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Dual Nature of Bacteriophages: Friends or Enemies in the Food...
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Dual Nature of Bacteriophages: Friends or Enemies in the Food Industry?—2nd Edition

A special issue of Viruses (ISSN 1999-4915). This special issue belongs to the section "Bacterial Viruses".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2026 | Viewed by 2156

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Michał Wójcicki

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Bacteriophage Laboratory, Department of Phage Therapy, Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, 53-114 Wroclaw, Poland
Interests: bacteriophages in food industry; foodborne bacterial pathogens; food preservation; dysbiosis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Barbara Sokolowska

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Microbiology, Prof. Wacław Dąbrowski Institute of Agricultural and Food Biotechnology, 02-532 Warsaw, Poland
Interests: bacteriophages in food industry; non-thermal food processing; food microbiology; food safety; Alicyclobacillus spp. in beverage industry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Ewa Jończyk-Matysiak

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Bacteriophage Laboratory, Department of Phage Therapy, Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, 53-114 Wroclaw, Poland
Interests: bacteriophage procurement for therapeutic purposes; bacteriophages in food industry; bacteriophage interactions with immune cells
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Bacteriophages are viruses that infect specific bacterial hosts and show promise in applications for improving microbiological food safety. Their use is being explored in various areas of the food industry, including primary production, bio-sanitation, and food biopreservation.

Strictly lytic bacteriophages are considered a safe and effective alternative to traditional antimicrobial methods, supporting sustainable and health-orientated food production in line with the “farm to fork” strategy.

For the second edition of this Special Issue, we invite contributions that deepen our understanding of bacteriophages and their potential applications as biocontrol agents throughout the food chain. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • The isolation and characterization of novel bacteriophages targeting spoilage or pathogenic bacteria;
  • Mechanisms underlying phage-related pathogenicity and bacterial resistance;
  • The development of innovative bacteriophage-based biocontrol strategies and tools;
  • The evaluation of phage biopreparations and their practical implementation in the food industry.

We warmly encourage submissions in the form of original research articles, reviews, and communications, offering new insights and perspectives on the application of bacteriophages in food safety and biotechnology.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Michał Wójcicki
Prof. Dr. Barbara Sokolowska
Dr. Ewa Jończyk-Matysiak
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Viruses is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • bacteriophages
  • biocontrol
  • biosensors
  • food safety
  • foodborne bacterial pathogens
  • food quality
  • foodborne saprophytic bacteria

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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25 pages, 2888 KB  
Article
Isolation, Characterization and Genomic Analysis of PBC_MG88 and PBC_MG99 Bacteriophages and Their Antibiofilm Activity Against the Bacillus cereus Groups
by Maroua Gdoura-Ben Amor, Antoine Culot, Nour El Houda Mathlouthi, Noël Grosset, Clarisse Techer, Sophie Jan, Florence Baron, Hanen Sellami, Michel Gautier and Radhouane Gdoura
Viruses 2026, 18(3), 306; https://doi.org/10.3390/v18030306 - 28 Feb 2026
Viewed by 560
Abstract
Bacillus cereus is a major foodborne pathogen responsible for food spoilage and foodborne illness, including strains producing emetic toxins. In this study, two bacteriophages, PBC_MG88 and PBC_MG99, were isolated from wastewater using emetic B. cereus strains as hosts and were comprehensively characterized. Both [...] Read more.
Bacillus cereus is a major foodborne pathogen responsible for food spoilage and foodborne illness, including strains producing emetic toxins. In this study, two bacteriophages, PBC_MG88 and PBC_MG99, were isolated from wastewater using emetic B. cereus strains as hosts and were comprehensively characterized. Both phages formed clear plaques with halos and exhibited siphovirus morphology. Host range analysis against 172 B. cereus strains showed that PBC_MG88 and PBC_MG99 infected 50 and 60 strains, respectively. One-step growth experiments revealed efficient lytic activity, with latent periods of 20–25 min and burst sizes of 59–63 PFU per infected cell. More than 90% of phage particles adsorbed to host cells within 15 min. Both phages were stable across a wide temperature range (4–55 °C) and pH values (4–11). Genome sequencing revealed ~37 kb double-stranded DNA genomes lacking antibiotic resistance or virulence genes; however, the presence of lysogeny-related genes suggests a temperate lifestyle. Comparative genomic analyses indicated that both phages represent novel species within the genus Lwoffvirus. Biofilm assays demonstrated significant inhibition of B. cereus biofilm formation and reduction of pre-established biofilms. Overall, this study expands knowledge of B. cereus phage diversity and highlights the importance of genomic characterization in phage-based biocontrol research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dual Nature of Bacteriophages: Friends or Enemies in the Food Industry?—2nd Edition)
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Review

