Antimicrobial Effects of Quillaja saponaria Extract Against Escherichia coli O157:H7 and the Emerging Non‐O157 Shiga Toxin‐Producing E. coli

Natural alternate methods to control the spread of Shiga toxin‐producing Escherichia coli (STEC) are important to prevent foodborne outbreaks. Quillaja saponaria aqueous bark extracts (QE), cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a natural flavorant, contain bioactive polyphenols, tannins, and tri‐terpenoid saponins with anti‐inflammatory and antimicrobial activity. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of commercial QE against E. coli O157:H7 and non‐O157 strains over 16 h at 37 °C and RT. Overnight cultures of 4 E. coli O157:H7 strains and 6 non‐O157 STECs in Tryptic Soy Broth (TSB) were washed and resuspended in phosphate‐buffered saline (PBS, pH 7.2), and treated with QE and controls including citric acid (pH 3.75), sodium benzoate (0.1% w/w), acidified sodium benzoate (pH 3.75) or PBS for 6 h or 16 h. Recovered bacteria were enumerated after plating on Tryptic Soy Agar, from duplicate treatments, replicated thrice and the data were statistically analyzed. The 4 QE‐treated E. coli O157:H7 strains from initial ～7.5 log CFU had remaining counts between 6.79 and 3.5 log CFU after 16 h at RT. QE‐treated non‐O157 STECs showed lower reductions with remaining counts ranging from 6.81 to 4.55 log CFU after 16 h at RT.  Incubation at 37 °C caused reduction to nondetectable levels within 1 h, without any significant reduction in controls. Scanning electron microscopy studies revealed damaged cell membranes of treated bacteria after 1 h at 37 °C. QE shows potential to control the spread of STECs, and further research in model food systems is needed.     

Comparison of Decontamination Efficacy of Antimicrobial Treatments for Beef Trimmings against Escherichia coli O157:H7 and 6 Non-O157 Shiga Toxin-Producing E. coli Serogroups

Abstract: The decontamination efficacy of 6 chemical treatments for beef trimmings were evaluated against Escherichia coli O157:H7 and 6 non‐O157 Shiga toxin‐producing E. coli (nSTEC) serogroups. Rifampicin‐resistant 4‐strain mixtures of E. coli O157:H7 and nSTEC serogroups O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, and O145 were separately inoculated (3 to 4 log CFU/cm²) onto trimmings (10 × 5 × 1 cm; approximately 100 g) fabricated from beef chuck rolls, and were immersed for 30 s in solutions of acidified sodium chlorite (0.1%, pH 2.5), peroxyacetic acid (0.02%, pH 3.8), sodium metasilicate (4%, pH 12.5), Bromitize^® Plus (0.0225% active bromine, pH 6.6), or AFTEC 3000 (pH 1.2), or for 5 s in SYNTRx 3300 (pH 1.0). Each antimicrobial was tested independently together with an untreated control. Results showed that all tested decontamination treatments were similarly effective against the 6 nSTEC serogroups as they were against E. coli O157:H7. Irrespective of pathogen inoculum, treatment of beef trimmings with acidified sodium chlorite, peroxyacetic acid, or sodium metasilicate effectively (P < 0.05) reduced initial pathogen counts (3.4 to 3.9 log CFU/cm²) by 0.7 to 1.0, 0.6 to 1.0, and 1.3 to 1.5 log CFU/cm², respectively. Reductions of pathogen counts (3.1 to 3.2 log CFU/cm²) by Bromitize Plus, AFTEC 3000, and SYNTRx 3300 were 0.1 to 0.4 log CFU/cm², depending on treatment. Findings of this study should be useful to regulatory authorities and the meat industry as they consider nSTEC contamination in beef trimmings. Practical Applications: Findings of this study should be useful to: (i) meat processors as they design and conduct studies to validate the efficacy of antimicrobial treatments to control pathogen contamination on fresh beef products; and (ii) regulatory agencies as they consider approaches for better control of the studied pathogens.     

