Effect of Environmental Stress on the Ability of Listeria monocytogenes Scott A To Attach to Food Contact Surfaces

Smoot, Les; Pierson, Merle D.

doi:10.4315/0362-028x-61.10.1293

Cited by 67 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…To understand how the bacterium establishes a niche and persists on foodprocessing equipment, the attachment of L. monocytogenes to abiotic surfaces, such as stainless steel and rubber, has been studied (32,52,53,57). We have developed a model system with cut radish tissue to study the molecular mechanisms involved in L. monocytogenes attachment to plant surfaces.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Attachment of Listeria monocytogenes to Radish Tissue Is Dependent upon Temperature and Flagellar Motility

Gorski

Palumbo

Mandrell

2003

Appl Environ Microbiol

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Outbreaks of listeriosis and febrile gastroenteritis have been linked to produce contamination by Listeria monocytogenes. In order to begin to understand the physiology of the organism in a produce habitat, the ability of L. monocytogenes to attach to freshly cut radish tissue was examined. All strains tested had the capacity to attach sufficiently well such that they could not be removed during washing of the radish slices. A screen was developed to identify Tn917-LTV3 mutants that were defective in attachment to radish tissue, and three were characterized. Two of the three mutations were in genes with unknown functions. Both of the unknown genes mapped to a region predicted to contain genes necessary for flagellar export; however, only one of the two insertions caused a motility defect. The third insertion was found to be in an operon encoding a phosphoenolpyruvate-sugar phosphotransferase system. All three mutants were defective in attachment when tested at 30°C; the motility mutant had the most severe phenotype. However, not all of the mutants were defective when tested at other temperatures. These results indicate that L. monocytogenes may use different attachment factors at different temperatures and that temperature should be considered an important variable in studies of the molecular mechanisms of Listeria fitness in complex environments.Listeria monocytogenes is a gram-positive pathogen that causes a multitude of symptoms, including septicemia, abortion, liver failure, and meningitis (50). When L. monocytogenes is not living as an intracellular invader, it can be isolated from the feces of animals as well as humans and from the soil, where it can survive as a saprophyte for 10 to 12 years. From these locations, it can contaminate the food supply in many ways. It can survive in sewage and enter the soil, where it may become associated with plants and/or farm animals before entering food-processing plants, grocery stores, and home refrigerators (2, 10). In all of these niches, L. monocytogenes can survive and even thrive, leading to contamination of foods and ingestion of the pathogen. L. monocytogenes is quite hardy under a variety of environmental stresses. It has been reported that it can grow at temperatures of between Ϫ0.4 and 50°C and withstand extremes of osmotic pressure, as evidenced by growth in 10% NaCl, and it displays a pH range of 4.3 to 9 (18, 21).While food contamination with L. monocytogenes is most often associated with smoked meats and dairy products, fresh produce has also been implicated in outbreaks and sporadic cases of listeriosis. Specific produce-related outbreaks of listeriosis and febrile gastroenteritis caused by L. monocytogenes have been associated with contaminated cabbage, corn, and lettuce and/or celery (8,30,51). In addition, this organism has caused the recall of vegetables, including red peppers, sprouts, and lettuce, and potato salad (4-7, 13). L. monocytogenes has been isolated from radishes, potatoes, cucumbers, and cabbage in surveys of produce from U.S. grocery s...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Attachment of Listeria monocytogenes to Radish Tissue Is Dependent upon Temperature and Flagellar Motility

Gorski

Palumbo

Mandrell

2003

Appl Environ Microbiol

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“…If cell numbers are high, fluorescence microscopy is useful, although a detailed quantification is difficult when bacteria are arranged in clusters or layers. Some authors detach bacteria from the surface by ultrasound, by mixing, or by swabbing (38) and quantify these by standard plate counts thereafter. Ultrasonic removal of cells has been used by several authors (24,34), and we found that this procedure for quantification was in excellent agreement with counts obtained using Malthus detection times converted via a standard curve.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shewanella putrefaciens Adhesion and Biofilm Formation on Food Processing Surfaces

