FDA approves viruses as food additive
Pastor Dale Morgan
FDA approves viruses as food additive*
Bacteriophages meant to kill harmful bacteria on lunch meats
August 19, 2006 Posted: 2231 GMT (0631 HKT)
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.