scholarly journals Listeria monocytogenes Biofilms in the Food Industry: Is the Current Hygiene Program Sufficient to Combat the Persistence of the Pathogen?

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 181
Author(s):  
Tina Mazaheri ◽  
Brayan R. H. Cervantes-Huamán ◽  
Maria Bermúdez-Capdevila ◽  
Carolina Ripolles-Avila ◽  
José Juan Rodríguez-Jerez
Keyword(s):  
Listeria Monocytogenes ◽  
Food Industry ◽  
Safety Management ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Critical Evaluation ◽  
Standardized Protocol ◽  
Industry Environment ◽  
Processing Plants ◽  
And Control

Biofilms contain microbial cells which are protected by a self-produced matrix and they firmly attach themselves to many different food industry surfaces. Due to this protection, microorganisms within biofilms are much more difficult to eradicate and therefore to control than suspended cells. A bacterium that tends to produce these structures and persist in food processing plants is Listeria monocytogenes. To this effect, many attempts have been made to develop control strategies to be applied in the food industry, although there seems to be no clear direction on how to manage the risk the bacteria poses. There is no standardized protocol that is applied equally to all food sectors, so the strategies for the control of this pathogen depend on the type of surface, the nature of the product, the conditions of the food industry environment, and indeed the budget. The food industry performs different preventive and corrective measures on possible L. monocytogenes-contaminated surfaces. However, a critical evaluation of the sanitization methods applied must be performed to discern whether the treatment can be effective in the long-term. This review will focus on currently used strategies to eliminate biofilms and control their formation in processing facilities in different food sectors (i.e., dairy, meat, fish, chilled vegetables, and ready-to-eat products). The technologies employed for their control will be exemplified and discussed with the objective of understanding how L. monocytogenes can be improved through food safety management systems.

scholarly journals Effects of Animal, Climatic, Hunting and Handling Conditions on the Hygienic Characteristics of Hunted Roe Doer (Caprelous capreolus L.)

Foods ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 1076
Author(s):  
Raffaella Branciari ◽  
Andrea Onofri ◽  
Fausto Cambiotti ◽  
David Ranucci
Keyword(s):  
Listeria Monocytogenes ◽  
Roe Deer ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Capreolus Capreolus ◽  
Careful Consideration ◽  
Salmonella Spp ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
And Control ◽  
Carcass Contamination

The population of wild animals is increasing, and control strategies based on selective hunting are among the major options adopted. The game meat obtained is therefore available for controlled and certified valuable chains. The understanding of carcass contamination and the factors affecting it is therefore crucial to ensure meat safety and prolonged shelf-life. The carcass hygiene of 64 hunted wild male roe deer (Capreolus capreolus L.) was evaluated in relation to factors potentially affecting it. Aerobic colony and Enterobacteriaceae counts, as well as Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes detection, were performed. The interaction of the microbial determination with age and weight of the animals, the climate conditions, the shooting procedure, the time between the killing and the evisceration as well as the time of storage of the carcasses in refrigerated conditions before skinning, were evaluated. Neither Salmonella spp. nor Listeria monocytogenes were detected on the carcasses and the average loads detected were 3.39 ± 1.06 UFC/cm2 and 2.27± 1.11 UFC/cm2 for the aerobic colony count and Enterobacteriaceae count, respectively. The loads detected are similar to those reported by UE legislation for slaughtered species. The time of storage before skinning, the environmental temperature during hunting and the time between shooting and evisceration, associated with animal weight, affect the carcass hygiene and must be taken into careful consideration by hunters as food business operators.

scholarly journals Prevalence and control of Listeria monocytogenes in the food industry – a review

2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (No. 6) ◽  
pp. 469-487 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Khan ◽  
J. Khan ◽  
S. Miskeen ◽  
C.N. Tango ◽  
Y.S. Park ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Listeria Monocytogenes ◽  
Food Chain ◽  
Food Industry ◽  
Pathogenic Bacteria ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Production Chain ◽  
Hygiene Practices ◽  
Processing Plants ◽  
Serotype 4B

