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Articles by Topic - Microbiology
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News: Study Sheds Light on Salmonella
New research from the Volcani Center in Israel reveals that the pathogenic bacteria Salmonella enterica can sense, swim toward, and enter open stomata in a lettuce leaf during photosynthesis. The discovery, published in the October issue of Applied and Environmental Microbiology, has important implications for food safety and may partially explain why it’s so difficult to prevent outbreaks of foodborne illness by disinfecting fresh produce.
News: New Findings on Listeria
New discoveries about the mechanism of spread between cells of the foodborne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes could shed light on a host of other bacterial illnesses with similar patterns of infection. Listeria can cause serious illness in immunocompromised people and spontaneous abortion in pregnant women. In addition to infecting humans and animals, it can also grow on vegetables.
Features: Pushing the Rapid Micro Envelope
Back in the 1970s, cop shows like “S.W.A.T.” would sometimes refer to the bulletproof vests that police officers wore. These days, you don’t hear much about bulletproof vests—now they’re called body armor or bullet-resistant vests because none of them are completely bulletproof. Tom Weschler feels the same way about the term “rapid microbiology” when it comes to pathogen detection. “Most of the current systems really aren’t that rapid,” said...
Features: Validating Microbiology
The H2N2 virus of the late 1950s was fully transmissible among humans. It circulated in humans and caused annual epidemics until 1968, when it vanished after the emergence of influenza A/H3N2 viruses that caused the next pandemic.
Departments: The Ionic Silver Lining
Bacterial contamination of plant surfaces is a constant concern for the food processing industry. One specific bacteria, Listeria monocytogenes, accounts for 2,500 cases of illness and 500 deaths annually in the U.S., making it the bacteria of greatest concern for ready-to-eat (RTE) processors today. In 1998, one of the largest outbreaks of Listeria occurred with a large U.S. hot dog manufacturer and resulted in 15 adult deaths, six stillbirths and more than one million pounds of product recalled from the...
Features: Microbiology
The ever-emerging microbiology macrocosm is a moving target that has an integrated blend of pathogens, hosts and bug bionetworks that clearly define roles among food safety management; government, industry and consumers. While a host of complexities can make the bull’s eye of food safety a tough hit, unity among the food safety powers that be could be the silver bullet.
Features: The N-Halamine Suit of Armor
As a result of highly publicized foodborne illness outbreaks, demand continues to increase for hygienic surfaces, capable of persistent antimicrobial action. There are many approaches to built-in antimicrobial technology, and some of these applications are timely and cost-effective to implement.
Departments: The Lowdown on Lauric Arginate
As more and more food products are produced on a large industrial scale and distributed over extensive geographic areas, the concerns regarding quality and food safety throughout the shelf life of the product have become more and more critical. Effective control of bacterial growth is a constant concern due to the risk of spoilage and food-borne disease. The federal government continually estimates that 76 million cases of foodborne illnesses occur each year in the U.S. alone, resulting in 300,000...
