Bacteriophages have found application not only in medicine but also in the food industry. Five years ago, bacteriophage preparations were approved and are being used in the United States to prevent food contamination by pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli, and Salmonella enterica . A team of scientists from the University of Helsinki (Finland) and Seoul National University (South Korea) investigated the possibility of using bacteriophages to eradicate the foodborne pathogen Yersinia enterocolitica .

Yersiniosis is an acute infectious disease characterized primarily by damage to the gastrointestinal tract, with a tendency toward generalized damage to various organs and systems. Undercooked pork is often the source of infection, and less commonly, milk. Kitchen utensils or surfaces that have come into contact with contaminated food can also be a source of Y. enterocolitica infection.

Scientists selected the fHe-Yen9-01 bacteriophage strain, which actively lyses Y. enterocolitica, and treated it with contaminated food products (raw pork, grilled pork, and milk), as well as contaminated kitchen utensils (knives, wooden and plastic cutting boards, and gloves). Analysis showed that the phages effectively inhibited Yersinia proliferation: phage concentrations increased, while bacterial concentrations decreased.

The study's authors believe a promising option would be to create a cocktail of bacteriophages that lyse the most common foodborne pathogens: Salmonella, Campylobacter, Listeria, and Yersinia. This mixture could also be used to prevent infections on livestock farms—for example, by adding it to drinking water for livestock.