Survival of bacterial enteric pathogens in traditional fermented foods

The survival of strains of bacterial enteric pathogens was investigated in two traditional fermented foods (mahewu and sour porridge) and in unfermented porridge. The foods were inoculated with cell suspensions of Salmonella, Shigella, Campylobacter, Aeromonas species and pathogenic Escherichia coli which had a final concentration of 10⁶-10⁷ cfu/ml of food. None of the strains of Aeromonas and Campylobacter were detected in mahewu and sour porridge 20 min after inoculation. The salmonellas were not found 4 h after inoculation in either fermented foods but the shigellas and pathogenic E. coli strains were more tolerant to the low pH of the fermented foods. Some of the shigellas and pathogenic E. coli strains survived for 24 h after inoculation but showed a sharp decrease in numbers. All the strains of the enteric pathogens survived for 24 h in the unfermented porridge and increased in the numbers except for campylobacters, the numbers of which declined. These results suggest that the traditional fermented foods have bacteriostatic and bactericidal properties and are unlikely to play a major role in the transmission of bacterial enteric pathogens.     

Survival of bacterial enteric pathogens in traditional fermented foods.

The survival of strains of bacterial enteric pathogens was investigated in two traditional fermented foods (mahewu and sour porridge) and in unfermented porridge. The foods were inoculated with cell suspensions of Salmonella, Shigella, Campylobacter, Aeromonas species and pathogenic Escherichia coli which had a final concentration of 10(6)-10(7) cfu/ml of food. None of the strains of Aeromonas and Campylobacter were detected in mahewu and sour porridge 20 min after inoculation. The salmonellas were not found 4 h after inoculation in either fermented foods but the shigellas and pathogenic E. coli strains were more tolerant to the low pH of the fermented foods. Some of the shigellas and pathogenic E. coli strains survived for 24 h after inoculation but showed a sharp decrease in numbers. All the strains of the enteric pathogens survived for 24 h in the unfermented porridge and increased in the numbers except for campylobacters, the numbers of which declined. These results suggest that the traditional fermented foods have bacteriostatic and bactericidal properties and are unlikely to play a major role in the transmission of bacterial enteric pathogens.     

Changes in pain catastrophizing predict later changes in fibromyalgia clinical and experimental pain report: cross-lagged panel analyses of dispositional and situational catastrophizing

Introduction

Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) has been shown to be important in the development of inflammatory models of rheumatoid arthritis and there is encouraging data that its blockade may have clinical relevance in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The aims of the current study were to determine whether GM-CSF may also be important for disease and pain development in a model of osteoarthritis.

Methods

The role of GM-CSF was investigated using the collagenase-induced instability model of osteoarthritis. We studied both GM-CSF-/- mice and wild-type (C57BL/6) mice treated prophylactically or therapeutically with a monoclonal antibody to GM-CSF. Disease development (both early and late) was evaluated by histology and knee pain development was measured by assessment of weight distribution.

Results

In the absence of GM-CSF, there was less synovitis and matrix metalloproteinase-mediated neoepitope expression at week 2 post disease induction, and less cartilage damage at week 6. GM-CSF was absolutely required for pain development. Therapeutic neutralization of GM-CSF not only abolished the pain within 3 days but also led to significantly reduced cartilage damage.

Conclusions

GM-CSF is key to the development of experimental osteoarthritis and its associated pain. Importantly, GM-CSF neutralization by a therapeutic monoclonal antibody-based protocol rapidly and completely abolished existing arthritic pain and suppressed the degree of arthritis development. Our results suggest that it would be worth exploring the importance of GM-CSF for pain and disease in other osteoarthritis models and perhaps clinically for this form of arthritis.