Biofilm Formation of O157 and Non‐O157 Shiga Toxin‐Producing Escherichia coli and Multidrug‐Resistant and Susceptible Salmonella Typhimurium and Newport and Their Inactivation by Sanitizers

This study compared biofilm formation by 7 serogroups of pathogenic Escherichia coli and 2 or 3 phenotypes of Salmonella (susceptible, multidrug‐resistant [MDR], and/or multidrug resistant with ampC gene [MDR‐AmpC]). One‐week mature biofilms were also exposed to water, quaternary ammonium compound‐based (QAC), and acid‐based (AB) sanitizers. Seven groups (strain mixture) of above‐mentioned pathogens were separately spot‐inoculated onto stainless steel coupons surfaces for target inoculation of 2 log CFU/cm², then stored statically, partially submerged in 10% nonsterilized meat homogenate at 4, 15, and 25 °C. Biofilm cells were enumerated on days 0, 1, 4, and 7 following submersion in 30 mL for 1 min in water, QAC, and AB. Counts on inoculation day ranged from 1.6 ± 0.4 to 2.4 ± 0.6 log CFU/cm² and changed to 1.2 ± 0.8 to 1.9 ± 0.8 on day 7 at 4 °C with no appreciable difference among the 7 pathogen groups. After treatment with QAC and AB on day 7, counts were reduced (P < 0.05) to less than 0.7 ± 0.6 and 1.2 ± 0.5, respectively, with similar trends among pathogens. Biofilm formation at higher temperatures was more enhanced; E. coli O157:H7, as an example, increased (P < 0.05) from 1.4 ± 0.6 and 2.0 ± 0.3 on day 0 to 4.8 ± 0.6 and 6.5 ± 0.2 on day 7 at 15 and 25 °C, respectively. As compared to 4 °C, after sanitation, more survivors were observed for 15 and 25 °C treatments with no appreciable differences among pathogens. Overall, we observed similar patterns of growth and susceptibility to QAC and AB sanitizers of the 7 tested pathogen groups with enhanced biofilm formation capability and higher numbers of treatment survivors at higher temperatures.     

特异性抗肠出血性大肠杆菌O157:H7内毒素鸡卵黄抗体的制备

目的:比较研究LPS和O-SP的免疫原性,制备出特异性抗内毒素(LPS)鸡卵黄免疫球蛋白(eggyolkimmunoglobulin,IgY),用于对E.coliO157:H7的免疫预防及检测。方法:分别用灭活E.coliO157:H7菌体、不同浓度内毒素(LPS)及O-特异性多糖链(O-SP)与不完全弗氏佐剂充分乳化后作抗原免疫临产蛋母鸡,以水稀释法从卵黄中提取抗体,阴离子交换色谱法实现对抗体的纯化,间接ELISA及双向免疫扩散检测抗体产生效价与活性。结果与结论:所制内毒素(LPS)和O-SP均有较好的免疫原性,刺激鸡体后可产生高效价抗体,灭活菌体、600μg/mlLPS、1200μg/mlLPS、2000μg/mlLPS、O-SP抗体产生效价最高可分别达1:32000、1:28000、1:32000、1:12000、1:40000。结合离子交换色谱,用0.185mol/L的离子强度可实现一步洗脱纯化抗体,制备出高纯度、高活性、特异性强的鸡卵黄免疫球蛋白IgY,为大肠杆菌O157:H7的感染防治提供了可靠的保证,在此实验基础之上可进一步探讨应用特异性IgY对大肠杆菌O157:H7的检测。     

Efficacy of Ozone Against Escherichia coli O157:H7 on Apples

Apples were inoculated with Escherichia coli O157:H7 and treated with ozone. Sanitization treatments were more effective when ozone was bubbled during apple washing than by dipping apples in pre‐ozonated water. The corresponding decreases in counts of E. coli O157:H7 during 3‐min treatments were 3.7 and 2.6 log₁₀ CFU on apple surface, respectively, compared to < 1 log₁₀ CFU decrease in the stem‐calyx region in both delivery methods. Optimum conditions for decontamination of whole apples with ozone included a pretreatment with a wetting agent, followed by bubbling ozone for 3 min in the wash water, which decreased the count of E. coli O157:H7 by 3.3 log₁₀CFU/g.     

