Acid adaptation promotes survival of Salmonella spp. in cheese.

Salmonella typhimurium was adapted to acid by exposure to hydrochloric acid at pH 5.8 for one to two doublings. Acid-adapted cells had increased resistance to inactivation by organic acids commonly present in cheese, including lactic, propionic, and acetic acids. Recovery of cells during the treatment with organic acids was increased 1,000-fold by inclusion of 0.1% sodium pyruvate in the recovery medium. Acid-adapted S. typhimurium cells survived better than nonadapted cells during a milk fermentation by a lactic acid culture. Acid-adapted cells also showed enhanced survival over a period of two months in cheddar, Swiss, and mozzarella cheeses kept at 5 degrees C. Acid adaptation was found in Salmonella spp., including Salmonella enteritidis, Salmonella choleraesuis subsp. choleraesuis serotype heidelberg, and Salmonella choleraesuis subsp. choleraesuis serotype javiana, associated with food poisoning. These observations support the theory that acid adaptation is an important survival mechanism enabling Salmonella spp. to persist in fermented dairy products and possibly other acidic food products.     

Acid adaptation sensitizes Salmonella typhimurium to hypochlorous acid.

Acid adaptation of Salmonella typhimurium at a pH of 5.0 to 5.8 for one to two cell doublings resulted in marked sensitization of the pathogen to halogen-based sanitizers including chlorine (hypochlorous acid) and iodine. Acid-adapted S. typhimurium was more resistant to an anionic acid sanitizer than was its nonadapted counterpart. A nonselective plating medium of tryptose phosphate agar plus 1% pyruvate was used throughout the study to help recover chemically stressed cells. Mechanisms of HOCl-mediated inactivation of acid-adapted and nonadapted salmonellae were investigated. Hypochlorous acid oxidized a higher percentage of cell surface sulfhydryl groups in acid-adapted cells than in nonadapted cells, and sulfhydryl oxidation was correlated with cell inactivation. HOCl caused severe metabolic disruptions in acid-adapted and nonadapted S. typhimurium, such as respiratory loss and inability to restore the adenylate energy charge from a nutrient-starved state. Sensitization of S. typhimurium to hypochlorous acid by acid adaptation also involved increased permeability of the cell surface because nonadapted cells treated with EDTA became sensitized. The results of this study establish that acid-adapted S. typhimurium cells are highly sensitized to HOCl oxidation and that inactivation by HOCl involves changes in membrane permeability, inability to maintain or restore energy charge, and probably oxidation of essential cellular components. This study provides a basis for improved practical technologies to inactivate Salmonella and implies that acid pretreatment of food plant environments may increase the efficacy of halogen sanitizers.     

Acid adaptation induces cross-protection against environmental stresses in Salmonella typhimurium.

The relationship of acid adaptation to tolerance of other environmental stresses was examined in Salmonella typhimurium. S. typhimurium was adapted to acid by exposing the cells to mildly acidic conditions (pH 5.8) for one to two cell doublings. Acid-adapted cells were found to have increased tolerance towards various stresses including heat, salt, an activated lactoperoxidase system, and the surface-active agents crystal violet and polymyxin B. Acid adaptation increased cell surface hydrophobicity. Specific outer membrane proteins were induced by acid adaptation, but the lipopolysaccharide component appeared to be unaltered. These results show that acid adaptation alters cellular resistance to a variety of environmental stresses. The mechanism of acid-induced cross-protection involved changes in cell surface properties in addition to the known enhancement of intracellular pH homeostasis.     

Automated detection of Salmonella spp. in foods.

An automated method to detect salmonellae in foods was developed and tested in food samples intentionally contaminated with the test organisms. Liquid eggs, shell eggs, dry eggs, skim milk and chicken were spiked with Salmonella enteritidis, S. typhimurium or S. newport to yield 2 to 25 CFU per 25 g or ml of sample. Following pre-enrichment in universal pre-enrichment broth at 42 degrees C for 6 h (eggs and milk) or 16 h (chicken), Salmonella cells were captured by immunomagnetic beads coated with Salmonella antibody (Vicam, Watertown, MA). The beads were transferred to selective liquid media containing carbohydrate (dulcitol or xylose), amino acid (lysine or ornithine), and H2S indicator, and incubated at 42 degrees C in the BioSys instrument (MicroSys, Ann Arbor, MI). Salmonella positive samples were identified by black discoloration of the media during incubation, while negative samples remained colorless. These color changes were recorded by the instrument. All the artificially contaminated samples tested positive within 15-18 h, while control samples remained negative during 24 h incubation. The results agreed with standard identification procedures. A total of 24 h was required to detect 2 to 25 CFU of the pathogen in 25 g or ml of eggs and milk, and up to 36 h in chicken, compared to 72 h in the standard methods.     

