Bacteriophages Mediated Biocontrol of Multidrug Resistant Staphylococcus arlettae on Eggshell Surface

Eggs are a widely consumed food product but can act as vehicle for multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus spp., posing significant food safety and public health challenges.Among Staphylococcus spp., S. arlettae which is often isolated from poultry environments, exhibits antibiotic resistance and virulence factors that complicate conventional decontamination efforts.This study explored the potential of bacteriophages as a biocontrol tool to mitigate S. arlettae contamination on eggshells.Five lytic Staphylococcus phages were isolated from sewage samples collected from livestock farms and characterized using Transmission Electron Microscopy.Phages were identified as tailed phages of Myovirus, Siphovirus, and Podovirus.The host range of the phages varied, with Staphylococcus phage BASU SA1 exhibiting the highest lytic activity, lysing 66.67% of tested strains.A cocktail of BASU SA1 and BASU PS3 phages was evaluated for efficacy in reducing S. arlettae contamination on eggshells at a multiplicity of infection of 1000.The treatment resulted in a significant bacterial reduction of 5.1log 10 cfu/cm within 2 hr at room temperature.The findings of the present study demonstrate the potential of phage-based interventions in enhancing food safety in a highly specific, environmental friendly manner, with the potential of an effective alternative to antibiotics and chemical sanitizers.Further large-scale studies in natural settings need to be conducted to validate these results and support their integration into food safety protocols.