viruses as 'anti-biotics
Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2006 1:11 pm
Pls see http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory?id=2332303
Rgds
Soroush
FDA Approves Viruses for Treating Food
WASHINGTON Aug 19, 2006 (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.
On the Net:
Food and Drug Administration: http://www.fda.gov/
Intralytix Inc.: http://www.intralytix.com/
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Rgds
Soroush
FDA Approves Viruses for Treating Food
WASHINGTON Aug 19, 2006 (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.
On the Net:
Food and Drug Administration: http://www.fda.gov/
Intralytix Inc.: http://www.intralytix.com/
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]