scholarly journals Survival of Escherichia coli in a tropical estuary

2003 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abirosh Chandran ◽  
A. A. Mohamed Hatha

The survival of Escherichia coli in tropical estuarine water has been studied under controlled laboratory conditions using microcosms. The survival has been assessed in terms of various self purifying factors of the natural waters such as biological, chemical and physical factors. The biological factors considered included competition from other microorganisms, predation by protozoa and coliphages. The suitability of the chemical composition of estuarine water has been studied under chemical factors and negative impact of sunlight has been studied under physical factors. The results revealed that sunlight exerted maximum negative impact, followed by biotic factors contained in the estuarine water. However, the chemical composition of the estuarine water is found to be suitable for the growth and survival of E. coli. The injury exerted by each of the above factors was also evaluated by using a selective and non-selective medium in conjunction. It was found that sunlight resulted in 100% injury of the cells as the cells failed to develop in a selective medium. While, sunlight resulted in the extinction of 90% of the E. coli cells within the first two hours of exposure, biotic factors took nearly 24 hours to remove the same amount of population.

1997 ◽  
Vol 60 (8) ◽  
pp. 891-897 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. M. HUDSON ◽  
J. CHEN ◽  
A. R. HILL ◽  
M. W. GRIFFITHS

Outbreaks of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 have been commonly associated with products derived from ground beef, but recently the organism has been implicated as the causative agent in outbreaks involving yogurt and cheese. This finding has raised concern about the potential for its growth and survival in fermented dairy products. A bioluminescent strain of E. coli O157:H7 was used to determine postprocessing survival in yogurt with live cultures at pH 4.17, 4.39, and 4.47 stored at 4 and 10°C. In addition, survival of E. coli O157:H7 was monitored during the manufacture of Cottage, Colby, Romano, and Feta cheeses. Results indicated survival for 8 and 5 days at 4 and 10°C respectively in yogurt at pH 4.17, 17 and 15 days at 4 and 10°C respectively in yogurt at pH 4.39, and 17days at both 4 and 10°C in yogurt at pH 4.47. E. coli O157:H7 did not survive cooking procedures at 56°C in Cottage cheese. However, the pathogen survived for 27, 30, and 27 days in Colby, Romano, and Feta cheeses respectively. A high correlation of r2 > 0.89 was obtained between counts of bioluminescenct colonies and standard plate count for all yogurt and cheese varieties, indicating that bioluminescence was a sensitive and rapid indicator of cellular viability for E. coli O157:H7. Survival of the pathogen, as indicated by this method, is possible in highly acidic environments even at refrigeration temperatures. This poses a potential hazard should postprocessing contamination occur.


1981 ◽  
Vol 44 (6) ◽  
pp. 430-434 ◽  
Author(s):  
JAMES E. STEELE ◽  
MICHAEL E. STILES

Ham sandwiches inoculated with a mixture of five enteropathogenic bacteria, Bacillus cereus, Clostridium perfringens. Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium and Staphylococcus aureus, were held at 30, 21 and 4 C for up to 24 h. Food poisoning potential was judged by the growth and survival of the inoculated pathogens. Major differences were observed between new and old (30 days of storage at 4 C) ham samples. On new ham, all enteropathogens were able to grow except C. perfringens, whereas on old ham, with high microbial competition. the pathogens survived but did not grow. Severe storage temperature abuse was necessary to develop a food poisoning potential in new ham samples. The safety of old ham was attributed to the competitive microflora that grew in the ham during storage at 4 C for 30 days. Infective pathogens, E. coli and S. typhimurium, either survived or increased in numbers under all test conditions. The safety of vacuum packaged sliced ham for use in sandwiches, in its present market form, was indicated by these studies.


Author(s):  
Saharuetai Jeamsripong ◽  
Edward R. Atwill

This study was performed to improve the ability to predict the concentrations of Escherichia coli in oyster meat and estuarine waters by using environmental parameters, and microbiological and heavy metal contamination from shellfish growing area in southern Thailand. Oyster meat (n = 144) and estuarine waters (n = 96) were tested for microbiological and heavy metal contamination from March 2016 to February 2017. Prevalence and mean concentrations of E. coli were 93.1% and 4.6 × 103 most probable number (MPN)/g in oyster meat, and 78.1% and 2.2 × 102 MPN/100 mL in estuarine water. Average 7-day precipitation, ambient air temperature, and the presence of Salmonella were associated with the concentrations of E. coli in oyster meat (p < 0.05). Raw data (MPN/g of oyster meat and MPN/100 mL of estuarine water) and log-transformed data (logMPN/g of oyster meat and logMPN/100 mL of estuarine water) of E. coli concentrations were examined within two contrasting regression models. However, the more valid predictions were conducted using non-log transformed values. These findings indicate that non-log transformed data can be used for building more accurate statistical models in microbiological food safety, and that significant environmental parameters can be used as a part of a rapid warning system to predict levels of E. coli before harvesting oysters.


