Abstract:Food safety issues arising from foodborne bacteria are becoming increasingly severe, and the overuse of conventional antimicrobials exacerbates the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria, thereby posing a serious threat to public health. Given the specificity and safety profile, bacteriophage therapy serves as a novel bio-antimicrobial agent for foodborne drug resistant bacteria, demonstrating a promising prospect. However, the narrow antimicrobial spectrum of bacteriophages limits their application. To address this limitation, a synergistic approach that combines bacteriophage therapy with other antimicrobials is being explored. By integrating the specificity of bacteriophages with the broad-spectrum efficacy of antimicrobials, it is possible to effectively overcome the constraints associated with single-agent treatments while also reducing the dosage required for these agents. This strategy can achieve a more efficient and environmentally friendly antimicrobial effect. The recent advancements in research concerning interactions of bacteriophages with antibiotics, essential oils, organic acids, nanoparticles, and antimicrobial peptides for controlling antimicrobial resistance in foodborne bacteria were reviewed. Furthermore, the future trends in development and potential applications of phage-antimicrobial interactions were anticipated, with an aim of providing a reference for further solving the problem of foodborne drug-resistant bacteria and improving antimicrobial efficacy.
