Fate of Escherichia coliO157:H7 and Salmonella in soil and lettuce roots as affected by potential home gardening practices

The survival and distribution of enteric pathogens in soil and lettuce systems were investigated in response to several practices (soil amendment supplementation and reduced watering) that could be applied by home gardeners. Leaf lettuce was grown in manure compost/top soil (0:5, 1:5 or 2:5 w/w) mix...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the science of food and agriculture 2013-12, Vol.93 (15), p.3841-3841
Main Authors: Erickson, Marilyn C, Liao, Jean, Payton, Alison S, Webb, Cathy C, Ma, Li, Zhang, Guodong, Flitcroft, Ian, Doyle, Michael P, Beuchat, Larry R
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Composting
Composts
E coli
Environmental conditions
Escherichia coli
Flowers & plants
Gardens & gardening
Lettuce
Lettuces
Pathogens
Populations
Receiving
Receiving waters
Roots
Salmonella
Seedlings
Soil (material)
Soil amendment
Vegetables
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Summary:The survival and distribution of enteric pathogens in soil and lettuce systems were investigated in response to several practices (soil amendment supplementation and reduced watering) that could be applied by home gardeners. Leaf lettuce was grown in manure compost/top soil (0:5, 1:5 or 2:5 w/w) mixtures. Escherichia coli O157:H7 or Salmonella was applied at a low or high dose (10... or 10... colony-forming units (CFU) mL...) to the soil of seedlings and mid-age plants. Supplementation of top soil with compost did not affect pathogen survival in the soil or on root surfaces, suggesting that nutrients were not a limiting factor. Salmonella populations on root surfaces were 0.7-0.8 log CFU g... lower for mid-age plants compared with seedlings. E. coli O157:H7 populations on root surfaces were 0.8 log CFU g... lower for mid-age plants receiving 40 mL of water compared with plants receiving 75 mL of water on alternate days. Preharvest internalization of E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella into lettuce roots was not observed at any time. Based on the environmental conditions and high pathogen populations in soil used in this study, internalization of Salmonella or E. coli O157:H7 into lettuce roots did not occur under practices that could be encountered by inexperienced home gardeners. (ProQuest: ... denotes formulae/symbols omitted.)
ISSN:0022-5142
1097-0010