Bacteriophages: Old Foes and New Friends in Food Microbiology

Call for Papers

Bacteriophages, viruses that exclusively infect bacteria, are recognized as the most abundant biological entities on earth that contribute largely to bacterial evolution. Within their life cycle, they specifically recognize their host, proceed with infection sequestering the metabolic machinery of the host, and, ultimately, lyse the cells to release their own progeny keeping an exquisite equilibrium to ensure survival. In the field of food microbiology, bacteriophages have traditionally posed a dreadful threat in starter production plants and have been a leading cause of food fermentation failures. This issue has boosted research on antiphage strategies, and extensive knowledge on phage-host interactions has been gathered. However, many questions remain unanswered to fully understand phage ecology and evolution in such bacterial dominant niches to implement effective phage control measures. More recently, food microbiologists are taking advantage of the antibacterial activity of phages as new means to control undesirable bacteria in food and enhance food safety. Although the concept of using phages as antibacterial agents is not new, their use in food has just been addressed. Even so, several phage-based products have made it into the market and are used to promote animal health, in biosanitation or as tools for pathogen detection.

In this special issue, we invite researchers working in the exciting field of bacteriophages to share their results, in the form of reviews or original research papers, and contribute to our understanding of the dual role of bacteriophages in food microbiology. Experts on bacteriophage biology outside the food microbiology arena are also welcome to post new concepts and insights into the antibacterial activity of phages which might be translated into innovative approaches to address both the threat and the opportunity that phages may play in food biotechnology. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Phage-host interactions in the food matrix and during food processing
• Phage resistance mechanisms
• Lysogeny in food production organisms
• Strategies to control phage infecting starter cultures
• Strategies to control foodborne pathogens using phage
• Role of phages in hurdle technology
• Phage-encoded antimicrobial proteins
• Harnessing phage for rapid detection of foodborne pathogens
• Genomics of food-related phages
• Metagenomic analysis of viral/phage populations in food matrices

Before submission authors should carefully read over the journal's Author Guidelines, which are located at http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijmb/guidelines/. Prospective authors should submit an electronic copy of their complete manuscript through the journal Manuscript Tracking System at http://mts.hindawi.com/ according to the following timetable:

Lead Guest Editor

• Beatriz Martinez, Instituto de Productos Lacteos de Asturias (IPLA), CSIC, Villaviciosa, Spain

Guest Editors

• Olivia McAuliffe, Teagasc Food Research Centre, Cork, Ireland
• Martin J. Loessner, Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland