Microbial Hazards and Emerging Issues Associated with Produce A Preliminary Report to the National Advisory Committee on Microbiologic Criteria for Foods

Abstract

In the past two decades, the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables in the United States has increased, and the geographic sources and distribution of fresh produce have expanded greatly. Concomitantly, public health officials have documented an increase in the number of reported produce-associated foodborne disease outbreaks in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that the number of these outbreaks doubled between 1973 and 1987, and 1988 and 1991, and that the number of cases of illness associated with these outbreaks more than doubled. A variety of produce items have been affected. During 1995 alone, major outbreak investigations linked infections with Salmonella serotype Stanley to alfalfa sprouts, Salmonella Hartford to unpasteurized orange juice, Shigella spp. to lettuce and green onions, Escherichia coli O157:H7 to lettuce, and hepatitis A virus to tomatoes. In response to this apparent increase, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration asked the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods to address and better define the association of foodborne disease and microbial pathogens with fresh produce. A subcommittee formed in June 1995 is documenting relevant epidemiologic data, current industry practices, and laboratory data to identify potential hazards and related control strategies. This report presents the preliminary findings of that subcommittee.

Survival of Escherichia coli in the environment: fundamental and public health aspects

“…On the other hand, the fate of E. coli populations under complex natural conditions is often not accurately predictable . Although the conditions for survival of E. coli in soil, manure and water are considered to be less favourable than in the intestinal system (Tauxe et al, 1997), the organism has been observed to survive for days (at physiological (430 1C) temperature, aerobic and under nutrient-limiting conditions) to almost a year in the former habitats (Kudva et al, 1998;Fukushima et al, 1999;Jiang et al, 2002).…”

OCORRÊNCIA DE Escherichia coli O157: H7 EM PRODUTOS CÁRNEOS E SENSIBILIDADE DOS MÉTODOS DE DETECÇÃO

“…Já foram incriminados em surtos, dentre outros alimentos, leite cru, carne bovina mal cozida e outros produtos à base de carne (rosbifes, hambúrgueres e salsichas tipo "hot-dog"), frutas e vegetais (alface, melão, suco de maçã e diversos tipos de saladas) e maionese industrializada [3,6,15]. No geral, pode-se dizer que a carne bovina é uma das principais fontes potenciais de E.coli O157:H7, uma vez que o trato gastrointestinal de bovinos é o reservatório desses microrganismos [7].…”

Differential Binding of Escherichia coli O157:H7 to Alfalfa, Human Epithelial Cells, and Plastic Is Mediated by a Variety of Surface Structures

“…However, further efforts are needed to sustain these declines, to reduce pathogens in food animal reservoirs, and to prevent the contamination of produce. Among the outbreaks associated with fresh produce consumption and for which the etiology has been determined, Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis accounted for the largest number of outbreaks, cases, and deaths, followed by Escherichia coli O157: H7, which was frequently found during multistate outbreaks (42).…”