ISOLATION OF LYTIC BACTERIOFHAGE AND ITS POTENCY TO CONTROL Cronobacter spp. – OPPORTUNISTIC FOOD-BORNE PATHOGENS
Agustin K.Wardani, Immas R. Nurbayu, Nur L. Qodriyah, Bramantyo W. S. Budiman
Department of Agricultural Product Technology, Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Universitas Brawijaya Jl. Veteran, Malang 65145 E-mail : agustinwardani[at]ub.ac.id
Abstract
Foodborne disease, also referred to as foodborne illness are caused by bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemical substances entering the body through contaminated food or water. Foodborne diseases may lead to long-lasting disability and death. Bacteria are agents which cause 60 % foodborne illness with cases that require hospital treatment. Antimicrobials, such as antibiotics, are essential to treat infections caused by bacteria. However, their overuse and misuse in human medicine has been linked to the emergence and spread of resistant bacteria, rendering the treatment of infectious diseases ineffective in humans. The use of antibiotics as an antimicrobial has undergone many obstacles along with increased number of pathogenic bacteria resistance case. Antimicrobial resistance is one of the main threats to modern medicine. Bacteriophage could be an effective and safe method to decrease the presence of pathogens in food. In this study, lytic phages were isolated and examined for their efficacy to control pathogens. It was isolated using the "plaque assay" method and the lytic ability of isolated phage was confirmed using turbidity test. The isolated φKA5 from chicken skin samples was able to inhibit the growth of bacterial host (Cronobacter spp.) specifically Cronobacter malonaticus strain 05CHPL53. Infection of Cronobacter malonaticus using φKA5 for 360 minutes showed the significant reduction of Cronobacter growth. Based on morphological classification with the ICTV system, the φKA5 can be classified into the Myoviridae family with a contractile tail. These data suggested that the phages isolated from raw chicken skin are potential agents for controlling Cronobacter spp.
Keywords: Bacteriophage, Biocontrol, Cronobacter spp., Foodborne illness, Isolation
Topic: FOOD SAFETY AND SECURITY