Professional paper

Fruit and vegetables as vehiculi of salmonelosis

S. Pavić
M. Smoljanović
D. Ropac
D. Laštre
E. Cetinić
M. Hadžiosmanović
B. Mioković
L. Kozačinski

Abstract

The results of a long term study of salmonelosis caused by contaminated vegetables, seeds, sprouts and fruit have been reported in the paper. The most famous outbreaks in the USA and the Western countries resulted from the contaminated alfalfa sprouts, tomatoes, cantaloupe, lettuce, peanuts, etc., were described. Common opinion that Salmonella can be found only on the surfaces of fruit and vegetables has recently been abandoned due to the discovery of the fact that Salmonella as well as the other pathogenic microorganisms can penetrate stem, leaves and fruites of the plant through both damaged and undamaged roots. Molecular researches have proved that type III protein secretion system (TTSS) is necessary to the pathogenic microorganisms while penetrating the undamaged roots of the plant. During the phase of seed germination, nutrients are released enabling the bacterial biofilm on seeds and sprouts to reach the invasive concentrations of 106–107 CFU/g of sprouts biomass. The main source of pathogenic microorganisms in agriculture is, obviously, contaminated water so the procedure of its conditioning prior to the irrigation together with the desinfection of fruit and vegetables using Na hypochlorite or H2O2 has been strongly suggested.

Keywords

Salmonella spp. in vegitables and seeds

Hrčak ID:

12746

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/12746

Publication date:

17.3.2005.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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