The Response of Salmonella enterica and Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli in Low-Moisture Environments

Abstract

The recent increase in outbreaks of low-moisture foods due to contamination with foodborne pathogens has led to an increase in interest of the response of these pathogens to low-moisture environments. In addition, knowledge of the response of foodborne pathogens to immediate desiccation stress is sparce. The first objective was to evaluate the long-term survival of enteric pathogens on wheat grain over the course of a year. Hard red spring wheat was inoculated with strains of Salmonella enterica and enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) and their survival was monitored for a year. Strains of Salmonella enterica were detected over the course of 52 weeks, while all strains of EHEC passed below the limit of detection by 44 weeks. The second objective was to evaluate the tolerance of various enteric pathogens to sudden desiccations stress and wide variation was seen between species and among strains and growth conditions.