Bagge

Hjelm

Johansen

et al. 2001

Appl Environ Microbiol

126

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Laboratory model systems were developed for studying Shewanella putrefaciens adhesion and biofilm formation under batch and flow conditions. S. putrefaciens plays a major role in food spoilage and may cause microbially induced corrosion on steel surfaces. S. putrefaciens bacteria suspended in buffer adhered readily to stainless steel surfaces. Maximum numbers of adherent bacteria per square centimeter were reached in 8 h at 25°C and reflected the cell density in suspension. Numbers of adhering bacteria from a suspension containing 10 8 CFU/ml were much lower in a laminar flow system (modified Robbins device) (reaching 10 2 CFU/cm 2 ) than in a batch system (reaching 10 7 CFU/cm 2 ), and maximum numbers were reached after 24 h. When nutrients were supplied, S. putrefaciens grew in biofilms with layers of bacteria. The rate of biofilm formation and the thickness of the film were not dependent on the availability of carbohydrate (lactate or glucose) or on iron starvation. The number of S. putrefaciens bacteria on the surface was partly influenced by the presence of other bacteria (Pseudomonas fluorescens) which reduced the numbers of S. putrefaciens bacteria in the biofilm. Numbers of bacteria on the surface must be quantified to evaluate the influence of environmental factors on adhesion and biofilm formation. We used a combination of fluorescence microscopy (4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole staining and in situ hybridization, for mixed-culture studies), ultrasonic removal of bacteria from surfaces, and indirect conductometry and found this combination sufficient to quantify bacteria on surfaces.

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“…Bio®lm formation is a complex process and many factors in¯uence bacterial attachment to surfaces, such as: surface conditioning and type of growth medium (Shapiro 1991;Helke et al 1993;Briandet et al 1999), growth temperature (Smoot and Pierson 1998), growth pH (Lindsay et al 2000a), electrostatic and physical interactions between bacterial cell surfaces and the substratum (Costerton et al 1987;Van Loosdrecht et al 1990;Flemming et al 1998) and bacterial cell-to-cell communication and signalling (Stewart et al 1996;Davies et al 1998;Stoodley et al 1999). In addition, the colonization of a surface by one bacterium can reportedly enhance the attachment of others to the same surface (Sasahara and Zottola 1993;Jones and Bradshaw 1997;Mùller et al 1998).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differential efficacy of a chlorine dioxide-containing sanitizer against single species and binary biofilms of a dairy-associated Bacillus cereus and a Pseudomonas fluorescens isolate

et al. 2002

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Aims:Daily exposure to 100 p.p.m. chlorine dioxide of single species and binary bio®lms of dairy-associated Bacillus cereus DL5 and Pseudomonas¯uorescens M2, attached to stainless steel surfaces in a laboratory¯ow system, was studied. Methods and Results: Surfaces were sampled daily before and after sanitizer treatment and cells and spores dislodged and enumerated by standard methods. Duplicate surfaces were prepared for confocal scanning laser microscopy (CSLM) and scanning electron microscopy. Higher counts of Ps.¯uorescens M2 were obtained in single species bio®lms, microcolonies stained green (viable) in CSLM images and were closely packed on attachment surfaces. By contrast, higher counts of B. cereus DL5 were obtained in binary bio®lms, microcolonies stained green in CSLM images, but were more spread out. Lower spore counts were obtained for B. cereus DL5 in binary bio®lms. The survival of Ps.¯uorescens M2 cells after exposure to chlorine dioxide was apparently enhanced by the presence of B. cereus DL5 in binary bio®lms. By contrast, B. cereus DL5 showed increased susceptibility to sanitizer treatment in the presence of Ps.¯uorescens M2. Conclusions: Co-cultured bacteria in bio®lms in¯uence each other with respect to attachment capabilities and sanitizer resistance/susceptibility. Signi®cance and Impact of the Study: Binary bio®lms endemic in food-processing industries can survive sanitation regimes and may represent reservoirs of product contamination leading to subsequent spoilage and/or food safety risks.

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Effect of Environmental Stress on the Ability of Listeria monocytogenes Scott A To Attach to Food Contact Surfaces

Cited by 67 publications

References 63 publications

Attachment of Listeria monocytogenes to Radish Tissue Is Dependent upon Temperature and Flagellar Motility

Attachment of Listeria monocytogenes to Radish Tissue Is Dependent upon Temperature and Flagellar Motility

Shewanella putrefaciens Adhesion and Biofilm Formation on Food Processing Surfaces

Differential efficacy of a chlorine dioxide-containing sanitizer against single species and binary biofilms of a dairy-associated Bacillus cereus and a Pseudomonas fluorescens isolate

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