Acid adaptation and survival of Listeria monocytogenes in Italian-style soft cheeses

AIMS: The ability of Listeria monocytogenes to survive and grow at high salt concentrations and low pH makes it a potential hazard after the consumption of milk and dairy products, often implicated in severe outbreaks of listeriosis. This study was designed to evaluate the behaviour of L. monocytogenes in traditional acid and salted Italian-style soft cheeses and to investigate whether Listeria occurrence and growth in these environments may represent a potential increase of hazard. METHODS AND RESULTS: A first approach was addressed to in vitro evaluate survival, acid tolerance response, ability to produce biofilm, and capability to invade intestinal-like cells of a L. monocytogenes strain grown under experimental conditions mimicking environmental features that this pathogen encounters in soft cheeses (such as acid pH and high NaCl content). A second set of experiments was performed to monitor, during the storage at 4 degrees C, the survival of acid-adapted and nonadapted Listeriae in artificially contaminated soft cheeses. Both acid tolerance response and invasion efficiency of acid-adapted bacteria resulted in an increase, even when bacteria were simultaneously pre-exposed to increasing salt stress. The contamination of cheeses with acid-adapted and nonadapted bacteria evidenced in all products a good survival. A significant increased survival, the recovery of bacterial cells highly resistant to lethal pH exposure, and the prevalence of filamentous structures were observed in crescenza cheese during the storage. CONCLUSIONS: The Listeria survival and acid pH tolerance observed during refrigerated storage are probably related to the intrinsic acid and saline features of soft cheeses analysed. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Italian soft cheeses tested may represent a potential hazard for the recovery of acid-adapted L. monocytogenes cells with enhanced ability to adhere to inert surfaces and/or to penetrate host cells.     

Heat resistance of Lactobacillus spp. isolated from Cheddar cheese

Mesophilic Lactobacillus spp. are the dominant organisms in mature Cheddar cheese. The heat resistance of broth grown cultures of Lactobacillus plantarum DPC1919 at temperatures between 50 and 57.5 degrees C, Lact. plantarum DPC2102 at temperatures between 48 and 56 degrees C and Lact. paracasei DPC2103 at temperatures between 50 and 67.5 degrees C was determined. The z-values for Lact. plantarum DPC1919, Lact. Plantarum DPC2102 and Lact. paracasei DPC2103 were 6.7 degrees C, 6.2 degrees C and 5.3 degrees C, respectively. Lactobacillus paracasei DPC2103 showed evidence of injury and recovery, especially at higher temperatures. Milk grown cultures of strains DPC2102 and DPC2103 showed greater heat resistance than broth grown cultures, tailing of the death curves and a nonlinear z-curve. Of the three strains, Lact. paracasei DPC2103 had the potential to survive pasteurization temperatures, whether grown in milk or broth.     

Detection of Salmonella spp. in oysters by PCR.

PCR DNA amplification of a region of the himA gene of Salmonella typhimurium specifically detected Salmonella spp. In oysters, 1 to 10 cells of Salmonella spp. were rapidly detected by the PCR following a pre-enrichment step to increase sensitivity and to ensure that detection was based on the presence of viable Salmonella spp.     

Acid adaptation of Escherichia coli O157:H7 increases survival in acidic foods.

Escherichia coli O157:H7 was adapted to acid by culturing for one to two doublings at pH 5.0. Acid-adapted cells had an increased resistance to lactic acid, survived better than nonadapted cells during a sausage fermentation, and showed enhanced survival in shredded dry salami (pH 5.0) and apple cider (pH 3.4). Acid adaptation is important for the survival of E. coli O157:H7 in acidic foods and should be considered a prerequisite for inocula used in food challenge studies.     

Acid adaptation of Listeria monocytogenes can enhance survival in acidic foods and during milk fermentation.

