title: Inactivation of staphylococcal enterotoxin-A with an electrolyzed anodic solution.
abstract: Electrolyzed anodic NaCl solutions [EW+], prepared by the electrolysis of 0.1% NaCl, have been shown to instantly inactivate most pathogens that cause food-borne disease. Elimination of food-borne pathogens does not necessarily guarantee food safety because enterotoxins produced by pathogens may remain active. We have tested whether EW+ can inactivate Staphylococcal enterotoxin A (SEA), one of the major enterotoxins responsible for food poisoning. Fixed quantities of SEA were mixed with increasing molar ratios of EW+, and SEA was evaluated by reversed-phase passive latex agglutination (RPLA) test, immunoassay, native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE), and amino acid analysis after 30 min incubations. Exposure of 70 ng, or 2.6 pmol, of SEA in 25 microL of PBS to a 10-fold volume of EW+, or ca. 64.6 x 10(3)-fold molar excess of HOCl in EW+, caused a loss of immuno-reactivity between SEA and a specific anti-SEA antibody. Native PAGE indicated that EW+ caused fragmentation of SEA, and amino acid analysis indicated a loss in amino acid content, in particular Met, Tyr, Ile, Asn, and Asp. Staphylococcal enterotoxin-A excreted into culture broth was also inactivated by exposure to an excess molar ratio of EW+. Thus, EW+ may be a useful management tool to ensure food hygiene by food processing industries.
authors.affiliation: Hokkaido University, Graduate School of Fisheries Sciences, Division of Life Sciences, Laboratory of Food Wholesomeness, 3-1-1 Minato, Hakodate, Hokkaido 041 8611 Japan. ted@fish.hokudai.ac.jp
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Itakura
authors.forename: Masumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Mari
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ohta
authors.forename: Yuri
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Yuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamaya
mesh_terms: D000596:Amino Acids / Q000032:analysis; D004572:Electrolysis; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000506:poisoning; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006801:Humans; D007841:Latex Fixation Tests; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013202:Staphylococcal Food Poisoning / Q000517:prevention & control
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D004768:Enterotoxins; C026066:enterotoxin A, Staphylococcal; D012965:Sodium Chloride