2019 ◽  
Vol 63 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne-Claire Mahérault ◽  
Harry Kemble ◽  
Mélanie Magnan ◽  
Benoit Gachet ◽  
David Roche ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Despite a fitness cost imposed on bacterial hosts, large conjugative plasmids play a key role in the diffusion of resistance determinants, such as CTX-M extended-spectrum β-lactamases. Among the large conjugative plasmids, IncF plasmids are the most predominant group, and an F2:A1:B- IncF-type plasmid encoding a CTX-M-15 variant was recently described as being strongly associated with the emerging worldwide Escherichia coli sequence type 131 (ST131)-O25b:H4 H30Rx/C2 sublineage. In this context, we investigated the fitness cost of narrow-range F-type plasmids, including the F2:A1:B- IncF-type CTX-M-15 plasmid, and of broad-range C-type plasmids in the K-12-like J53-2 E. coli strain. Although all plasmids imposed a significant fitness cost to the bacterial host immediately after conjugation, we show, using an experimental-evolution approach, that a negative impact on the fitness of the host strain was maintained throughout 1,120 generations with the IncC-IncR plasmid, regardless of the presence or absence of cefotaxime, in contrast to the F2:A1:B- IncF plasmid, whose cost was alleviated. Many chromosomal and plasmid rearrangements were detected after conjugation in transconjugants carrying the IncC plasmids but not in transconjugants carrying the F2:A1:B- IncF plasmid, except for insertion sequence (IS) mobilization from the fliM gene leading to the restoration of motility of the recipient strains. Only a few mutations occurred on the chromosome of each transconjugant throughout the experimental-evolution assay. Our findings indicate that the F2:A1:B- IncF CTX-M-15 plasmid is well adapted to the E. coli strain studied, contrary to the IncC-IncR CTX-M-15 plasmid, and that such plasmid-host adaptation could participate in the evolutionary success of the CTX-M-15-producing pandemic E. coli ST131-O25b:H4 lineage.


2010 ◽  
Vol 73 (2) ◽  
pp. 212-220 ◽  
Author(s):  
ROWAIDA K. KHALIL ◽  
JOSEPH F. FRANK

Recent foodborne illness outbreaks associated with the consumption of leafy green produce indicates a need for additional information on the behavior of pathogenic bacteria on these products. Previous research indicates that pathogen growth and survival is enhanced by leaf damage. The objective of this study was to compare the behavior of Escherichia coli O157:H7 on damaged leaves of baby Romaine lettuce, spinach, cilantro, and parsley stored at three abusive temperatures (8, 12, and 15°C). The damaged portions of leaves were inoculated with approximately 105 CFU E. coli O157:H7 per leaf. The pathogen grew on damaged spinach leaves held for 3 days at 8 and 12°C (P &lt; 0.05), with the population increasing by 1.18 and 2.08 log CFU per leaf, respectively. E. coli O157:H7 did not grow on damaged Romaine leaves at 8 or 12°C, but growth was observed after 8 h of storage at 15°C, with an increase of less than 1.0 log. Growth of E. coli O157:H7 on Romaine lettuce held at 8 or 12°C was enhanced when inocula were suspended in 0.05% ascorbic acid, indicating the possibility of inhibition by oxidation reactions associated with tissue damage. Damaged cilantro and Italian parsley leaves held at 8°C for 4 days did not support the growth of E. coli O157:H7. Behavior of the pathogen in leaf extracts differed from behavior on the damaged tissue. This study provides evidence that the damaged portion of a leafy green is a distinct growth niche that elicits different microbial responses in the various types of leafy greens.


2006 ◽  
Vol 188 (20) ◽  
pp. 7165-7175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arnim Weber ◽  
Stephanie A. Kögl ◽  
Kirsten Jung

ABSTRACT Escherichia coli lives in the mammalian gastrointestinal tract anaerobically at high osmolarity as well as in the soil aerobically at varying osmolarities. Adaptation to these varying environmental conditions is crucial for growth and survival of E. coli. Two-dimensional protein gels were used to visualize global time-dependent changes (10 to 60 min) in the proteome of cells responding to osmotic stress (0.4 M NaCl or 0.7 M sorbitol) under aerobic or anaerobic conditions. The protein profiles revealed an induction of 12 proteins (Dps, HchA, HdhA, InfB, OsmC, OsmY, ProX, KatE, PspA, TalA, TktB, and TreF) under osmotic stress in an aerobic milieu. Eleven additional proteins (OtsB, YceI, YciE, YciF, YgaU, YjbJ, AcnA, MetL, PoxB, Ssb, and YhbO) were induced by osmotic stress imposed by NaCl. Most of the accumulated proteins were cross-protecting proteins (e.g., OsmY, OsmC, Dps, and KatE) which are regulated at the transcriptional level predominantly by RpoS and other regulators (e.g., integration host factor, OxyR, H-NS, LRP, and FIS). Comparative analysis of the proteome of E. coli grown under aerobic or anaerobic conditions under osmotic stress (NaCl) revealed an overlap of the up-regulated proteins of more than 50%. Ten proteins (PoxB, AcnA, TalA, TktB, KatE, PspA, Ssb, TreF, MetL, and YhbO) were detectable only under aerobic, high-osmolality conditions. Time-dependent alterations of the proteome were monitored, allowing classification of the up-regulated proteins into early, middle, and long-term phases of adaptation. Only a few proteins were found to be down-regulated upon osmotic stress.


