Growth and Survival of Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella on Whole and Sliced Cucumbers

2019 ◽  
Vol 82 (2) ◽  
pp. 301-309 ◽  
Author(s):  
CAMERON A. BARDSLEY ◽  
LAURA N. TRUITT ◽  
RACHEL C. PFUNTNER ◽  
MICHELLE D. DANYLUK ◽  
STEVEN L. RIDEOUT ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Cucumbers were associated with four multistate outbreaks of Salmonella in the United States between 2013 and 2016. This study evaluated the fate of Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella on whole and sliced cucumbers at various storage temperatures. Cucumbers were inoculated with five-strain cocktails of L. monocytogenes or Salmonella, air dried, and stored at 23 ± 2, 4 ± 2, and −18 ± 2°C. Whole and sliced cucumber samples were enumerated on nonselective and selective media at 0, 0.21, 1, 2, 3, and 4 days (23 ± 2°C); 0, 1, 2, 3, 7, 14, and 21 days (4 ± 2°C); and 0, 7, 28, 60, 90, and 120 days (−18 ± 2°C). For Salmonella, additional time points were added at 8 and 17 h (23 ± 2°C) and at 17 h (4 ± 2°C). Population levels were calculated for whole (CFU per cucumber) and sliced (CFU per gram) cucumbers. Both pathogens grew on whole and sliced cucumbers held at ambient temperatures. At 23 ± 2°C, L. monocytogenes and Salmonella populations significantly increased on whole (2.3 and 3.4 log CFU per cucumber, respectively) and sliced (1.7 and 3.2 log CFU/g, respectively) cucumbers within 1 day. Salmonella populations significantly increased on whole and sliced cucumbers after only 5 h (2.1 log CFU per cucumber and 1.5 log CFU/g, respectively), whereas L. monocytogenes populations were not significantly different on whole and sliced cucumbers at 5 h. L. monocytogenes and Salmonella populations survived up to 21 days on refrigerated whole and sliced cucumbers. At 4 ± 2°C, L. monocytogenes populations significantly increased on whole (2.8 log CFU per cucumber) and sliced (2.9 log CFU/g) cucumbers, whereas Salmonella populations significantly decreased on whole (0.6 log CFU per cucumber) and sliced (1.3 log CFU/g) cucumbers over 21 days. Both pathogens survived on frozen whole and sliced cucumbers for at least 120 days. The ability of L. monocytogenes and Salmonella to grow on whole and sliced cucumbers in short amounts of time at ambient temperatures, and to survive on whole and sliced cucumbers past the recommended shelf life at refrigeration temperatures, highlights the need to reduce the likelihood of contamination events throughout the cucumber supply chain.

2009 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 153-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
William J. Burk ◽  
Jaap Denissen ◽  
Muriel D. Van Doorn ◽  
Susan J.T. Branje ◽  
Brett Laursen

This report examined the stability and reliability of self-reported conflict frequency in relationships with mothers, fathers, and best friends. Participants were drawn from three independent samples in the Netherlands (n = 72, M = 15.6 years), Germany (n = 242, M = 19.7 years), and the United States (n = 250, M = 19.8 years). Participants completed both topic-based surveys and interaction-based diary assessments of conflict frequency. Within samples, comparable levels of internal consistency and temporal stability emerged in each relationship for both assessment techniques. Topic-based and interaction-based assessments of conflict frequency were moderately correlated in each relationship within samples. Daily topic-based assessments with short intervals between time points may provide the most advantageous assessment strategy for obtaining reliable measures of conflict frequency in adolescents’ close relationships.


2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S22-S23
Author(s):  
Theresa Hunter ◽  
Wendy Komocsar ◽  
Richard Colletti ◽  
Chunyan Liu ◽  
Keith Benkov ◽  
...  