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16 pages, 322 KB  
Review
Bacteriophages as Antibacterial Agents Against Bovine Pathobionts Associated with Foodborne Human Morbidity
by Mary Garvey
Viruses 2026, 18(3), 392; https://doi.org/10.3390/v18030392 - 20 Mar 2026
Viewed by 663
Abstract
Rates of foodborne infectious disease are increasing globally. The One Health zoonoses report shows increasing cases of shigatoxigenic Escherichia coli, campylobacteriosis, salmonellosis and listeriosis in the last 5 years. The ESKAPE pathogens are the top priority due to their alarming rate of [...] Read more.
Rates of foodborne infectious disease are increasing globally. The One Health zoonoses report shows increasing cases of shigatoxigenic Escherichia coli, campylobacteriosis, salmonellosis and listeriosis in the last 5 years. The ESKAPE pathogens are the top priority due to their alarming rate of resistance to broad-spectrum beta-lactams, carbapenems, glycopeptides, fluoroquinolones, aminoglycosides and biocide solutions. Research assessing alternative biocontrol options highlight the advantages of bacteriophages in the control of resistant bacterial species. Phage formulations including ListShieldTM and SalmoFreshTM have gained FDA approval for food production. As biocontrol agents, however, phages are limited by their specificity in a multispecies environment, the presence of environmental variables and bacterial resistance mechanisms. Genetic modification and the use of phage cocktails aim to overcome such limitations. Future research is warranted in a harmonised approach supported by a defined legal framework to establish best formulation and exposure protocols. This review discusses phages as biocontrol agents in the control of high-risk pathobionts associated with foodborne illness. Pathobionts associated with bovine livestock are discussed due to the morbidity and incidence of disease associated with such pathogens. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dual Nature of Bacteriophages: Friends or Enemies in the Food Industry?—2nd Edition)
25 pages, 973 KB  
Review
Bacteriophages as Food Biocontrol Agents: A One Health Framework for Manufacturing Quality, Regulatory Governance, and Ethical Stewardship—A Narrative Review
by Rafail Fokas, Panos G. Kalatzis and Apostolos Vantarakis
Viruses 2026, 18(3), 368; https://doi.org/10.3390/v18030368 - 16 Mar 2026
Viewed by 647
Abstract
Introduction: Bacteriophages are emerging as viable food safety tools, yet their global implementation is hindered by regulatory fragmentation and a lack of harmonized data standards. This review addresses the gap between scientific maturity and governance readiness by evaluating manufacturing quality, safety requirements, and [...] Read more.
Introduction: Bacteriophages are emerging as viable food safety tools, yet their global implementation is hindered by regulatory fragmentation and a lack of harmonized data standards. This review addresses the gap between scientific maturity and governance readiness by evaluating manufacturing quality, safety requirements, and international oversight frameworks. Methods: A narrative review was conducted through a structured search of databases including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar (up to December 2025). We analyzed scientific research and publicly available regulatory documents from agencies such as the FDA, EFSA, USDA, Health Canada, and FSANZ to identify authorization routes and manufacturing standards. Results: Commercial phage products are primarily approved as processing aids in jurisdictions like the United States, Canada, and Australia/New Zealand. We identified convergent technical requirements across these regions, including genomic integrity (absence of toxins and antimicrobial resistance genes), purity, potency, and matrix-validated efficacy. However, significant gaps remain in unified terminology, environmental risk assessment, and post-market monitoring for resistance emergence. Conclusions: To facilitate global adoption, a One Health-oriented governance cycle is proposed. This includes establishing interoperable phage seed banks, standardized dossier formats, and adaptive lifecycle controls (phagovigilance) to ensure long-term efficacy and public trust. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dual Nature of Bacteriophages: Friends or Enemies in the Food Industry?—2nd Edition)
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