Production of biofilm and quorum sensing by Escherichia coli O157:H7 and its transfer from contact surfaces to meat, poultry, ready-to-eat deli, and produce products.
Multistate outbreaks of Escherichia coli O157:H7 infections through consumption of contaminated foods including produce products have brought a great safety concern. The objectives of this study were to determine the effect of biofilm and quorum sensing production on the attachment of E. coli O157:H7 on food contact surfaces and to evaluate the transfer of the pathogen from the food contact to various food products. E. coli O157:H7 produced maximum levels of AI-2 signals in 12 h of incubation in tested meat, poultry, and produce broths and subsequently formed strong biofilm in 24 h of incubation. In general, E. coli O157:H7 formed stronger biofilm on stainless steel than glass. Furthermore, E. coli O157:H7 that had attached on the surface of stainless steel was able to transfer to meat, poultry, ready-to-eat deli, and produce products. Strong attachment of the transferred pathogen on produce products (cantaloupe, lettuce, carrot, and spinach) was detected (>10(3) CFU/cm2) even after washing these products with water. Our findings suggest that biofilm formation by E. coli O157:H7 on food contact surfaces can be a concern for efficient control of the pathogen particularly in produce products that require no heating or cooking prior to consumption.
Silagyi
Karen
K
Department of Nutrition and Food Science, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
Kim
Shin-Hee
SH
Lo
Y Martin
YM
Wei
Cheng-i
CI
D001422:Bacterial Adhesion / Q000502:physiology*; D018441:Biofilms / Q000254:growth & development*; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D003257:Consumer Product Safety; D004783:Environmental Microbiology; D019453:Escherichia coli O157 / Q000502:physiology*; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis* / Q000517:prevention & control; D005638:Fruit / Q000382:microbiology; D005898:Glass; D008460:Meat / Q000382:microbiology; D008461:Meat Products / Q000382:microbiology; D053038:Quorum Sensing; D013193:Stainless Steel; D013997:Time Factors; D014675:Vegetables / Q000382:microbiology
D013193:Stainless Steel