Bacteriophages : An Overview & Synthesis of a Re-Emerging Field

This current book provides an overview of current research on bacteriophages. Chapter One discusses bacteriophages of pathogenic vibrios, identification and differentiation. Chapter Two reviews recent literature about the application of phages for the biocontrol of microorganisms in meat and meat products, with a particular emphasis on chicken, beef and pork in order to shed light on the efficacy of such strategy for the prevention and/or eradication of spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms in foods and food processing environments. Chapter Three studies the synthesis of the divalent cation requirements for efficient adsorption of bacteriophage onto bacterial cells. Chapter Four focuses on the isolation and evaluation of the lytic spectrum of bacteriophages active against food-borne bacteria. Chapter Five presents data about the history and present-day of using bacteriophage preparations in treatment and prevention of various infectious diseases, in particular of suppurative-inflammatory diseases of the respiratory organs. Chapter Six reviews phagebiotics in treatment and prophylaxis of healthcare-associated infections.