Fate of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in manure compost-amended soil and on carrots and onions grown in an environmentally controlled growth chamber.
Studies were done to determine the fate of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in manure compost-amended soil and on carrots and green onions grown in an environmentally controlled growth chamber. Commercial dairy cattle manure compost was inoculated with a five-strain mixture of green fluorescent protein-labeled E. coli O157:H7 at 10(7) CFU g(-1) and mixed with unsterilized Tifton sandy loam soil at a ratio of 1:5. Baby carrot or green onion seedlings were planted into the manure compost-amended soil in pots, and soil samples surrounding the plant, edible carrot roots and onion bulb samples, and soil immediately beneath the roots were assayed for E. coli O157:H7 in triplicate at weekly intervals for the first 4 weeks, and every 2 weeks for the remainder of the plant growth cycle (up to 3 months). E. coli O157:H7 cell numbers decreased within 64 days by 3 log CFU/g in soil and soil beneath the roots of green onions and by more than 2 log CFU/g on onions. E. coli O157:H7 survived better during the production of carrots, with a 2.3-log CFU/g reduction in soil and a 1.7-log CFU/g reduction on carrots within 84 days. These results indicate that the type of plant grown is an important factor influencing the survival of E. coli O157:H7 both on the vegetable and in the soil in which the vegetable is grown.
Islam
Mahbub
M
Center for Food Safety, University of Georgia, 1109 Experiment Street, Griffin, Georgia 30223-1797, USA.
Morgan
Jennie
J
Doyle
Michael P
MP
Jiang
Xiuping
X
D000383:Agriculture / Q000379:methods*; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D018552:Daucus carota / Q000254:growth & development / Q000382:microbiology; D019453:Escherichia coli O157 / Q000254:growth & development*; D008372:Manure / Q000382:microbiology*; D019697:Onions / Q000254:growth & development / Q000382:microbiology; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000382:microbiology*; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D013997:Time Factors
D008372:Manure