SalmonellaContamination Associated with Bacterial Soft Rot of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables in the Marketplace

Abstract

Wash water from 66% of 401 samples of fresh fruits and vegetables collected in the marketplace and affected by bacterial soft rot were positive for suspected strains of Salmonella, i.e., black, hydrogen sulfide-positive colonies on Salmonella-Shigella agar incubated for 24 h at 37°C. By comparison, 30% of 402 healthy samples were positive. Incidence of suspected Salmonella in broth enrichment cultures was 59% in 533 soft rotted samples and 33% in 781 healthy samples. Thirty percent of 166 representative strains of suspected Salmonella, selected at random from 20 different commodities, were confirmed to be Salmonella by physiological and serological tests. Adjusting incidence values accordingly, Salmonella contamination was potentially present in at least 18 to 20% of soft rotted samples and in 9 to 10% of healthy samples. Wash water from 120 paired healthy and soft rotted fruits and vegetables contained an average of 1.0 × 105 and 3.7 × 106 CFU/ml, respectively, of suspected Salmonella-a ratio of 1:37. Average concentrations of suspected Salmonella in enrichment cultures of healthy and soft rotted samples were 7.5 × 107 and 2.7 × 109 CFU/ml, respectively, also in the ratio of 1:37. Fresh potato, carrot, and pepper disks coinoculated with the soft rot bacterium Erwinia carotovora and with Salmonella typhimurium, and incubated for up to 72 h at room temperature, contained approximately 10 times the concentration of S. typhimurium as did disks inoculated with Salmonella alone. Disks coinoculated with Pseudomonas viridiflava and S. typhimurium contained approximately three times the Salmonella populations as disks inoculated with Salmonella alone.

Bio-chemical characterization of bacterial flora associated with spoilt vegetables in kaduna markets Northern Nigeria

“…in pawpaw, orange and kola nut at Sango Market, Ilorin. However, this finding contradicts the work of Wells and Butterfield [17] who reported Salmonella, Shigella and gastro-intestinal viruses as the major pathogens associated with food poisoning in England and the United States.…”

Investigation of Possible Situation of Internalization of Salmonella Enteritidis in Tomato Fruits and Bacterial Survival during Tomato Plant Cultivation

“…It is well established that the incidence of S. Enteritidis on fresh produce is significantly higher on injured produce (Wells et al, 1997;Wells et al, 1999). This study did not show the internalization and existence of Salmonella in the fruits of tomato plants cultivated in soil contaminated with Salmonella.…”

Salmonella and produce: Survival in the plant environment and implications in food safety

“…49 Furthermore, a survey of supermarket produce revealed that Salmonella incidence on produce was twice as likely in the presence of a soft rot plant pathogen, Erwinia carotovora, which is now known as Pectobacterium carotovora. 67 It is hypothesized that human pathogens, including Salmonella, may depend on the presence of plant associated bacterial and fungal organisms to provide carbon and energy sources through the degradation of plant cell wall polymers. 68 Unfortunately, current research methods cannot address all of the factors involved in enteric and plant interactions, but the studies highlight the influences of each factor to better understand the overall interactions in the plant system.…”

“…There are multiple factors involved in the interaction between Salmonella spp and produce including the produce type, cultivar and physiological state of the plant. 49,66,67 Differential contamination of produce commodities was observed when produce was exposed to Salmonella spp through contaminated soil. The seedlings of the Brassicaceae family, including radishes, turnips and broccoli, had a higher prevalence of Salmonella spp than the lettuce, carrot and tomato crops.…”