We have previously shown that tolerance to severe acid stress (pH 3.5) can be induced in Listeria monocytogenes following a 1-h adaptation to mild acid (pH 5.5), a phenomenon termed the acid tolerance response (ATR) (B. O'Driscoll, C. G. M. Gahan, and C. Hill, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 62:1693-1698, 1966). In an attempt to determine the industrial significance of the ATR, we have examined the survival of adapted and nonadapted cells in a variety of acidic foods. Acid adaptation enhanced the survival of L. monocytogenes in acidified dairy products, including cottage cheese, yogurt, and whole-fat cheddar cheese. Acid-adapted L. monocytogenes cultures also demonstrated increased survival during active milk fermentation by a lactic acid culture. Similarly, acid-adapted cells showed greatly improved survival in low-pH foods (orange juice and salad dressing) containing acids other than lactic acid. However, in foods with a marginally higher pH, such as mozzarella cheese, a commercial cottage cheese, or low-fat cheddar cheese, acid adaptation did not appear to enhance survival. We have previously isolated mutants of L. monocytogenes that are constitutively acid tolerant in the absence of an induction step (O'Driscoll et al., Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 62:1693-1698, 1996). In the present study, one such mutant, ATM56, demonstrated an increased ability to survive in low-pH foods and during milk fermentation when compared with the wild-type strain. Significant numbers of ATM56 could be recovered even after 70 days in both whole-fat and low-fat cheddar cheese. Collectively, the data suggest that ATR mechanisms, whether constitutive or induced, can greatly influence the survival of L. monocytogenes in low-pH food environments.     

Starvation survival of Salmonella enteritidis.

Washed cells of Salmonella enteritidis harvested from a defined medium during logarithmic growth were subjected to starvation in pH 7 phosphate buffer at 37 C. Viability was measured by slide cultures and plate counts. The survival of cell suspensions equivalent to 1 to 10 mg (dry wt)/ml was influenced by cryptic growth. The rate of cryptic growth, assessed by plate counts, increased with cell density and could not be alleviated by starvation with dialysis. Dialysis of the starving culture did retard the onset of cryptic growth but did not eliminate it, indicating that the major substrates for regrowth were relatively large cellular components. In phosphate buffer, 6.7 homologous heat-killed cells allowed for the doubling of one S. enteritidis cell. Cryptic growth was not observed when cells were starved on the surface of membrane filters or in suspensions equivalent to 20 mug (dry wt)/ml (105 cells/ml). Similar half-life survival times were calculated for both these populations, but the shape of their survival curves differed significantly. These differences were attributed to stress factors encountered during cell preparation and during starvation. The half-life survival time of S. enteritidis starved at 20 mug (dry wt)/ml was 140 h in phosphate buffer, 82 h in 3,6-endomethylene-1,2,3,-6-tetrahydrophthalic acid buffer, and 77 h in tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane buffer.     

Detection of Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes in Suspended Organic Waste by Nucleic Acid Extraction and PCR

A nucleic acid-based method for the detection of the bacterial pathogens Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes in biological waste was developed. The detection limits were less than 10 cells per ml of biological waste. The method does not include a phenol extraction step and can be easily performed in 1 to 2 days.     

Prevalence of Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp. and Listeria spp. in ring-billed gulls (Larus delawarensis).

Cloacal swabs collected from 264 ring-billed gulls (Larus delawarensis) at four sites near Montréal, Canada were cultured for the presence of Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp. and Listeria spp. All birds were apparently healthy when captured or killed. Of all birds examined, 8.7%, 15.9% and 9.5%, respectively, were infected with Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp. and Listeria monocytogenes. Overall, 29.9% of gulls sampled harbored one or more of these bacteria. Gulls probably play only a minor role in the epizootiology of these bacteria.     

Development of a multiplex PCR detection of Salmonella spp. and Shigella spp. in mussels

Multiplex PCR amplification of invA and virA genes was developed enabling simultaneous detection in mussels of Salmonella spp. and Shigella spp., respectively. Simultaneous amplification of products of 215 and 275 bp was obtained either by using mixtures of individual strains of Sh. dysenteriae and Salm. typhimurium or spiked contaminated mussels with both bacteria. In the case of the mussels, 10-100 cells of Salmonella spp. and Shigella per millilitre of homogenate were detected by the multiplex PCR following a pre-enrichment step to increase sensitivity and to ensure that detection was based on the presence of cultivable bacteria. Also, the sensitivity and specificity of this method was evaluated. Multiplex PCR amplification was shown to be an effective, sensitive and rapid method for the simultaneous detection of pathogens in mussels.     

