A Salmonella phage steers bacterial populations toward hypersensitivity to benzalkonium chloride, hydrogen peroxide, and triclosan.

Salmonella phage SF1 enhances bacterial hypersensitivity to disinfectants, showing synergy with benzalkonium chloride, hydrogen peroxide, and triclosan, and steering populations toward sanitizer vulnerability.

• Why it matters: Disinfectant effectiveness is declining due to bacterial tolerance, threatening pathogen control in food safety. Exploiting phage-driven evolution could restore sanitizer potency and improve pathogen management.
• What they did: Researchers infected Salmonella enterica with phage SF1, which requires an intact O-antigen for infection, and observed that mutants with LPS defects became more susceptible to disinfectants. They tested combinations and found mathematical synergy between SF1 and key sanitizers.
• The result: The findings demonstrate that phage SF1 not only kills bacteria but also directs evolution toward sanitizer hypersensitivity, enabling phage-sanitizer combinations to more effectively control pathogens in food environments.