In Vitro Evolution of Listeria Phages for Enhanced Applications in Food Safety

The major long-term goal of this project is to provide knowledge to overcome two major hurdles limiting phage-based biocontrol of Listeria monocytogenes: (i) the development of phage resistance and (ii) the limited availability of phages adapted to food relevant conditions. This knowledge will lead to the development of a new generation of phage-based biocontrols that can significantly reduce bacterial foodborne pathogen contamination on food and in food processing environments. This knowledge is likely to have an especially significant impact on processing facilities with persistent Listeria monocytogenes that cannot be adequately controlled with currently available sanitizers, disinfectants, and antimicrobials. A minor long-term goal of this project is to provide knowledge that can also be used to improve phage-based detection assays targeting Listeria monocytogenes and Listeria spp.Objective 1: Exploit co-evolution between Listeria monocytogenes and virulent phages to isolate improved phages for food safety applications and determine mechanisms of their phage-host interaction .Objective 2: Select and characterize multi-mode of action phage cocktails designed to limit emergence of phage-resistance and to function in food relevant conditions.