肠出血性大肠杆菌O157:H7的分子生物学检测及PCR检测

大肠杆菌一些特殊的血清型具有致病性,肠出血性大肠杆菌是大肠杆菌的一个亚型,主要致病菌株为O157:H7,可引起感染性腹泻,因能引起人类的出血性肠炎而得名。本文综述了分子生物学检测肠出血性大肠杆菌O157:H7的研究进展。分子生物学检测是利用抗原抗体特异性结合反应检测各种物质的分析方法,主要包括酶联免疫吸附法(ELISA)、胶体免疫金层析法以及免疫磁珠分离法(IMS)。PCR技术检测肠出血性大肠杆菌O157:H7,主要包括常规PCR检测、多重PCR检测以及实时荧光定量PCR检测。这两种方法灵敏度高、特异性强、操作简便、结果准确等优点,是检测肠出血性大肠杆菌O157:H7的常用方法。     

PCR 法检测食品中大肠杆菌O157:H7

对大肠杆菌O157:H7 型菌株的各毒力基因及基因组中的特异序列进行了设计和比对,确定292bp 的检测引物。常规定性PCR 和实时定量PCR 证明该引物特异性强。模拟样品的前增菌实验结果表明本方法可以在原样品活菌浓度约2.0CFU/mL 时通过16h 增菌后检测出来,总的检测时间可以控制在24h 内。本实验建立的PCR 方法可用于食品中大肠杆菌O157:H7 的快速测定。     

肠出血性大肠埃希菌O157:H7基因组和质粒pO157致病因子

为推动O15 7:H7致病机制的深入研究 ,介绍了近年来对EHECO15 7:H7的基因组和特异性大质粒pO15 7上与细菌致病性有关的主要致病因子的研究进展。     

酸应激对大肠杆菌O157:H7生物菌膜形成的影响

本实验探究较长时间酸应激对大肠杆菌O157:H7生物菌膜形成的影响。首先采用微孔板联合结晶紫染色法比较大肠杆菌O157:H7不同菌株黏附性能差异,分析不同黏附力菌株菌膜形成曲线,进而选择代表菌株采用平板计数法分析在较长时间酸应激时其菌膜的形成规律,最后采用共聚焦激光扫描显微镜（confocal laser scanning microscope,CLSM）比较黏附力不同的菌株在酸性环境下菌膜形态结构变化。结果表明,14 株菌株黏附能力有差异;不同黏附力菌株均在2 h开始产生黏附现象,但菌膜形成曲线有明显差异。以中等黏附力菌株ATCC43895作为代表菌株进行酸应激实验,结果表明pH值越低菌膜形成量越少,pH值相同时乳酸对浮游菌数和菌膜形成的抑制效应显著高于盐酸（P＜0.05）。CLSM观察结果表明,成膜能力较强的菌株J29和较弱的菌株CICC21530在中性和酸性培养液中均能形成一定结构的生物菌膜,但前者的菌膜形成量多于后者,酸性条件对成膜过程有抑制作用。提示乳酸能有效抑制大肠杆菌O157:H7菌膜形成过程,可为食品实际加工中该菌菌膜的消除技术提供科学思路。     

乳酸和过氧乙酸对大肠杆菌O157:H7生物膜的抑制作用及其机制

研究乳酸和过氧乙酸对大肠杆菌O157:H7生物膜的抑制作用,并从代谢活性、胞外聚合物质量浓度、生物膜的微观结构以及相关功能基因的表达等方面探究乳酸和过氧乙酸对大肠杆菌O157:H7生物膜的抑制机理。结果发现：乳酸和过氧乙酸的最小抑菌剂量（minimum inhibitory concentrations,MIC）分别为0.25%和0.002 5%;通过活菌计数测定分析不同剂量乳酸和过氧乙酸对大肠杆菌O157:H7生物膜抑制效果,发现在亚MIC（1/2 MIC和1/4 MIC）下乳酸和过氧乙酸的生物膜抑制作用较弱,而MIC下两种有机酸均可显著抑制大肠杆菌O157:H7生物膜的形成（P＜0.05）,2 MIC可完全抑制大肠杆菌O157:H7生物膜形成;经MIC的乳酸和过氧乙酸处理后,大肠杆菌O157:H7生物膜的代谢活性分别降低了84.25%和43.49%,而胞外聚合物质量浓度显著减少（P＜0.05）;乳酸和过氧乙酸均有效抑制了大肠杆菌O157:H7的黏附相关基因（csgA、flhC）、群体感应相关基因（luxS、sdiA）、胞外多糖合成相关基因（csrA、adrB、adrA）以及双组分调控系统相关基因（phoQ、phoP、envZ、ompR）。综上所述,乳酸和过氧乙酸可以作为食品工业中有效的杀菌剂,降低食品生产和加工过程中相关微生物污染的风险。     

