title: Survival of Salmonella enterica in Dried Turkey Manure and Persistence on Spinach Leaves.
abstract: Concerns about the microbiological safety of fresh produce have attracted attention in the past three decades due to multiple foodborne outbreaks. Animal manure contaminated with enteric pathogens has been identified as an important preharvest pathogen source. This study investigated the survival of Salmonella enterica in dust particles of dehydrated turkey manure and how association with manure dust may enhance the survival of salmonellae on leafy greens in the field. The survival of a cocktail of multiple Salmonella serotypes in the dried fecal material of various particle sizes (125 to 500 μm) was examined at varying moisture contents (5, 10, and 15%). Survival times of the pathogen were inversely related to moisture content and particle size of manure dust, with viable Salmonella still detectable for up to 291 days in the smallest particle size (125 μm) with 5% moisture. Association with manure dust particles increased the survival of Salmonella when subjected to UV light both under laboratory conditions and on the surface of spinach leaves in a greenhouse setting. The results of this study suggest that aerosolized manure particles could be a potential vehicle for Salmonella dispersal to leafy greens if the microorganism is present in the dry manure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Food Science, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA.
authors.forename: Ruth A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Oni
authors.affiliation: Environmental Microbial and Food Safety Laboratory, U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Area Research Center, 10300 Baltimore Avenue, Beltsville, Maryland 20705, USA.
authors.forename: Manan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Food Science, Center for Food Safety and Security Systems, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA. rbuchana@umd.edu.
authors.forename: Robert L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Buchanan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005243:Feces; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008372:Manure / Q000382:microbiology*; D017711:Nonlinear Dynamics; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000382:microbiology*; D019779:Salmonella enterica / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D018724:Spinacia oleracea / Q000382:microbiology*; D013552:Swine
chemical_list: D008372:Manure