Listeria monocytogenes is a Gram-positive facultative intracellular organism and causative agent of the severe foodborne infection listeriosis. L. monocytogenes is more likely to cause death rather than other pathogenic bacteria that cause foodborne illnesses. It is an ubiquitous organism that can be found in food industry equipment and premises. L. monocytogenes mainly occurs in the food production chain by cross-contamination, making this pathogen a major threat to the food industry. The pathogen may be found at low or moderate levels in the foodstuffs, but the levels involved in listeriosis outbreaks are relatively very high. The majority of isolates from food products belong to serotype 4b and 1/2a. The control of L. monocytogenes can be applied throughout the food chain. Pre- and post-harvest factors such as contact of pigs with pets and pest animals, large group size, hygiene practices, and treatment of manure affected the prevalence of L. monocytogenes in the food chain. Good farm-level practices could be utilised to reduce the occurrence of L. monocytogenes in the farm environment and possibly further in the food chain. Safety and low level of this pathogen in the food chain can be possible with good agricultural practices, good manufacturing practices, and high-quality raw materials. Therefore, food processing plants must be designed carefully with an emphasis on effective cleaning and disinfecting operations in the production line.

scholarly journals Modern Stored-Product Insect Pest Management

2014 ◽  
Vol 54 (3) ◽  
pp. 205-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
David William Hagstrum ◽  
Paul Whitney Flinn
Keyword(s):  
Pest Management ◽  
Insect Pests ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Insect Pest ◽  
Pest Species ◽  
Management Tools ◽  
Processing Plants ◽  
Insect Infestations ◽  
Food Residues ◽  
And Control

Abstract Stored-product entomologists have a variety of new monitoring, decision-making, biological, chemical, and physical pest management tools available to them. Two types of stored-product insect populations are of interest: insects of immediate economic importance infesting commodities, and insects that live in food residues in equipment and facilities. The sampling and control methods change as grain and grain products move from field to consumer. There are also some changes in the major insect pest species to take into consideration. In this review, we list the primary insect pests at each point of the marketing system, and indicate which sampling methods and control strategies are most appropriate. Economic thresholds for insect infestation levels developed for raw commodity storage, processing plants, and retail business allow sampling-based pest management to be done before insect infestations cause economic injury. Taking enough samples to have a representative sample (20-30 samples) will generally provide enough information to classify a population as above or below an economic threshold.

scholarly journals Prevention and Control Strategy of Reader Factors in Safety Management of Electronic Reading Room

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 20-24
Author(s):  
Yanping Dong
Keyword(s):  
Control Strategy ◽  
Prevention And Control ◽  
Safety Management ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Reading Room ◽  
Effective Prevention ◽  
Management Level ◽  
Electronic Reading ◽  
Specific Safety ◽  
And Control

Many libraries have built and opened the electronic reading room, electronic reading room security management has been paid more and more attention. In the specific safety management, the prevention and control of reader factors is very important. By comparing and analyzing the prevention and control of reader factors in the safety management of some electronic reading rooms, it can be found that the corresponding prevention and control situation is not ideal, and even there are some obvious problems, which also leads to great hidden dangers in the safety management level. This paper will specifically analyze the prevention and control of reader factors in the safety management of electronic reading room, and put forward more effective prevention and control strategies.

scholarly journals Microbial Ecology Evaluation of an Iberian Pig Processing Plant through Implementing SCH Sensors and the Influence of the Resident Microbiota on Listeria monocytogenes

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (21) ◽  
pp. 4611 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne-Sophie Hascoët ◽  
Carolina Ripolles-Avila ◽  
Alfons Eduard Guerrero-Navarro ◽  
José Juan Rodríguez-Jerez
Keyword(s):  
Listeria Monocytogenes ◽  
Foodborne Pathogens ◽  
Food Industry ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Plate Count ◽  
Processing Plant ◽  
Biochemical Tests ◽  
Bacillus Spp ◽  
Iberian Pig ◽  
Cleaning And Disinfection

There is a whole community of microorganisms capable of surviving the cleaning and disinfection processes in the food industry. These persistent microorganisms can enhance or inhibit biofilm formation and the proliferation of foodborne pathogens. Cleaning and disinfection protocols will never reduce the contamination load to 0; however, it is crucial to know which resident species are present and the risk they represent to pathogens, such as Listeria monocytogenes, as they can be further used as a complementary control strategy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the resident surface microbiota in an Iberian pig processing plant after carrying out the cleaning and disinfection processes. To do so, surface sensors were implemented, sampled, and evaluated by culture plate count. Further, isolated microorganisms were identified through biochemical tests. The results show that the surfaces are dominated by Bacillus spp., Pseudomonas spp., different enterobacteria, Mannheimia haemolytica, Rhizobium radiobacter, Staphylococcus spp., Aeromonas spp., lactic acid bacteria, and yeasts and molds. Moreover, their probable relationship with the presence of L. monocytogenes in three areas of the plant is also explained. Further studies of the resident microbiota and their interaction with pathogens such as L. monocytogenes are required. New control strategies that promote the most advantageous profile of microorganisms in the resident microbiota could be a possible alternative for pathogen control in the food industry. To this end, the understanding of the resident microbiota on the surfaces of the food industry and its relation with pathogen presence is crucial.

