Bacteriophages of Lactobacillus

MARIA EUGENIA DIETERLE; MARIANA PIURI

Lactobacillus Genomics and Metabolic Engineering

Caister Academic Press

Año: 2018; p. 131 - 148

Bacteriophages infecting Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) are the main cause of fermentation failures leading to economic losses. Phages that infect Lactococcus and Streptococcus strains have been widely characterized in literature mainly because of their relevance in industry. Despite the above, strains of Lactobacillus are particularly of interest because besides its contribution with the organoleptic properties of fermented products, several strains have purported probiotic properties and are part of commercial formulations. The use of these strains is the result of years of research that validated the claimed benefits in food products. Noteworthy, phage attack on these specifically chosen strains is particularly deleterious, as they cannot be easily replaced. Advances on phage genomics, virus-bacteria interaction, and new tools designed to avoid infection are compiled through this chapter.