Abstract Objectives The objective of this study was to assess current treatment patterns of pediatric ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD) patients, using data in the ImproveCareNow (ICN) registry. Methods Pediatric (2–17 years) patients in the United States who were newly diagnosed with UC or CD between June 1, 2013-December 31, 2019, who had their first recorded ICN visit within 6 months of diagnosis and who were actively followed for at least 12 months (± 90 days) were included in this study. Descriptive statistics of baseline patient demographics were summarized for the overall IBD patient population and separately for UC and CD. Treatment patterns (including use of corticosteroids, 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA), 6-mercaptopurine/azathioprine (6-MP/AZA), methotrexate, tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) [adalimumab, infliximab, certolizumab, golimumab, and their biosimilars], ustekinumab, vedolizumab, and other medications [natalizumab and tofacitinib]) were assessed at the initial baseline visit, and at 1-year and 3-year time points. Results A total of 6,504 pediatric IBD patients (UC=1,784; CD=4,720) were included in this study. Patients had a mean age at diagnosis of 13.0 years (UC=13.2; CD=12.9), 57.1% were male (UC=49.6%; CD=60.0%), and 81.0% were White (UC=81.2%; CD=81.0%) (Table 1). At the initial ICN visit, 46.4% of UC patients were prescribed a corticosteroid, while 19.8% received a 5-ASA, 12.6% received a TNFi, 10.4% received a 6-MP/AZA, 3.0% received methotrexate, and 0.3% received vedolizumab. At the initial visit, 40.2% of CD patients were prescribed a corticosteroid, while 29.1% received a TNFi, 18.5% received a 6-MP/AZA, 12.4% received methotrexate, and 3.3% received a 5-ASA. At the 1-year and 3-year time points, rates of 5-ASA and corticosteroid use decreased among UC patients; however, rates of 6-MP/AZA, methotrexate, and TNFi increased (Table 2). Similarly, at the 1-year and 3-year time points, rates of corticosteroids among CD patients decreased; however, rates of methotrexate and TNFi increased (Table 2). There was also an increase in use of ustekinumab and vedolizumab over time among UC and CD patients. Conclusion These results highlight the current treatment patterns of pediatric UC and CD patients in the United States. At the initial ICN visit, the 46% of UC and 40% of CD patients were receiving corticosteroids, however, at 1-year and 3-years after initial visit, over 30% of UC patients and over 60% of CD patients were receiving TNF inhibitors with considerably reduced corticosteroid use.


1987 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 188-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. LOVETT ◽  
D. W. FRANCIS ◽  
J. M. HUNT

To determine the incidence of Listeria monocytogenes in raw milk, an isolation method was evaluated and used to analyze milk from three areas of the United States. The incidence varied by area from 0% in California to 7% in Massachusetts, with an overall incidence of 4.2%. The highest incidence found in any area during a single sampling period was 12% in Massachusetts in March 1985. During that same sampling, the incidence for all Listeria species was 26%. Of the 27 L. monocytogenes strains isolated during the survey, 25 were pathogenic in adult mice. One of three Listeria ivanovii isolated was pathogenic. No other isolates demonstrated pathogenicity.


1993 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 395-401 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Buchrieser ◽  
R. Brosch ◽  
B. Catimel ◽  
J. Rocourt

Recent food-borne outbreaks of human listeriosis as well as numerous sporadic cases have been mainly caused by Listeria monocytogenes serovar 4b strains. Thus, it was of interest to find out whether a certain clone or a certain few clones were responsible for these cases and especially for outbreaks., We used pulsed-field gel electrophoresis of large chromosomal DNA restriction fragments generated by ApaI, SmaI, or NotI to analyse 75 L. monocytogenes strains isolated during six major and eight smaller recent listeriosis outbreaks. These strains could be divided into 20 different genomic varieties. Thirteen of 14 strains isolated during major epidemics in Switzerland (1983–1987), the United States (California, 1985) and Denmark (1985–1987) demonstrated indistinguishable DNA restriction patterns. In contrast, strains responsible for the outbreaks in Canada (Nova Scotia, 1981), the United States (Massachusetts, 1983), France (Anjou, 1975–1976), New Zealand (1969), and Austria (1986) and some smaller outbreaks in France (1987, 1988, 1989) were each characterized by particular combinations of DNA restriction patterns. Seventy-seven percent of the tested strains could be classified into the previously described ApaI group A (Brosch et al. 1991), demonstrating a very close genomic relatedness. Because 49% of the epidemic strains selected for this study belonged to phagovar 2389/2425/3274/2671/47/108/340 or 2389/47/108/340, fifty-six additional strains of these phagovars, isolated from various origins, were also typed to determine whether differences in DNA restriction profiles between epidemic and randomly selected strains of the same phagovars could be pointed out. Variations in DNA patterns appeared more frequently within randomly selected strains than within epidemic strains.Key words: Listeria monocytogenes, listeriosis, typing, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, epidemic.


Author(s):  
Mark D. Davis ◽  
Scott Spreat ◽  
Ryan Cox ◽  
Matthew Holder ◽  
Kathryn M. Burke ◽  
...  

People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) appear to have an increased probability of death from COVID-19 once infected. We report infection and mortality rates for people with IDD compared to the general population of eight states at two time points during the COVID-19 pandemic. Note that these eight states contain approximately 1/3 of the population of the United States. These data suggest individuals with IDD are less likely to be infected with the COVID-19 virus (5.62%) than the general public (7.57%). However, while mortality rates for both groups have declined over time, people with IDD are over twice as likely (2.29) to die from the infection as members of the general public.


