingShingle | Eun Jeong Park Seungki Lee Jong Beom Na Ye Bin Kim Kee Man Lee Seon Young Park Ji Hyung Kim Characterization of Broad Spectrum Bacteriophage vB ESM-pEJ01 and Its Antimicrobial Efficacy Against Shiga Toxin-Producing <i>Escherichia coli</i> in Green Juice Microorganisms Shiga toxin-producing <i>Escherichia coli</i> (STEC) polyvalent phage biocontrol food application green juice |
| title | Characterization of Broad Spectrum Bacteriophage vB ESM-pEJ01 and Its Antimicrobial Efficacy Against Shiga Toxin-Producing <i>Escherichia coli</i> in Green Juice |
| title_full | Characterization of Broad Spectrum Bacteriophage vB ESM-pEJ01 and Its Antimicrobial Efficacy Against Shiga Toxin-Producing <i>Escherichia coli</i> in Green Juice |
| title_fullStr | Characterization of Broad Spectrum Bacteriophage vB ESM-pEJ01 and Its Antimicrobial Efficacy Against Shiga Toxin-Producing <i>Escherichia coli</i> in Green Juice |
| title_full_unstemmed | Characterization of Broad Spectrum Bacteriophage vB ESM-pEJ01 and Its Antimicrobial Efficacy Against Shiga Toxin-Producing <i>Escherichia coli</i> in Green Juice |
| title_short | Characterization of Broad Spectrum Bacteriophage vB ESM-pEJ01 and Its Antimicrobial Efficacy Against Shiga Toxin-Producing <i>Escherichia coli</i> in Green Juice |
| title_sort | characterization of broad spectrum bacteriophage vb esm pej01 and its antimicrobial efficacy against shiga toxin producing i escherichia coli i in green juice |
| topic | Shiga toxin-producing <i>Escherichia coli</i> (STEC) polyvalent phage biocontrol food application green juice |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/13/1/103 |
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