The present invention relates to means and methods comprising a bacterial
heme peroxidase and / or a functional fragment thereof for medical and non-medical use in preventing and / or controlling a
pathogen on food, plants, or in or on the human or
animal body. The present invention thus relates to novel medical and non-medical uses of a bacterial
heme peroxidase and / or a functional fragment thereof for preventing and / or controlling a
pathogen on food, plants, or on the human or
animal body. Furthermore, the present invention relates to corresponding methods comprising a bacterial
heme peroxidase and / or a functional fragment thereof for preventing and / or controlling a
pathogen on food, plants or on or in the human or
animal body comprising applying a sufficient amount of the bacterial heme peroxidase and / or a functional fragment thereof on said food, plants, or on mucosae,
skin, in particular epidermal
skin like
scalp or
facial skin and / or teeth to reduce the number of cells of said pathogen. In addition, the invention relates to specific heme peroxidases that have been identified to have desired properties. The invention also relates to fragments of or small heme peroxidases that have particularly advantageous properties. Moreover, the present invention further relates to corresponding compositions comprising a bacterial heme peroxidase and / or a functional fragment thereof for preventing and / or controlling a pathogen on food, plants, or in or on the human or animal body. Kits comprising components used in the methods and compositions of the invention are also provided herein. Furthermore, provided is the use of a bacterial heme peroxidase and / or of a functional fragment thereof for the preparation of the compositions of the present invention. The present invention finally also relates to a method for producing a bacterial heme peroxidase
protein and / or a functional fragment thereof in an engineered
Bacillus subtilis strain. The inventive use of the bacterial heme peroxidase of the present invention and / or a functional fragment thereof for preventing and / or controlling a pathogen is, without being limiting, particularly useful in ecologically compatible commercial
plant /
crop protection campaigns as well as in daily
personal care products such as
toothpaste for example.