Isolation and characterization of Bacillus cereus bacteriophage DZ1 and its application in foods

Bacillus cereus is a pathogenic bacterium that causes food contamination, resulting in food poisoning such as diarrhea and emesis. Therefore, it is crucial to develop effective strategies to control this bacterium. In this study, we isolated and characterized a novel B. cereus phage, named DZ1. Morphological and genomic analyses revealed that phage DZ1 is a new species belonging to the Andromedavirus genus. Phage DZ1 was tolerant to a wide range of pH values (5-9), temperatures (4-55 celcius), and high concentrations of NaCl solution (1000 mM). B. cereus with 21 different sequence types (STs) can be lysed by phage DZ1. Importantly, phage DZ1 inhibited B. cereus growth in spiked rice substrates or milk up to 36 and 72 h, respectively, with suppression of 3 log. Therefore, phage DZ1 is a useful biocontrol agent for the control of B. cereus in the food industry.