Low Prevalence of Listeria monocytogenes in Human Stool

2005 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 178-181 ◽  
Author(s):  
BRIAN D. SAUDERS ◽  
DAVID PETTIT ◽  
BRIAN CURRIE ◽  
PAUL SUITS ◽  
ANN EVANS ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Listeria Monocytogenes ◽  
Foodborne Pathogens ◽  
Diarrheal Disease ◽  
New York State ◽  
Foodborne Pathogen ◽  
The United States ◽  
Invasive Infection ◽  
Single Individual ◽  
Positive Specimen ◽  
Human Stool

Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen that is found widely in the environment and in a variety of ready-to-eat foods, yet human invasive infection is relatively rare (five cases per million people annually in the United States). Despite wide exposure to this organism, little is known about the prevalence of L. monocytogenes in human stool, and it is not known whether human fecal dispersal contributes to human foodborne transmission. We cultured 827 stool specimens (well formed and loose-watery) from individuals from four large metropolitan areas of New York state for L. monocytogenes and found only 1 (0.12%) positive specimen. L. monocytogenes was also isolated from the blood of the person with the single positive specimen, and the two isolates were indistinguishable by molecular subtyping (both were ribotype DUP-1042B). This provides further evidence that human L. monocytogenes fecal carriage among persons with and without diarrheal disease is remarkably low. Unlike the case for other foodborne pathogens (e.g., Salmonella), human shedders probably do not contribute significantly to L. monocytogenes contamination of foods. However, we observed a single individual with invasive listeriosis that shed the pathogen in feces, indicating the potential for fecal dispersal of L. monocytogenes from persons with listeriosis.

scholarly journals The Inhibitory Effect of Plant Extracts on Growth of the Foodborne Pathogen, Listeria monocytogenes

Antibiotics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Ceruso ◽  
Jason A. Clement ◽  
Matthew J. Todd ◽  
Fangyuan Zhang ◽  
Zuyi Huang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Listeria Monocytogenes ◽  
Plant Extracts ◽  
Foodborne Pathogens ◽  
Food Industry ◽  
Foodborne Pathogen ◽  
The United States ◽  
Inhibitory Effect ◽  
Microscopic Level ◽  
Natural Antimicrobials ◽  
Minimal Inhibitory Concentrations

Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen responsible for about 1600 illnesses each year in the United States (US) and about 2500 confirmed invasive human cases in European Union (EU) countries. Several technologies and antimicrobials are applied to control the presence of L. monocytogenes in food. Among these, the use of natural antimicrobials is preferred by consumers. This is due to their ability to inhibit the growth of foodborne pathogens but not prompt negative safety concerns. Among natural antimicrobials, plant extracts are used to inactivate L. monocytogenes. However, there is a large amount of these types of extracts, and their active compounds remain unexplored. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antibacterial activity against L. monocytogenes of about 800 plant extracts derived from plants native to different countries worldwide. The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were determined, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to verify how the plant extracts affected L. monocytogenes at the microscopic level. Results showed that 12 of the plant extracts had inhibitory activity against L. monocytogenes. Future applications of this study could include the use of these plant extracts as new preservatives to reduce the risk of growth of pathogens and contamination in the food industry from L. monocytogenes.

scholarly journals Lmo0036, an ornithine and putrescine carbamoyltransferase in Listeria monocytogenes, participates in arginine deiminase and agmatine deiminase pathways and mediates acid tolerance

Microbiology ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 157 (11) ◽  
pp. 3150-3161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianshun Chen ◽  
Changyong Cheng ◽  
Ye Xia ◽  
Hanxin Zhao ◽  
Chun Fang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Listeria Monocytogenes ◽  
Foodborne Pathogens ◽  
Foodborne Pathogen ◽  
Acid Tolerance ◽  
Arginine Deiminase ◽  
Transcriptional Level ◽  
Acidic Conditions ◽  
Acidic Environments ◽  
Agmatine Deiminase

Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen causing listeriosis. Acid is one of the stresses that foodborne pathogens encounter most frequently. The ability to survive and proliferate in acidic environments is a prerequisite for infection. However, there is limited knowledge about the molecular basis of adaptation of L. monocytogenes to acid. Arginine deiminase (ADI) and agmatine deiminase (AgDI) systems are implicated in bacterial tolerance to acidic environments. Homologues of ADI and AgDI systems have been found in L. monocytogenes lineages I and II strains. Sequence analysis indicated that lmo0036 encodes a putative carbamoyltransferase containing conserved motifs and residues important for substrate binding. Lmo0036 acted as an ornithine carbamoyltransferase and putrescine carbamoyltransferase, representing the first example, to our knowledge, that catalyses reversible ornithine and putrescine carbamoyltransfer reactions. Catabolic ornithine and putrescine carbamoyltransfer reactions constitute the second step of ADI and AgDI pathways. However, the equilibrium of in vitro carbamoyltransfer reactions was overwhelmingly towards the anabolic direction, suggesting that catabolic carbamoyltransferase was probably the limiting step of the pathways. lmo0036 was induced at the transcriptional level when L. monocytogenes was subjected to low-pH stress. Its expression product in Escherichia coli exhibited higher catabolic carbamoyltransfer activities under acidic conditions. Consistently, absence of this enzyme impaired the growth of Listeria under mild acidic conditions (pH 4.8) and reduced its survival in synthetic human gastric fluid (pH 2.5), and corresponded to a loss in ammonia production, indicating that Lmo0036 was responsible for acid tolerance at both sublethal and lethal pH levels. Furthermore, Lmo0036 played a possible role in Listeria virulence.

scholarly journals Impedance Sensing Platform for Detection of the Food Pathogen Listeria monocytogenes

Electronics ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (12) ◽  
pp. 347 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Chiriacò ◽  
Ilaria Parlangeli ◽  
Fausto Sirsi ◽  
Palmiro Poltronieri ◽  
Elisabetta Primiceri
Keyword(s):  
Listeria Monocytogenes ◽  
Foodborne Pathogens ◽  
Electrochemical Impedance ◽  
Limit Of Detection ◽  
Foodborne Pathogen ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Field Application ◽  
Impedance Sensing ◽  
Sensing Platform

A great improvement in food safety and quality controls worldwide has been achieved through the development of biosensing platforms. Foodborne pathogens continue to cause serious outbreaks, due to the ingestion of contaminated food. The development of new, sensitive, portable, high-throughput, and automated platforms is a primary objective to allow detection of pathogens and their toxins in foods. Listeria monocytogenes is one common foodborne pathogen. Major outbreaks of listeriosis have been caused by a variety of foods, including milk, soft cheeses, meat, fermented sausages, poultry, seafood and vegetable products. Due to its high sensitivity and easy setup, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) has been extensively applied for biosensor fabrication and in particular in the field of microbiology as a mean to detect and quantify foodborne bacteria. Here we describe a miniaturized, portable EIS platform consisting of a microfluidic device with EIS sensors for the detection of L. monocytogenes in milk samples, connected to a portable impedance analyzer for on-field application in clinical and food diagnostics, but also for biosecurity purposes. To achieve this goal microelectrodes were functionalized with antibodies specific for L. monocytogenes. The binding and detection of L. monocytogenes was achieved in the range 2.2 × 103 cfu/mL to 1 × 102 with a Limit of Detection (LoD) of 5.5 cfu/mL.

scholarly journals Small produce farm environments can harbor diverse Listeria monocytogenes and Listeria spp. populations

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra M Belias ◽  
Laura K Strawn ◽  
Martin Wiedmann ◽  
Daniel Weller
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Listeria Monocytogenes ◽  
Spatial Scale ◽  
New York State ◽  
Foodborne Pathogen ◽  
Pond Water ◽  
Positive Sample ◽  
Small Spatial Scale ◽  
Pathogen Diversity ◽  
Produce Contamination