Amino acid fermentation in non-starter Lactobacillus spp. isolated from cheddar cheese

Amino acid fermentation profiles of nine strains of Lactobacillus spp., initially isolated from a 3-year-old Cheddar cheese, were determined using the Biolog MT microplatetrade mark method. Eight of the isolates were able to ferment amino acids, but only when incubated in the presence of exogenously supplied alpha-ketoglutaric acid that served as an acceptor in the initial transamination step in the fermentative degradation. The range of amino acids catabolized was strain dependent. Amino acid catabolites were detected by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GCMS) in culture supernatant fluids of a representative non-starter lactic acid bacteria isolate Lactobacillus paracasei CI6.     

Salmonella spp. are cytotoxic for cultured macrophages

We have shown by a variety of microscopical and biochemical techniques that Salmonella spp. are cytotoxic for cultured J774A.1 and bone marrow-derived murine macrophages. The cytotoxicity is initially manifested by inhibition of membrane ruffling and macropinocytosis in infected macrophages, and is followed by cell death. Macrophages killed by Salmonella spp. exhibited features of apoptosis such as condensation and fragmentation of chromatin, membrane blebbing, and the presence of cytoplasmic nucleosomes and apoptotic bodies. Cytotoxicity does not require bacterial internalization as cytochalasin D, a drug that prevents bacterial uptake, did not prevent Salmonella -induced macrophage cell death. However, the cytotoxic effects are strictly dependent upon the expression of the invasion-associated Type III protein-secretion system encoded at centisome 63 of the Salmonella chromosome. Wild-type Salmonella typhimurium grown under conditions that do not allow optimal expression of this system or strains of Salmonella carrying mutations in genes that encode components of this protein-secretion system were devoid of macrophage cytotoxicity. In addition, mutations in invJ , spaO , sipB , sipC and sipD, which encode proteins that are secreted via this secretion apparatus and are required for bacterial entry into non-phagocytic cells, also abolished the toxicity. In contrast, mutations in sipA and sptP , which encode secreted proteins that are not required for bacterial invasion, had no effect on macrophage cytotoxicity. These results indicate a close correlation between the mechanisms of bacterial internalization into non-phagocytic cells and those that lead to macrophage cytotoxicity. Host-adapted serotypes of Salmonella such as S. typhi , S. gallinarum and S. dublin were also toxic for murine macrophages, indicating that this virulence property is probably present in most Salmonella spp. and is not associated with the mechanisms responsible for host range.     

Attachment of Salmonella spp. to chicken muscle surfaces.

Immersion of chicken muscle fascia in water or physiological saline caused collagen associated with the connective tissue to expand and form a dense network of fibers on the surface. Similar changes were noted for muscle perimysium. Two test strains of Salmonella spp. attached to the collagen fibers only when muscle was immersed for extended times in water. Bacteria did not attach to the fascia or perimysium of muscle that was transiently immersed in suspensions. The presence of sodium chloride in the suspension media prevented firm attachment, whereas saline rinses removed many attached cells.     

Prevalence of Salmonella spp. in oysters in the United States

Food-borne diseases such as salmonellosis can be attributed, in part, to the consumption of raw oysters. To determine the prevalence of Salmonella spp. in oysters, oysters harvested from 36 U.S. bays (12 each from the West, East, and Gulf coasts in the summer of 2002, and 12 bays, four per coast, in the winter of 2002-2003) were tested. Salmonella was isolated from oysters from each coast of the United States, and 7.4% of all oysters tested contained Salmonella. Isolation tended to be bay specific, with some bays having a high prevalence of Salmonella, while other bays had none. Differences in the percentage of oysters from which Salmonella was isolated were observed between the summer and winter months, with winter numbers much lower probably due to a variety of weather-related events. The vast majority (78/101) of Salmonella isolates from oysters were Salmonella enterica serovar Newport, a major human pathogen, confirming the human health hazard of raw oyster consumption. Contrary to previous findings, no relationship was found between the isolation of fecal coliforms and Salmonella from oysters, indicating a necessity for specific monitoring for Salmonella and other pathogens rather than the current reliance on fecal coliform testing.