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

Salmonella phage SF1 enhances bacterial sensitivity to disinfectants and exhibits synergy with benzalkonium chloride, hydrogen peroxide, and triclosan in infected Salmonella enterica populations.

• Why it matters: Disinfectant effectiveness is declining due to bacterial tolerance and persistence, and phage-based strategies could improve pathogen control in food processing environments, but their potential as sanitizer adjuvants is underexplored.
• What they did: Researchers studied SF1, a lytic siphovirus, and found that mutants with O-antigen or deeper LPS defects had increased susceptibility to disinfectants, and SF1 synergized with benzalkonium chloride, hydrogen peroxide, and triclosan in combination assays.
• The result: The findings suggest SF1 functions as an evolutionary steering tool that promotes sanitizer hypersensitivity, supporting phage steering as a promising strategy to enhance disinfectant efficacy against Salmonella.