Bacillus cereus Contamination of Seeds and Vegetable Sprouts Grown in a Home Sprouting Kit

Harmon, Stanley M.; Kautter, Donald A.; Solomon, Haim M.

doi:10.4315/0362-028x-50.1.62

Cited by 61 publications

(20 citation statements)

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“…Finally, the alfalfa sprouts eaten by Ameri-3 -5 orders of magnitude per gram during sprouting of experimentally inoculated seed. The same phenomenon has been obcan and Finnish case-patients were produced by many different growers but were grown from seed from a single common served for Bacillus cereus, which caused an outbreak of food poisoning linked to home-sprouted vegetable sprouts [20,21]. source -a seed shipper in the Netherlands -indicating that the seed was contaminated before it was shipped.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 81%

An International Outbreak ofSalmonellaInfections Caused by Alfalfa Sprouts Grown from Contaminated Seeds

Mahon

Pönkä²,

Hall³

et al. 1997

J INFECT DIS

286

134

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An outbreak of Salmonella serotype stanley infections occurred in the United States and Finland in 1995. The outbreak was investigated through case-control studies in Arizona, Michigan, and Finland; by isolate subtyping; and by tracing and culturing of the implicated food. Alfalfa sprout consumption was the only exposure associated with S. stanley infections in Arizona (matched odds ratio [MOR] = 11.1; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.4-513), Michigan (MOR = 5.5; CI, 1.6-23), and Finland (MOR undefined; CI, 4.9-infinity). US and Finnish patient isolates were a unique outbreak strain distinct from S. stanley isolates not linked to the outbreak. Alfalfa sprouts eaten by patients in 6 US states and Finland were traced to seed shipped by a Dutch shipper. Thus, it was concluded that alfalfa sprouts grown from contaminated seed caused an international outbreak of > or =242 S. stanley infections in > or =17 US states and Finland. This outbreak illustrates a new mechanism through which contamination of fresh produce can cause large, widely dispersed outbreaks.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 81%

An International Outbreak ofSalmonellaInfections Caused by Alfalfa Sprouts Grown from Contaminated Seeds

Mahon

Pönkä²,

Hall³

et al. 1997

J INFECT DIS

286

134

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“…Alfalfa sprouts sold for consumption constitute such an environment, since production of the sprouts takes place at temperatures and humidity conditions that are favorable for bacterial growth, and it is known that raw sprout products contain a high number of bacteria (10,24). The same is true for sprouts that are cultivated at home by the consumer from seeds sold for this purpose (15). The bacteria present on sprout products originate from those colonizing the seeds and are thus predominantly rod-shaped soil microorganisms (10).…”

mentioning

confidence: 78%

Plasmid Transfer from Pseudomonas putida to the Indigenous Bacteria on Alfalfa Sprouts: Characterization, Direct Quantification, and In Situ Location of Transconjugant Cells

Mølbak

Licht

Kvist

et al. 2003

Appl Environ Microbiol

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The transfer of the plasmids pJKJ5 and TOL (pWWO) from Pseudomonas putida to the indigenous bacterial community on alfalfa sprouts was studied. Tagging with fluorescent protein markers allowed direct quantification of the introduced donor bacteria and of indigenous bacteria that had received the plasmids. The sprouts were observed for 9 days; during this time alfalfa seeds, inoculated with donor bacteria, developed to edible and subsequently decaying sprouts. The first transconjugants were detected on day 6 after donor inoculation and occurred at frequencies of 3.4 ؋ 10 ؊4 and 2.0 ؋ 10 ؊6 transconjugant cells per donor cell for pKJK5::gfp and TOL::gfp, respectively. Confocal laser scanning microscopy revealed that the sprouts were heavily colonized with donors and that most transconjugants were located around the hypocotyl and root areas. Randomly selected members of the indigenous bacterial community from both inoculated and uninoculated sprouts, as well as a representative part of the community that had received the plasmids, were characterized by polymorphisms of PCR-amplified ribosomal DNA (rDNA) spacer regions between the 16S and 23S genes, followed by partial 16S rDNA sequencing. This showed that the initially dominating genera Erwinia and Paenibacillus were gradually replaced by Pseudomonas on the fully developed sprouts. Transconjugants carrying either of the investigated plasmids mainly belonged to the genera Pseudomonas and Erwinia. The numbers of transconjugant cells did not reach detectable levels until 6 days after the onset of germination, at which point these species constituted the majority of the indigenous bacteria. In conclusion, the alfalfa sprouts provided an environment that allowed noteworthy frequencies of plasmid transfer from P. putida in the absence of selective pressure that could favor the presence of the investigated plasmids.