A comprehensive understanding of foodborne pathogen diversity in pre-harvest environments is necessary to effectively track pathogens on farms and identify sources of produce contamination. As such, this study aimed to characterize Listeria diversity in wildlife feces and agricultural water collected from a New York State produce farm over a growing season. Water samples were collected from a pond (N=80) and stream (N=52). Fecal samples (N=77) were opportunistically collected from areas <5m from the water sources; all samples were collected from a <0.5km2 area. Overall, 41% (86/209) and 24% (50/209) of samples were positive for Listeria monocytogenes and Listeria spp. (excluding L. monocytogenes), respectively. For each positive sample, one L. monocytogenes or Listeria spp. isolate was speciated by sequencing the sigB gene, which allowed for additional characterization based on the sigB allelic type (AT). The 86 L. monocytogenes and 50 Listeria spp. isolates represented 8 and 23 different ATs, respectively. A subset of L. monocytogenes isolates (N=44) from pond water and pond-adjacent feces (representing a ~5,000m2 area) were further characterized by PFGE; these 44 isolates represented 22 PFGE types, which is indicative of considerable diversity at a small spatial scale. Ten PFGE types were isolated more than once, suggesting persistence or re-introduction of PFGE types in this area. Given the small spatial scale, the prevalence of L. monocytogenes and Listeria spp., as well as the considerable diversity amongst isolates, suggests traceback investigations may be challenging. For example, traceback of finished product or processing facility contamination with specific subtypes to pre-harvest sources may require collection of large sample sets, and characterization of a considerable number of isolates. Our data also support the adage, “absence of evidence does not equal evidence of absence” applies to L. monocytogenes traceback efforts at the pre-harvest level.

Use of Epidemiologic and Food Survey Data To Estimate a Purposefully Conservative Dose-Response Relationship for Listeria monocytogenes Levels and Incidence of Listeriosis†

1997 ◽  
Vol 60 (8) ◽  
pp. 918-922 ◽  
Author(s):  
ROBERT L. BUCHANAN ◽  
WILLIAM G. DAMERT ◽  
RICHARD C. WHITING ◽  
MICHAEL van SCHOTHORST
Keyword(s):  
Listeria Monocytogenes ◽  
Survey Data ◽  
Dose Response ◽  
Foodborne Pathogens ◽  
Foodborne Pathogen ◽  
Significant Risk ◽  
Biological Agent ◽  
Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment ◽  
Response Relationship ◽  
Dose Response Relationship

The development of effective quantitative microbial risk-assessment models for foodborne pathogens depends on the availability of data on the consumers' exposure to a biological agent and the dose-response relationship that relates levels of the biological agent ingested with frequency of infection or disease. Information on the latter has historically been acquired from human volunteer feeding studies. However, such studies are not feasible for pathogens that either have a significant risk of being life threatening or for which morbidity is primarily associated with high-risk populations (i.e., immunocompromised persons). For these pathogens, it is proposed that purposefully conservative dose-response relationships can be estimated on the basis of combining available epidemiologic data with food-survey data for a ready-to-eat product. As an example, data on the incidence of listeriosis in Germany were combined with data on the levels of Listeria monocytogenes in smoked fish to generate a dose-response curve for this foodborne pathogen.

scholarly journals Inhibiting foodborne pathogens Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Listeria monocytogenes using extracts from traditional medicine: Chinese gallnut, pomegranate peel, Baikal skullcap root and forsythia fruit

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 163-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian Wu ◽  
Katheryn M. Goodrich ◽  
Joseph D. Eifert ◽  
Michael L. Jahncke ◽  
Sean F. O’Keefe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Listeria Monocytogenes ◽  
Foodborne Pathogens ◽  
Vibrio Parahaemolyticus ◽  
Punica Granatum ◽  
Antibacterial Activities ◽  
The United States ◽  
Inhibitory Effect ◽  
Food Preservation ◽  
Pomegranate Peel ◽  
Forsythia Suspensa

