Isolation, characterization and application of bacteriophages on the biocontrol of Listeria monocytogenes in soft cheese

• Grant number: 12/20287-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: May 01, 2013
• End date: April 30, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Microbiology - Applied Microbiology
• Principal Investigator: Maria Teresa Destro
• Grantee: Vinicius Buccelli Ribeiro
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas (FCF). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Bacteriophages are one of the most abundant replicant entities on Earth and can be found almost everywhere where their hosts inhabit and actually there are several isolation reports from different niches such as soil, sea and food. Different research projects have been conducted focusing on phage technology by the food industry leading to innovations in the use of these products. The pathogenic bacteria L. monocytogenes occurs in a wide variety of foods such as milk and dairy products, meat, fish and seafood, as well as in many vegetables, being responsible for several outbreaks and listeriosis cases making it extremely important in public health. This research project aims to isolate and characterize the bacteriophages population present in raw milk samples using metagenomic techniques and also evaluate new lytic bacteriophages for their potential and spectrum of action against Listeria monocytogenes in cheese samples. The generated data will provide information to the national and international community regarding the behavior and molecular characteristics of bacteriophages present in milk samples in Brazil. Furthermore, there is the real chance to formulate new patents related to phage products that may be used by the food industry to control L. monocytogenes in cheese and other ready-to-eat (RTE) products.