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FDA approves viruses for treating food

Sat Aug 19, 2:55 AM ET

 

A mix of bacteria-killing viruses can be safely sprayed on cold cuts, hot

dogs and sausages to combat common microbes that kill hundreds of people a

year, federal health officials said Friday in granting the first-ever

approval of viruses as a food additive.

 

The combination of six viruses is designed to be sprayed on ready-to-eat

meat and poultry products, including sliced ham and turkey, said John

Vazzana, president and chief executive officer of manufacturer Intralytix

Inc..

 

The special viruses called bacteriophages are meant to kill strains of the

Listeria monocytogenes bacterium, the Food and Drug Administration said in

declaring it safe to use on ready-to-eat meats prior to their packaging.

 

The viruses are the first to win FDA approval for use as a food additive,

said Andrew Zajac, of the regulatory agency's office of food additive

safety.

 

The bacterium the viruses target can cause a serious infection called

listeriosis, primarily in pregnant women, newborns and adults with weakened

immune systems. In the United States, an estimated 2,500 people become

seriously ill with listeriosis each year, according to the Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention. Of those, 500 die.

 

Luncheon meats are particularly vulnerable to Listeria since once purchased,

they typically aren't cooked or reheated, which can kill harmful bacteria

like Listeria, Zajac said.

 

The preparation of bacteriophages - the name is Greek for " bacteria-eater " -

attacks only strains of the Listeria bacterium and not human or plant cells,

the FDA said.

 

" As long as it used in accordance with the regulations, we have concluded

it's safe, " Zajac said. People normally come into contact with phages

through food, water and the environment, and they are found in our digestive

tracts, the FDA said.

 

Consumers won't be aware that meat and poultry products have been treated

with the spray, Zajac added. The Department of Agriculture will regulate the

actual use of the product.

 

The viruses are grown in a preparation of the very bacteria they kill, and

then purified. The FDA had concerns that the virus preparation potentially

could contain toxic residues associated with the bacteria. However, testing

did not reveal the presence of such residues, which in small quantities

likely wouldn't cause health problems anyway, the FDA said.

 

" The FDA is applying one of the toughest food-safety standards which they

have to find this is safe, " said Caroline Smith DeWaal, director of food

safety for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer

advocacy group. " They couldn't approve this product if they had questions

about its safety. "

 

Intralytix, based in Baltimore, first petitioned the FDA in 2002 to allow

the viruses to be used as a food additive. It has since licensed the product

to a multinational company, which intends to market it worldwide, said

Intralytix president Vazzana. He declined to name the company but said he

expected it to announce its plans within weeks or months.

 

Intralytix also plans to seek FDA approval for another bacteriophage product

to kill E. coli bacteria on beef before it is ground, Vazzana said.

 

Scientists have long studied bacteriophages as a bacteria-fighting

alternative to antibiotics.

 

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