Tracking of Listeria monocytogenes in Smoked Fish Processing Plants†

2004 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 328-341 ◽  
Author(s):  
JOANNE THIMOTHE ◽  
KENDRA KERR NIGHTINGALE ◽  
KEN GALL ◽  
VIRGINIA N. SCOTT ◽  
MARTIN WIEDMANN
Keyword(s):  
Listeria Monocytogenes ◽  
Environmental Samples ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Fish Processing ◽  
Smoked Fish ◽  
Plant Environment ◽  
Fish Samples ◽  
Processing Plants ◽  
Raw Fish ◽  
Contact Surfaces

Four smoked fish processing plants were used as a model system to characterize Listeria monocytogenes contamination patterns in ready-to-eat food production environments. Each of the four plants was sampled monthly for approximately 1 year. At each sampling, four to six raw fish and four to six finished product samples were collected from corresponding lots. In addition, 12 to 14 environmental sponge samples were collected several hours after the start of production at sites selected as being likely contamination sources. A total of 234 raw fish, 233 finished products, and 553 environmental samples were tested. Presumptive Listeria spp. were isolated from 16.7% of the raw fish samples, 9.0% of the finished product samples, and 27.3% of the environmental samples. L. monocytogenes was isolated from 3.8% of the raw fish samples (0 to 10%, depending on the plant), 1.3% of the finished product samples (0 to 3.3%), and 12.8% of the environmental samples (0 to 29.8%). Among the environmental samples, L. monocytogenes was found in 23.7% of the samples taken from drains, 4.8% of the samples taken from food contact surfaces, 10.4% of the samples taken from employee contact surfaces (aprons, hands, and door handles), and 12.3% of the samples taken from other nonfood contact surfaces. Listeria spp. were isolated from environmental samples in each of the four plants, whereas L. monocytogenes was not found in any of the environmental samples from one plant. Overall, the L. monocytogenes prevalence in the plant environment showed a statistically significant (P < 0.0001) positive relationship with the prevalence of this organism in finished product samples. Automated EcoRI ribotyping differentiated 15 ribotypes among the 83 L. monocytogenes isolates. For each of the three plants with L. monocytogenes–positive environmental samples, one or two ribotypes seemed to persist in the plant environment during the study period. In one plant, a specific L. monocytogenes ribotype represented 44% of the L. monocytogenes–positive environmental samples and was also responsible for one of the two finished product positives found in this plant. In another plant, a specific L. monocytogenes ribotype persisted in the raw fish handling area. However, this ribotype was never isolated from the finished product area in this plant, indicating that this operation has achieved effective separation of raw and finished product areas. Molecular subtyping methods can help identify plant-specific L. monocytogenes contamination routes and thus provide the knowledge needed to implement improved L. monocytogenes control strategies.

Study on purification mechanism in soil penetration facility for effluents from urban area and control strategies

2006 ◽  
Vol 53 (2) ◽  
pp. 163-174 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Yamada ◽  
D. Ujiie ◽  
K. Nishikawa
Keyword(s):  
Surface Runoff ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Structural Characteristics ◽  
Pilot Scale ◽  
Storm Water ◽  
Storm Events ◽  
Natural Conditions ◽  
Dissolved Matter ◽  
And Control

In this study, demonstration experiments for removal of pollutants from road surface runoff during storm events were carried out under natural conditions in an outdoor pilot-scale soil penetration facility. In general, soil retains suspended matter and removes dissolved matter by adsorption. However, issues such as reduced purification capacity resulting from clogging and recovery of purification capacity during periods of intermittent supply of the storm water affect the removal efficiency of pollutants. Therefore, this study aimed at clarifying purification mechanisms during storm events and understanding how the structural characteristics of the soil penetration facility affect purification capacity based on long-term continuous measurements. In addition, modeling the purification mechanism under changing characteristics of rainfall in the long-term was undertaken.