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“…In another study examining the microbial quality of sprouting seeds, Bacillus cereus was found in 56 of 98 sprouting kits purchased. When seeds from contaminated kits were sprouted, contamination rose to a mean level of 3.72 log 10 CFU/g for alfalfa sprouts and 4.53 log 10 CFU/g for mung bean sprouts (17). Investigation of seed sprouts in Norway found thermotolerant coliform bacteria in 24% of 300 samples, and E. coli was isolated from 8 samples.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These outbreaks have been most commonly associated with alfalfa sprouts but have also been linked to clover, radish, and mung bean sprouts. One of the earliest reports of illness associated with sprouts was in 1973, when an outbreak of Bacillus cereus occurred due to contaminated home sprouting kits (17). Reported outbreaks have increased steadily in the intervening decades (32).…”

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confidence: 99%

Monte Carlo Simulation of Pathogen Behavior during the Sprout Production Process

Montville

Schaffner

2005

Appl Environ Microbiol

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Food-borne disease outbreaks linked to the consumption of raw sprouts have become a concern over the past decade. A Monte Carlo simulation model of the sprout production process was created to determine the most-effective points for pathogen control. Published literature was reviewed, and relevant data were compiled. Appropriate statistical distributions were determined and used to create the Monte Carlo model with Analytica software. Factors modeled included initial pathogen concentration and prevalence, seed disinfection effectiveness, and sampling of seeds prior to sprouting, sampling of irrigation water, or sampling of the finished product. Pathogen concentration and uniformity of seed contamination had a large effect on the fraction of contaminated batches predicted by the simulation. The model predicted that sprout sampling and irrigation water sampling at the end of the sprouting process would be more effective in pathogen detection than seed sampling prior to production. Day of sampling and type of sample (sprout or water) taken had a minimal effect on rate of detection. Seed disinfection reduced the proportion of contaminated batches, but in some cases it also reduced the ability to detect the pathogen when it was present, because cell numbers were reduced below the detection limit. Both the amount sampled and the pathogen detection limit were shown to be important variables in determining sampling effectiveness. This simulation can also be used to guide further research and compare the levels of effectiveness of different risk reduction strategies.Seeds and bean sprouts have become a serious food safety concern during the past decade. Outbreaks of salmonellosis and food-borne illness from pathogenic Escherichia coli have been linked with contaminated sprouts. These outbreaks have been most commonly associated with alfalfa sprouts but have also been linked to clover, radish, and mung bean sprouts.

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Bacillus cereus Contamination of Seeds and Vegetable Sprouts Grown in a Home Sprouting Kit

Cited by 61 publications

References 0 publications

An International Outbreak ofSalmonellaInfections Caused by Alfalfa Sprouts Grown from Contaminated Seeds

An International Outbreak ofSalmonellaInfections Caused by Alfalfa Sprouts Grown from Contaminated Seeds

Plasmid Transfer from Pseudomonas putida to the Indigenous Bacteria on Alfalfa Sprouts: Characterization, Direct Quantification, and In Situ Location of Transconjugant Cells

Monte Carlo Simulation of Pathogen Behavior during the Sprout Production Process

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