title: Commonly used disinfectants fail to eradicate Salmonella enterica biofilms from food contact surface materials.
abstract: Salmonellosis is the second most common cause of food-borne illness worldwide. Contamination of surfaces in food processing environments may result in biofilm formation with a risk of food contamination. Effective decontamination of biofilm-contaminated surfaces is challenging. Using the CDC biofilm reactor, the activities of sodium hypochlorite, sodium hydroxide, and benzalkonium chloride were examined against an early (48-h) and relatively mature (168-h) Salmonella biofilm. All 3 agents result in reduction in viable counts of Salmonella; however, only sodium hydroxide resulted in eradication of the early biofilm. None of the agents achieved eradication of mature biofilm, even at the 90-min contact time. Studies of activity of chemical disinfection against biofilm should include assessment of activity against mature biofilm. The difficulty of eradication of established Salmonella biofilm serves to emphasize the priority of preventing access of Salmonella to postcook areas of food production facilities.
authors.affiliation: Antimicrobial Resistance and Microbial Ecology Group, Discipline of Bacteriology, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Corcoran
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: De Lappe
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: O'Connor
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lalor
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dockery
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cormican
mesh_terms: D058491:Bacterial Load; D001548:Benzalkonium Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology; D018441:Biofilms / Q000187:drug effects*; D004202:Disinfectants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004783:Environmental Microbiology; D005511:Food Handling; D050296:Microbial Viability / Q000187:drug effects; D019779:Salmonella enterica / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D012972:Sodium Hydroxide / Q000494:pharmacology; D012973:Sodium Hypochlorite / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D001548:Benzalkonium Compounds; D004202:Disinfectants; D012972:Sodium Hydroxide; D012973:Sodium Hypochlorite