Abstract Foodborne illnesses have been a heavy burden in the United States and globally. Many medicinal herbs have been cultivated in the US and many of which contain antimicrobial compounds with the potential to be used for food preservation. Methanol/water extracts of pomegranate peel (“PP”, Punica Granatum L.), Chinese gallnut (“CG”, Galla chinensis), Forsythia fruit (“FF”, Forsythia suspensa) and Baikal skullcap root (“BS”, Scutellaria baicalensis) were tested for antimicrobial activity using the agar diffusion assay on tryptic soy agar (TSA) and microdilution assay in tryptic soy broth (TSB). CG and PP extracts showed good to excellent inhibitory effect against Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Listeria monocytogenes in both assays, with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) range from 0.04 to 5 mg/mL. BS had moderate inhibitory effects against V. parahaemolyticus with an MIC of 5 mg/mL in TSB, and against L. monocytogenes with an MIC of 20 mg/mL on TSA. CG was analyzed using LC-MS and fractionated using HPLC. The major components were identified as gallic acid, digallic acid, methyl gallate, and gallotannins (oligo-galloyl-D-glucose, nGG, n = 1~10). Six fractions (I - VI) were collected and their antibacterial activities were tested against L. monocytogenes, and V. parahaemolyticus both on TSA and in TSB. On TSA, fraction III, IV and V inhibited V. parahaemolyticus but no fraction inhibited L. monocytogenes. In TSB, all fractions inhibited V. parahaemolyticus and fractions II - V inhibited L. monocytogenes. Future studies are needed to investigate the effects of medicinal plants on food products.

Prevalence and Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Major Foodborne Pathogens in Imported Seafood

2011 ◽  
Vol 74 (9) ◽  
pp. 1451-1461 ◽  
Author(s):  
FEI WANG ◽  
LIN JIANG ◽  
QIANRU YANG ◽  
FEIFEI HAN ◽  
SIYI CHEN ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Foodborne Pathogens ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Vibrio Vulnificus ◽  
Foodborne Pathogen ◽  
Microbiological Quality ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
The United States ◽  
Campylobacter Coli ◽  
Serovar Typhimurium ◽  
Plate Counts

Seafood is a leading commodity implicated in foodborne disease outbreaks in the United States. Seafood importation rose dramatically in the past 3 decades and now contributes to more than 80% of the total U.S. seafood supply. However, limited data are available on the microbiological safety of imported seafood. In this study, we obtained a total of 171 salmon, shrimp, and tilapia samples imported from 12 countries in three retail stores in Baton Rouge, LA. The total microbial population and the prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibilities of six major foodborne-pathogen genera (Campylobacter, Escherichia coli, Listeria, Salmonella, Shigella, and Vibrio) were determined. The aerobic plate counts (APC) for the 171 samples averaged 4.96 log CFU/g, with samples from Chile carrying the highest mean APC of 6.53 log CFU/g and fresh samples having a significantly higher mean APC than frozen ones (P < 0.0001). There were 27 samples (15.8%) with unacceptable microbiological quality (APC > 7 log CFU/g). By culture, no sample tested positive for Campylobacter coli, Shigella, or Vibrio vulnificus. Campylobacter jejuni and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium were each recovered once from farm-raised tilapia from China. By PCR, 17.5 and 32.2% of the samples were positive for Salmonella and Shigella, respectively. The overall prevalence rates of other target bacteria were low, ranging from 4.1% for Listeria monocytogenes to 9.4% for E. coli. All of the Vibrio parahaemolyticus isolates recovered were from shrimp, and 63.3% showed intermediate resistance to ampicillin. Both C. jejuni isolates possessed a rare resistance to gentamicin, while 75% of L. monocytogenes isolates were resistant to nitrofurantoin. Taken together, these findings suggest potential food safety hazards associated with imported seafood and warrant further large-scale studies.

scholarly journals Impedance Sensing Platform for Detection of the Food Pathogen Listeria Monocytogenes

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Serena Chiriacò ◽  
Ilaria Parlangeli ◽  
Palmiro Poltronieri ◽  
Elisabetta Primiceri
Keyword(s):  
Listeria Monocytogenes ◽  
Foodborne Pathogens ◽  
Electrochemical Impedance ◽  
Limit Of Detection ◽  
Foodborne Pathogen ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Field Application ◽  
Impedance Sensing ◽  
Sensing Platform

