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<p>The objectives of this research were to: i) sample beef feedyards for the identification of Salmonella Newport‐specific bacteriophage, and; ii) characterize recovered phage for the ability to infect and lyse S. Newport and other serovars of S. enterica as a first step to the design of a novel phage‐based antimicrobial intervention strategy to prevent Salmonella carriage in the lymphoidal tissues of beef cattle.</p>
<p>The carriage of Salmonella (multidrug‐resistant or antibiotic susceptible) in the lymph system of cattle may contribute to pathogen transmission to consumers via ground beef, and may cause foodborne disease if beef is improperly handled during its preparation. The U.S. beef industry has adopted a number of pre‐harvest antimicrobial interventions to reduce the entry of the non‐typhoidal salmonellae into the post‐harvest environment. Bacteriophage (phage) are viruses that infect bacteria, and are highly successful predators of bacteria. Phage have been shown to be effective in controlling a wide variety of pathogens in livestock species, including Salmonella in poultry and E. coli O157:H7 in cattle and sheep.</p>