Microbiological Control

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The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (USDA’s ARS) has launched the Salmonella Grand Challenge—a new, nationwide initiative that brings together a group of elite scientists from different specialties to fight salmonellosis. The scientists will integrate their research to learn more about Salmonella risks to meat and poultry products, which will then inform the development of monitoring tools for meat and poultry producers to prevent Salmonella contamination.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA’s FSIS) has released an updated Guideline for Controlling Salmonella in Swine Slaughter and Pork Processing Establishments.

Salmonella infection is one of the most commonly reported causes of foodborne illness, resulting in over 80 million cases of foodborne salmonellosis each year globally.

Approximately 40 percent of foodborne illness outbreaks associated with retail food establishments during 2017–2019 were caused by an infectious employee, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

A recent study has demonstrated the ability of Listeria monocytogenes to develop persister cells under produce packinghouse conditions, as well as persisters’ susceptibility to chlorine treatment where antibiotics fail.

Additional control measures for Salmonella contamination by manufacturers of Not ready-to-eat (NRTE) breaded, stuffed chicken products—such as those proposed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture—could reduce salmonellosis cases associated with such products, according to a recent study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

A recent study aiming to describe the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cases of foodborne enteric diseases in Canada found a considerable reduction in cases in 2020 compared to pre-pandemic levels.

Researchers from the Singapore Food Agency’s National Center for Food Science and the National University of Singapore have developed a real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) approach for the detection of viable Salmonella Enteritidis contamination in shell eggs, which would accelerate the traditional Salmonella testing process if integrated.

A recent study, funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA’s NIFA), has estimated the economic burden of foodborne illnesses linked to flour and flour-based food products in the U.S. from 2001–2021 to be as high as $258 million. Salmonella and Escherichia coli were implicated pathogens.

Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center have discovered how foodborne pathogen Vibrio parahaemolyticus infects people after eating raw or undercooked shellfish. The findings could lead to new ways to treat illness caused by the enteric bacteria.