Treating food products with select bacteriophages—viruses that target and kill bacteria—could significantly reduce concentrations of E. coli, a new study shows.
In the study, an injection of bacteriophages—also known informally as “phages”—nearly eradicated a toxin-producing strain of E. coli in contaminated spinach and ground beef, in some cases decreasing E. coli concentrations by about 99 percent.
The research suggests that bacteriophage treatment could be an effective tool to help ensure the safety of food products, says Paul Ebner, associate professor of animal sciences at Purdue University.
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