ILR Review ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 72 (5) ◽  
pp. 1262-1277 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert W. Fairlie ◽  
Javier Miranda ◽  
Nikolas Zolas

The field of entrepreneurship is growing rapidly and expanding into new areas. This article presents a new compilation of administrative panel data on the universe of business start-ups in the United States, which will be useful for future research in entrepreneurship. To create the US start-up panel data set, the authors link the universe of non-employer firms to the universe of employer firms in the Longitudinal Business Database (LBD). Start-up cohorts of more than five million new businesses per year, which create roughly three million jobs, can be tracked over time. To illustrate the potential of the new start-up panel data set for future research, the authors provide descriptive statistics for a few examples of research topics using a representative start-up cohort.


2020 ◽  
Vol 87 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thao D. Tran ◽  
Celia Del Cid ◽  
Robert Hnasko ◽  
Lisa Gorski ◽  
Jeffery A. McGarvey

ABSTRACT Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen that causes high rates of hospitalization and mortality in people infected. Contamination of fresh, ready to eat produce by this pathogen is especially troubling because of the ability of this bacterium to grow on produce under refrigeration temperatures. In this study, we created a library of over 8,000 plant phyllosphere-associated bacteria and screened them for the ability to inhibit the growth of L. monocytogenes in an in vitro fluorescence-based assay. One isolate, later identified as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens ALB65, was able to inhibit the fluorescence of L. monocytogenes by >30-fold in vitro. B. amyloliquefaciens ALB65 was also able to grow, persist, and reduce the growth of L. monocytogenes by >1.5 log CFU on cantaloupe melon rinds inoculated with 5 × 103 CFU at 30°C and was able to completely inhibit its growth at temperatures below 8°C. DNA sequence analysis of the B. amyloliquefaciens ALB65 genome revealed six gene clusters that are predicted to encode genes for antibiotic production; however, no plant or human virulence factors were identified. These data suggest that B. amyloliquefaciens ALB65 is an effective and safe biological control agent for the reduction of L. monocytogenes growth on intact cantaloupe melons and possibly other types of produce. IMPORTANCE Listeria monocytogenes is estimated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to cause disease in approximately 1,600 to 2,500 people in the United States every year. The largest known outbreak of listeriosis in the United States was associated with intact cantaloupe melons in 2011, resulting in 147 hospitalizations and 33 deaths. In this study, we demonstrated that Bacillus amyloliquefaciens ALB65 is an effective biological control agent for the reduction of L. monocytogenes growth on intact cantaloupe melons under both pre- and postharvest conditions. Furthermore, we demonstrated that B. amyloliquefaciens ALB65 can completely inhibit the growth of L. monocytogenes during cold storage (<8°C).


2005 ◽  
Vol 68 (5) ◽  
pp. 973-979 ◽  
Author(s):  
CARY FRYE ◽  
CATHERINE W. DONNELLY

A comprehensive survey was undertaken to generate contemporary data on the prevalence of Listeria monocytogenes in pasteurized fluid milk produced in the United States. Samples (5,519) near the sell-by expiration date were purchased at retail outlets over a 5-week period and analyzed for presence of L. monocytogenes. Products consisted of whole milk, nonfat milk, and chocolate milk packaged in gallon, half gallon, quart, pint, and half-pint containers. Samples were collected from both large and small retail stores in urban and suburban locations in four FoodNet cities (Baltimore, Md., Atlanta, Ga., St. Paul/Minneapolis, Minn., and San Francisco, Calif.). Samples were prescreened for L. monocytogenes by the AOAC-approved rapid Vitek immunodiagnostic assay system, enzyme-linked fluorescent assay method. Positive prescreening samples were cultured according to the Bacteriological Analytical Manual, enumerated for L. monocytogenes with a nine-tube most-probable-number (MPN) procedure, and confirmed by biochemical characterization. The frequency of isolation of L. monocytogenes in these products was 0% (0 of 1,897) in whole milk, 0.05% (1 of 1,846) in nonfat milk, 0% (0 of 1,669) in chocolate milk, and 0% (0 of 107) in other (reduced fat and low fat) milk samples. Overall, L. monocytogenes was confirmed in only 0.018% of pasteurized milk samples (1 of 5,519). Enumeration of the single confirmed positive nonfat milk sample revealed low-level contamination (&lt;0.3 MPN/g), even when sampled 5 days past the expiration of the sell-by date. The results confirm the low frequency of contamination of pasteurized fluid milk products by L. monocytogenes for products sold in the United States and reaffirm the reduction of contamination frequency of fluid milk by L. monocytogenes when compared with earlier estimates from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Dairy Safety Initiatives Program.


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