食品中大肠杆菌O157:H7控制新技术研究进展

论述了杀菌剂清洗技术、高压脉冲电场技术、高密度CO2技术、超高压技术和辐照技术等新技术的原理及其在控制食品中大肠杆菌O157:H7应用方面的研究进展。展望了未来该研究领域的发展趋势。     

Survival of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in cucumber fermentation brines

Abstract: Bacterial pathogens have been reported on fresh cucumbers and other vegetables used for commercial fermentation. The Food and Drug Administration currently has a 5‐log reduction standard for E. coli O157:H7 and other vegetative pathogens in acidified pickle products. For fermented vegetables, which are acid foods, there is little data documenting the conditions needed to kill acid resistant pathogens. To address this knowledge gap, we obtained 10 different cucumber fermentation brines at different stages of fermentation from 5 domestic commercial plants. Cucumber brines were used to represent vegetable fermentations because cabbage and other vegetables may have inhibitory compounds that may affect survival. The 5‐log reduction times for E. coli O157:H7 strains in the commercial brines were found to be positively correlated with brine pH, and ranged from 3 to 24 d for pH values of 3.2 to 4.6, respectively. In a laboratory cucumber juice medium that had been previously fermented with Lactobacillus plantarum or Leuconostoc mesenteroides (pH 3.9), a 5‐log reduction was achieved within 1 to 16 d depending on pH, acid concentration, and temperature. During competitive growth at 30 °C in the presence of L. plantarum or L. mesenteroides in cucumber juice, E. coli O157:H7 cell numbers were reduced to below the level of detection within 2 to 3 d. These data may be used to aid manufacturers of fermented vegetable products determine safe production practices based on fermentation pH and temperature. Practical Application: Disease causing strains of the bacterium E. coli may be present on fresh vegetables. Our investigation determined the time needed to kill E. coli in cucumber fermentation brines and how E. coli strains are killed in competition with naturally present lactic acid bacteria. Our results showed how brine pH and other brine conditions affected the killing of E. coli strains. These data can be used by producers of fermented vegetable products to help assure consumer safety.     

Thermal inactivation of Escherichia coli O157:H7 inoculated at different depths of non-intact blade-tenderized beef steaks

Studies evaluated thermal inactivation of Escherichia coli O157:H7 inoculated at different depths of simulated blade-tenderized non-intact steaks. Fresh beef slices (0.3 or 0.6 cm thick) were stacked on top of each other to form 2.4 or 1.2 cm thick steaks. Steaks were blade-tenderized and then inoculated with rifampicin-resistant Escherichia coli O157:H7 (8 strain mixture; 4 log CFU/cm(2)) on the surface or between slices, vacuum-packaged, and stored at 4 or -20 °C for 5 d before cooking. Steaks were cooked by pan-broiling or roasting to a geometric center temperature of 60 °C. Frozen samples were either cooked from the frozen state or after thawing to approximately 4 or 25 °C. In steaks inoculated on the external surface and cooked by pan-broiling, pathogen survivors recovered from thinner (1.2 cm) steaks were greater (P < 0.05) than those recovered from thicker (2.4 cm) steaks. Cooking steaks from a frozen state or after thawing (4 or 25 °C) did not (P ≥ 0.05) affect extent of pathogen inactivation. Survivors after pan-broiling of 2.4 cm thick steaks increased (P < 0.05) from 0.3 to 1.3 log CFU/cm(2) for surface-inoculated steaks to 2.5 to 3.2 log CFU/cm(2) for samples inoculated at the center (1.2 cm depth). In comparison, overall thermal destruction of the pathogen in steaks cooked by roasting was less, and survivor counts were generally not different (P ≥ 0.05) at each depth of inoculation. These data should be useful in development of lethality guidelines to ensure safe consumption of non-intact meat products. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Results of this study should be useful for developing cooking guidelines, for foodservice establishments and consumers, to ensure safe consumption of non-intact meat products.     

