Virulent phage vB_CpeP_HN02 inhibits Clostridium perfringens on the surface of the chicken meat

Clostridium perfringens is a well-known pathogen that causes foodborne disease. With a high prevalence of contamination in food, an efficient strategy is needed to decontaminate those contaminated foods and control the emergence of foodborne disease. In this study, the C. perfringens-specific lytic phage vB_CpeP_HN02 (designated as phage HN02) was isolated from chicken feces. Electron microscopy and phylogenetic analysis suggested that phage vB_CpeP_HN02 is a novel phage of the family Podoviridae. Phage HN02 had good pH (5-11) and temperature tolerance (< 70 °C). Phage HN02 exhibited a broad host range of C. perfringens isolates (42.86%). The complete genome of the phage HN02 was sequenced and revealed a linear double-stranded DNA genome. The 17,754-bp genome (GenBank MW815121) with average GC content of 28.2% includes 22 predicted open reading frames, of which only 10 were annotated with known functions. Phylogenetic analysis of the available C. perfringens phage major capsid protein demonstrated that phage HN02 is closely related to virulent C. perfringens phage phi24R and CPD2. When phage HN02 was applied to chicken meat samples stored at 4 °C for 72 h with 1 × 106 to 1 × 109 PFU/g, 95% to 99% of C. perfringens were inactivated on chicken meat surfaces after storage at 4 °C for 72 h, respectively. It should be noted that C. perfringens could be completely lysed by a high dose of phage HN02 (1 × 1010 PFU/g) after 48 h treatment in chicken samples. Through the lytic activity testing, phage HN02 showed good antimicrobial effects, and can be used as an antibacterial agent for biocontrol of C. perfringens in meat products.