The application of nucleic acid amplification methods to the detection of food-borne pathogens could be facilitated by concentrating the organisms from the food matrix before detection. This study evaluated the utility of metal hydroxide immobilization for the concentration of bacterial cells from dairy foods prior to detection by cultural and molecular methods. Using reconstituted nonfat dry milk (NFDM) as a model, two food-borne pathogens (Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis) were concentrated from 25-ml samples by the sequential steps of clarification and high-speed centrifugation (designated primary concentration) and immobilization with zirconium hydroxide and low-speed centrifugation (designated secondary concentration). Sample volume reduction after immobilization with zirconium hydroxide was 50-fold, with total bacterial recoveries ranging from 78 to 96% of input for serovar Enteritidis and 65 to 96% of input for L. monocytogenes. Immobilized bacteria remained viable and could be enumerated by standard cultural procedures. When followed by RNA extraction and subsequent detection by reverse transcription (RT)-PCR, detection limits of 10 1 to 10 2 CFU/25 ml of reconstituted NFDM were achieved for both organisms. The bacterial-immobilization step was relatively nonspecific, resulting in recovery of >50% of the input cells when evaluated on a panel of representative bacterial strains of significance to foods. The method could be adapted to more complex dairy products, such as whole milk and ice cream, for which bacterial recoveries after immobilization ranged from 64 to >100%, with subsequent RT-PCR detection limits of >10 2 CFU/ml for whole milk and >10 1 CFU for ice cream for both serovar Enteritidis and L. monocytogenes. The bacterial-immobilization method is easy, rapid, and inexpensive and may have applications for the concentration of a wide variety of food-borne bacteria prior to detection by both conventional and alternative methods.

Approximately 38% of US pharmacy schools provide immunization education and training to pharmacy students as part of their core curricula. These deficiencies in immunization education and training may contribute to low immunization rates for some groups of people, particularly hard-to-reach consumers and those with misconceptions about vaccinations. In this paper, we call upon all pharmacy schools to mandate immunization education and training as part of their core curricula, not just as an elective course. In doing so, we encourage pharmacy schools to adopt the Pharmacy-Based Immunization Delivery program developed by the American Pharmacists Association. We recognize that implementation of these recommendations will require sufficient resources and that it will take time to change the curricula in colleges and schools of pharmacy.

A mixture of magnetized carbonyl iron and insoluble zirconium hydroxide was investigated for its ability to concentrate various foodborne pathogens from 25-ml samples of reconstituted nonfat dry milk. Each sample was artificially contaminated with 10(3) to 10(6) CFU/25 ml of representative foodborne pathogens (Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis, Listeria monocytogenes, and Bacillus cereus spores) and processed for bacterial concentration with high-speed centrifugation for the primary concentration followed by a secondary concentration step involving the carbonyl iron-zirconium hydroxide mixture. Bacterial recoveries, as evaluated on the basis of loss to discarded supernatants, exceeded 75% for all organisms at all inoculum levels and were usually >90%. Recovery was confirmed by direct plating of the immobilized pellet, for which the valueswere similar albeit more varied. Additional experiments confirmed that the magnetized carbonyl iron-insoluble zirconium hydroxide mixture was relatively nontoxic to both Salmonella Enteritidis and L monocytogenes Overall, the entire concentration scheme resulted in a 25-fold reduction in sample volume with the recovery of viable bacterial cells. This novel compound shows promise for facilitating inexpensive, rapid, and effective bacterial concentration in food systems.