Could we make meat-packing facilities extremely unsanitary... for bacteria?
Phages, the viruses that attack and kill bacteria, have long been regarded as a possible ally in the fight against bacterial pathogens.
Industries that need to remain sanitary, especially those that process food, have to undergo regular treatments to keep bacterial biofilms at bay. If these facilities could be inoculated with their viral killers, the system would sanitize itself. Phages can reproduce autonomously and have mechanisms to circumvent bacterial defenses.
However, if released in such places, they would probably end up in natural environments, agricultural fields, or our gut microbiomes. Unless the virus can be engineered to attack a very specific type of pathogen, it's best to use parts of its killing machinery for specific tasks, such as biofilm degradation, which weakens bacterial infestations.
Fellow Victoria Antonella Rodríguez went to the Laboratory of Microbial Biofilms, (IIBCE) to characterize the form and function of several phage lines against Shigatoxigenic Escherichia coli strains, one of the most common causal agents of foodborne diarrheal diseases, as part of a continued path to discovery of sustainable biotechnological solutions for the food industry. We are thankful to Dr. Paula Lucchesi (CIVETAN, Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires) and Dr. Paola Scavone (Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable) for supporting Victoria and for their collaboration in this biotechnological endeavour.