A note on Escherichia coli O157:H7 serotype in Turkish meat products

255 minced beef, 101 soudjouk and 50 uncooked hamburger samples were analyzed for the presence of Escherichia coli O157:H7 serotype. m-EC and LST broths were used as selective enrichment media and SMAC agar was used as a selective isolation medium. A total of 3 E. coli O157 were isolated by conventional culture techniques; one from each of minced beef, uncooked hamburger and soudjouk but none were identified as the H7 serotype. For determination of selective media-growing cohabitant bacteria, 2645 isolates were obtained from SMAC agar. Results showed that E. coli type 1, Hafnia alvei and Citrobacter freundii were dominant competitive flora. As selective enrichment broth-growing cohabitant microflora existed at higher levels, it was too difficult to isolate E. coli O157 from these mixed flora. Therefore, conventional methods are not suitable for these types of products, because of isolation difficulties and failure to confirm.     

出血性大肠杆菌O157:H7国内分离株耐酸性的研究

EHEC O157：H7难以控制的原因之一是该菌对酸的耐受性。将国内6株EHEC O157：H7在不同pH的LB溶液中振荡培养，每隔1h计数，实验结果表明了6株菌耐受时间相比较存在差异，菌株97063较其它菌株在pH2．5条件下，耐受时间长超过了29h。本实验旨在对EHEC O157：H7的国内分离株耐酸性进行研究，为控制EHEC O157：H7的感染提供科学依据。检验检疫部门、食品卫生部门等应高度重视对酸性食品中大肠杆菌O157：H7的检验。     

Inactivation of E. coli O157:H7 Using a Pulsed Nonthermal Plasma System

ABSTRACT: The use of elevated temperatures to pasteurize food products leads to a loss of food quality, which stimulates research into novel nonthermal processes for food preservation. Using nonthermal plasma discharges, applied directly into the food product, proved effective in reducing the number of Escherichia coli O157:H7 cells in apple juice, by up to 7 log units. The pulsed nonthermal plasma system was developed and used to study the effects of different process parameters on the inactivation. The process parameters considered were discharge voltage, pulse number, and pulse frequency. The apple juice used had a pH of 4 and a conductivity of 2.29 mS/cm.     

Survival of Escherichia coli O157:H7 during Manufacture and Storage of White Brined Cheese

Escherichia coli O157:H7 is a major foodborne pathogen that causes severe disease in humans. Survival of E. coli O157:H7 during processing and storage of white brined cheese was investigated. Cheeses were prepared using pasteurized milk inoculated with a 4 strain E. coli O157:H7 cocktail (7 log₁₀ CFU/g) with or without yogurt starter culture (Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus salivarius ssp. thermophilus) and stored in 10% or 15% NaCl brine at 10 and 21 ºC for 28 d. NaCl concentration, water activity (a_w), pH, and numbers of E. coli O157:H7 and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were determined in cheese and brine. E. coli O157:H7 was able to survive in cheese stored in both brines at 10 and 21 ºC regardless of the presence of starter LAB, although the latter significantly enhanced E. coli O157:H7 reduction in cheese or its brine at 10 ºC. E. coli O157:H7 numbers were reduced by 2.6 and 3.4 log₁₀ CFU/g in cheese stored in 10% and 15% NaCl brine, respectively, in the presence of starter LAB and by 1.4 and 2.3 log₁₀ CFU/g, respectively, in the absence of starter LAB at 10 ºC. The pathogen survived, but at lower numbers in the brines. The salt concentration of cheese stored in 10% brine remained about 5% during ripening, but in 15% brine, the NaCl level increased 1.6% to 8.1% (w/w) by 28 d. Values of pH and a_w slightly decreased 1 d after exposure to brine and reached 5.5 to 6.6 and 0.88 to 0.94, respectively, in all treatments.     

Microbiological Quality of Finfish and Shellfish with Special Reference to Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli O157

ABSTRACT:  The objective of this study was to determine the microbiological quality of fish and shellfish from Kolkata, India, with special emphasis on E. coli O157. Fresh and ice-preserved Labeo rohita , Catla catla , Cirrhinus mrigala , Oreochromis mossambica , Heteropneustes fossilis , Clarias batrachus , and Penaeus monodon were examined for total heterotrophic bacteria and coliform loads and presence of E. coli and E. coli serotype O157 by culture method. While the total plate count of bacteria was within acceptable or marginally acceptable limits for most samples, fishes were contaminated with coliforms, including E. coli , indicating poor hygiene and sanitary conditions. Although E. coli O157 could not be detected, a few samples were contaminated with non-O157 serotypes of enterohaemolysin- and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli , raising public health concern.