Listeria monocytogenes and Listeria spp. Contamination Patterns in Retail Delicatessen Establishments in Three U.S. States

2014 ◽  
Vol 77 (11) ◽  
pp. 1929-1939 ◽  
Author(s):  
COURTENAY SIMMONS ◽  
MATTHEW J. STASIEWICZ ◽  
EMILY WRIGHT ◽  
STEVEN WARCHOCKI ◽  
SHERRY ROOF ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Listeria Monocytogenes ◽  
Phase I ◽  
Phase Ii ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Food Contact ◽  
Processing Plants ◽  
Contact Surfaces ◽  
Listeria Seeligeri ◽  
Listeria Welshimeri ◽  
Further Development

Postprocessing contamination in processing plants has historically been a significant source of Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat delicatessen meats, and therefore a major cause of human listeriosis cases and outbreaks. Recent risk assessments suggest that a majority of human listeriosis cases linked to consumption of contaminated deli meats may be due to L. monocytogenes contamination that occurs at the retail level. To better understand the ecology and transmission of Listeria spp. in retail delicatessens, food and nonfood contact surfaces were tested for L. monocytogenes and other Listeria spp. in a longitudinal study conducted in 30 retail delis in three U.S. states. In phase I of the study, seven sponge samples were collected monthly for 3 months in 15 delis (5 delis per state) prior to start of daily operation; in phase II, 28 food contact and nonfood contact sites were sampled in each of 30 delis during daily operation for 6 months. Among the 314 samples collected during phase I, 6.8% were positive for L. monocytogenes. Among 4,503 samples collected during phase II, 9.5% were positive for L. monocytogenes; 9 of 30 delis showed low L. monocytogenes prevalence (<1%) for all surfaces. A total of 245 Listeria spp. isolates, including 184 Listeria innocua, 48 Listeria seeligeri, and 13 Listeria welshimeri were characterized. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was used to characterize 446 L. monocytogenes isolates. PFGE showed that for 12 of 30 delis, one or more PFGE types were isolated on at least three separate occasions, providing evidence for persistence of a given L. monocytogenes subtype in the delis. For some delis, PFGE patterns for isolates from nonfood contact surfaces were distinct from patterns for occasional food contact surface isolates, suggesting limited cross-contamination between these sites in some delis. This study provides longitudinal data on L. monocytogenes contamination patterns in retail delis, which should facilitate further development of control strategies in retail delis.

scholarly journals Temporal variations in COVID-19: an epidemiological discussion with a practical application

2021 ◽  
Vol 49 (8) ◽  
pp. 030006052110332
Author(s):  
Mahnaz Derakhshan ◽  
Hamid Reza Ansarian ◽  
Mory Ghomshei
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Community Dynamics ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Case Fatality ◽  
Temporal Variations ◽  
Host Community ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Weekly Cycles ◽  
And Control

Objective We aimed to characterize the temporal variation in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection and mortality as a possible tool to monitor and control the spread of this disease. Methods We analyzed cyclicity and synchronicity in cases of COVID-19 infection and time series of deaths using Fourier transform, its inverse method, and statistical treatments. Epidemiological indices (e.g., case fatality rate) were used to quantify the observations in the time series. The possible causes of short-term variations are reviewed. Results We observed that were both short-term and long-term variations in the COVID-19 time series. The short cycles were 7 days and synchronized among all countries. This periodicity is believed to be caused by weekly cycles in community social factors, combined with diagnostic and reporting cycles. This could also be related to virus–host–community dynamics. Conclusion The observed synchronized weekly cycles could serve as herd defense by providing a form of social distancing in time. The effect of such temporal distancing could be enhanced if combined with spatial distancing. Integrated spatiotemporal distancing is therefore recommended to optimize infection control strategies, taking into account the quiescent and active intervals of COVID-19.

scholarly journals Forecasting the long-term trend of COVID-19 epidemic using a dynamic model

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jichao Sun ◽  
Xi Chen ◽  
Ziheng Zhang ◽  
Shengzhang Lai ◽  
Bo Zhao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prevention And Control ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Intervention Strategies ◽  
Transmission Characteristics ◽  
Term Trend ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Current Outbreak ◽  
And Control ◽  
Long Term Trend

Abstract The current outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has recently been declared as a pandemic and spread over 200 countries and territories. Forecasting the long-term trend of the COVID-19 epidemic can help health authorities determine the transmission characteristics of the virus and take appropriate prevention and control strategies beforehand. This protocol introduced a new model named Dynamic-Susceptible-Exposed-Infective-Quarantined (D-SEIQ), by making appropriate modifications of the Susceptible-Exposed-Infective-Recovered (SEIR) model and integrating machine learning based parameter optimization under epidemiological rational constraints. The model could be applied to forecast the long-term trend of the current COVID-19 epidemic. The parameters obtained by the model could help assess the effectiveness of prevention and intervention strategies on epidemic control in different countries.

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