|
FDA says viruses safe for treating meat. |
 |
 |
 |
|
Written by Administrator
|
|
Monday, 08 June 2009 13:22 |
WASHINGTON - A mixture of six bacteria-killing viruses can be safely
sprayed on meat and poultry to combat common microbes that kill
hundreds of people a year, federal health officials said Friday.
The mixture of special viruses, called bacteriophages, would target
strains of Listeria monocytogenes, the Food and Drug Administration
said in declaring it is safe to use. The viruses are designed to be
sprayed on ready-to-eat meat and poultry products just before they
are packaged.
The bacterium they 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
persons become seriously ill with listeriosis each year, according to
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of those, 500 die.
The preparation of bacteriophages � the name is Greek for "bacteria-
eater" � infects only various strains of the Listeria bacterium and
not human or plant cells, the FDA 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.
The viral preparation is made by Intralytix Inc. The Baltimore
company first petitioned the FDA in 2002 to allow the viruses to be
used as a food additive.
Messages left with the company and the FDA were not immediately
returned Friday.
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 likely wouldn't cause health problems anyway, the FDA
said.
Scientists have long studied bacteriophages as a bacteria-fighting
alternative to antibiotics
|
