Broad-host-range bacteriophages CBP1 and CBP2 with dual-species activity against Campylobacter jejuni and...

Campylobacter spp., particularly Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli, are leading causes of foodborne illness worldwide, posing a significant public health challenge. Since the majority of Campylobacter infections are linked to contaminated poultry meat, the development of effective control strategies remains critical for food safety. Bacteriophage (phage) therapy has emerged as a promising biocontrol approach for enhancing food safety, yet its practical application has been limited by the narrow host specificity of most Campylobacter phages, which typically infect only specific strains or a single species. Here, we describe the isolation and characterization of two broad-host-range phages, CBP1 and CBP2, demonstrating remarkable dual-species infectivity against both C. jejuni and C. coli. These phages exhibited high infectivity across a phylogenetically diverse panel of C. jejuni and C. coli isolates from retail raw chicken, encompassing multiple clonal complexes. Notably, CBP1 and CBP2 effectively suppressed the growth of the predominant poultry-associated lineages, including CC-21 in C. jejuni and CC-828 in C. coli. Furthermore, the phages significantly reduced Campylobacter loads on artificially contaminated chicken meat, highlighting their practical potential as biocontrol agents in poultry production. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that CBP1 and CBP2 represent rare broad-host-range phages with dual-species activity, providing a versatile and effective intervention strategy for reducing Campylobacter contamination in poultry production systems.