A great improvement in food safety and quality controls worldwide has been achieved through the development of biosensing platforms. Foodborne pathogens continue to cause serious outbreaks due to the ingestion of contaminated food. The development of new, sensitive, portable, high-throughput, and automated platforms is a primary objective to allow detection of pathogens and their toxins in foods. Listeria monocytogenes is one common foodborne pathogen. Major outbreaks of listeriosis have been caused by a variety of foods, including milk, soft cheeses, meat, fermented sausages, poultry, seafood and vegetable products. Due to its high sensitivity and easy setup, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) has been extensively applied for biosensor fabrication and in particular in the field of microbiology as a mean to detect and quantify foodborne bacteria. Here we describe a miniaturized, portable EIS platform consisting of a microfluidic device with EIS sensors for the detection of L. monocytogenes in milk samples, connected to a portable impedance analyzer for on-field application in clinical and food diagnostics but also for biosecurity purposes. To achieve this goal microelectrodes were functionalized with antibodies specific for L. monocytogenes. The binding and detection of L. monocytogenes was achieved in the range 2.2 x 103 cfu/ml to 1 x 102 with a Limit of Detection (LoD) of 5.5 cfu/ml.

scholarly journals Inhibition and Interactions of Campylobacter jejuni from Broiler Chicken Houses with Organic Acids

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (8) ◽  
pp. 223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ross Beier ◽  
J. Byrd ◽  
Denise Caldwell ◽  
Kathleen Andrews ◽  
Tawni Crippen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Organic Acids ◽  
Organic Acid ◽  
Campylobacter Jejuni ◽  
Foodborne Pathogens ◽  
Broiler Chicken ◽  
Diarrheal Disease ◽  
The United States ◽  
High Risk Factor ◽  
Inhibition Studies

Campylobacter jejuni is a bacterium that causes major diarrheal disease worldwide and is also one of the top five foodborne pathogens encountered in the United States. Poultry is a major source of C. jejuni, and a high-risk factor for contracting campylobacteriosis. Organic acids are used in the United States during food animal processing for removal of bacterial contamination from animal carcasses. Six organic acids were evaluated in inhibition studies of 96 C. jejuni strains obtained from shoe covers used in broiler chicken houses at different poultry farms in several states by determining the susceptibilities of the C. jejuni strains, along with the pH values at the molar minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICMs). The undissociated and dissociated organic acid concentrations were calculated at the MICMs with the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation. The results for the 96 C. jejuni strains were treated similarly for each different organic acid. Campylobacter jejuni inhibition did correlate with the dissociated organic acids, but did not correlate with pH or with the undissociated organic acids. When the concentrations of dissociated organic acids decreased, the C. jejuni strains were not disinfected. A carcass wash using organic acids should have the concentration of dissociated acid species carefully controlled. It is suggested to maintain a dissociated acid concentration for propionic, l-lactic, formic, citric, butyric, and acetic acids at 24, 40, 36, 21, 23, and 25 mM, respectively, and at these dissociated organic acid levels an acid wash would be expected to remove or inhibit 97% or more of the C. jejuni bacteria studied here. However, studies must be undertaken to confirm that the suggested concentrations of dissociated organic acids are adequate to remove C. jejuni bacteria in the field vs. the laboratory. Due to propionate, l-lactate, formate, butyrate, and acetate being utilized by C. jejuni, these organic acids may not be appropriate for use as a carcass wash to remove C. jejuni surface contamination. Of all tested organic acids, dissociated citric acid was the most efficient at inhibiting C. jejuni.

scholarly journals Editorial for the Special Issue: Foodborne Pathogen Distribution, Ecology, Inactivation, and Methods of Differentiation

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (12) ◽  
pp. 701
Author(s):  
Ross C. Beier ◽  
Steven L. Foley ◽  
Roger B. Harvey
Keyword(s):  
Foodborne Pathogens ◽  
Diarrheal Disease ◽  
Foodborne Pathogen ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Foodborne Illnesses ◽  
The World

Foodborne pathogens are a major cause of diarrheal disease throughout the world, and 40% of the foodborne illnesses are observed among children under the age of 5 years [...]

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