Isolation and Characterization of Potential Phages Targeting Multidrug-Resistant and Major Serovars of Derived From Broiler Production Chain in Thailand.

is a major foodborne pathogen that causes foodborne disease in humans through consumption of contaminated foods, especially those of animal origin. Multiple strains are antibiotic-resistant due to the common use of antibiotics in farm animals, including broiler farms. In this study, an alternative strategy using phage-based treatment was evaluated against isolated from the broiler production. The prevalence of spp. showed up to 46.2 and 44.4% in bedding samples from the broiler farms located in eastern and southern Thailand, respectively. Overall, 21 samples (36.2%) were positive for and eight serovars were recovered from cloacal swabs, bedding materials (rice husk), and boot swabs collected from five farms. Up to 20 phages were isolated from seven water samples from wastewater treatment ponds, a river, and a natural reservoir in Songkhla province. Isolated phages were investigated, as well as their lysis ability on eight target serovars derived from broiler farms, five foodborne outbreak-related serovars, and 10 multidrug-resistant (MDR) serovars. All phages showed a strong lytic ability against five serovars of derived from broiler farms including Kentucky, Saintpaul, Schwarzengrund, Corvalis, and Typhimurium; three foodborne outbreak serovars including Enteritidis, Typhimurium, and Virchow; and eight MDR serovars including Agona, Albany, Give, Kentucky, Typhimurium, Schwarzengrund, Singapore, and Weltevreden. Three phages with the highest lysis potential including vB_SenS_WP109, vB_SenS_WP110, and vB_SenP_WP128 were selected for a phage cocktail preparation. Overall, a phage cocktail could reduce counts by 2.2-2.8 log units at 6 h of treatment. Moreover, did not develop a resistant pattern after being treated with a phage cocktail. Findings here suggest that a phage cocktail is an effective biocontrol to combat derived from broiler production chain, other serovars linked to foodborne outbreaks, and MDR serovars.