WASHINGTON (AP) -- 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.
Posts: 686 | From Northeast Georgia | Registered: Sep 2005
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Ann-OH
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
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I don't eat lunch meats, but this sounds really creepy!!!!
quote: 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.
Of course why tell the people what they are consuming? This is very typical of the FDA nowadays.
Posts: 649 | From United States | Registered: Dec 2003
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NP40
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Don't we all feel better knowing the FDA is on the job ! Posts: 1632 | From Northern Wisconsin | Registered: Jan 2005
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Carol in PA
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
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I'm looking forward to the day when I can buy a bacteriophage that will eradicate my Lyme.
Carol
Posts: 6947 | From Lancaster, PA | Registered: Feb 2004
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5dana8
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Not so sure which is worse the abx in our foods or planting "special" virus's? This doesn't sound good
-------------------- 5dana8 Posts: 4432 | From some where over the rainbow | Registered: Sep 2005
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posted
In my home city there is a research facility,the only one in Europe i may add, that specializes in this kind of treatment. I called them 1-2 years ago but they did not havy any bacteriophages for Lyme.
Posts: 636 | From Wroclaw, Poland | Registered: Mar 2004
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I wonder if they will use it in the Boar's Head meat which supposedly doesn't have any "junk" in it like the nitrites and whatever else regular lunch meat has in it.
posted
Hubby saw this in a newspaper and his first comment was, "What would keep the viruses (phages) from mutating?
2nd comment was, "Sounds like the gentically modified seeds that weren't supposed to cross-pollinate."
Bea Seibert
Posts: 7306 | From Martinsville,VA,USA | Registered: Oct 2004
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Truthfinder
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posted
I don't know what to think about this.
There may be some hope out there in the bacteriophage world for all kinds of diseases, including Lyme.
The predator versus prey system works in nature to keep a balance. As long as these viruses don't feed on ANYTHING else besides the target bacteria, presumably they will not be able to proliferate in the body.
But like Bea's hubby said, there is always a concern about mutations.
Tracy
-------------------- Tracy .... Prayers for the Lyme Community - every day at 6 p.m. Pacific Time and 9 p.m. Eastern Time � just take a few moments to say a prayer wherever you are�. Posts: 2966 | From Colorado | Registered: Dec 2005
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