2021 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Tati Febrianti ◽  
Sundari Nursofiah ◽  
Novi Amalia ◽  
Dwi Febriyana ◽  
Ratih Dian Saraswati ◽  
...  

Identification of ESBL-E.coli from environment without selective medium will be challenging to do considering that E.coli mixes with various other microorganisms in the environment. This study aimed to determine the performance of TBX Agar supplemented with Cefotaxime as a selective medium for ESBL-E. coli screening from 138 water samples of environmental sampling obtained from rivers, open sewers in the market, poultry slaughterhouses and hospital waste water inlets and outlets around Jakarta. Laboratory examinations were carried out through the filtration stage, inoculation on the TBX Agar supplemented with Cefotaxime medium as well as species confirmation and ESBL with the indol test and double-disk test. The results showed that 87.08% (40-100%) of suspect colonies growing on TBX Agar supplemented with Cefotaxime medium were confirmed as E.coli and 82.51% (12-100%) were confirmed as ESBL-E.coli. However, there was no correlation between TBX Agar supplemented with Cefotaxime performance and sampling locations. Based on the results of the study, it can be concluded that the TBX supplemented with Cefotaxime medium can be used for ESBL-E.coli screening in the environment, but further confirmation is needed using the indole and double-disk tests. Keywords: Escherichia coli, ESBL, TBX Agar suplemented with Cefotaxime Abstrak Identifikasi ESBL-E.coli tanpa medium selektif akan sangat sulit dilakukan pada sampel lingkungan mengingat ESBL-E.coli bercampur dengan berbagai mikroorganisme lainnya. Tujuan penelitian ini yaitu untuk mengetahui performa TBX Agar yang disuplementasi Cefotaxime sebagai medium selektif untuk skrining ESBL-E.coli. Sampel penelitian sebanyak 138 sampel air lingkungan yang diambil dari sungai, saluran pembuangan terbuka di pasar, rumah pemotongan hewan unggas (RPHU) serta inlet dan outlet limbah rumah sakit di sekitar Jakarta. Pemeriksaan laboratorium melalui tahapan filtrasi, inokulasi pada medium TBX Agar dengan suplementasi Cefotaxime serta konfirmasi spesies dan ESBL dengan uji indol dan double-disk test. Hasil menunjukkan bahwa koloni tersangka yang tumbuh pada medium TBX Agar dengan suplementasi Cefotaxime sebanyak 87,08% (40-100%) terkonfirmasi sebagai E.coli dan 82,51% (12-100%) terkonfirmasi sebagai ESBL-E.coli. Namun, tidak ada hubungan antara performa TBX Agar dengan suplementasi Cefotaxime dengan lokasi pengambilan sampel. Berdasarkan hasil penelitian dapat disimpulkan bahwa medium TBX Agar dengan suplementasi Cefotaxime cocok digunakan untuk skrining ESBL-E.coli di lingkungan namun tetap diperlukan konfirmasi lanjut menggunakan uji indol dan double disk test. Kata kunci: Escherichia coli, ESBL, TBX Agar suplemented with Cefotaxime


Molecules ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (21) ◽  
pp. 3864 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramaiana Soares Melo ◽  
Águida Maria Albuquerque Azevedo ◽  
Antônio Mateus Gomes Pereira ◽  
Renan Rhonalty Rocha ◽  
Rafaela Mesquita Bastos Cavalcante ◽  
...  

The study investigated the antimicrobial activity of the essential oil extract of Ocimum gratissimum L. (EOOG) against multiresistant microorganisms in planktonic and biofilm form. Hydrodistillation was used to obtain the EOOG, and the analysis of chemical composition was done by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and flame ionization detection (GC/FID). EOOG biological activity was verified against isolates of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, using four strains for each species. The antibacterial action of EOOG was determined by disk diffusion, microdilution (MIC/MBC), growth curve under sub-MIC exposure, and the combinatorial activity with ciprofloxacin (CIP) and oxacillin (OXA) were determined by checkerboard assay. The EOOG antibiofilm action was performed against the established biofilm and analyzed by crystal violet, colony-forming unit count, and SEM analyses. EOOG yielded 1.66% w/w, with eugenol as the major component (74.83%). The MIC was 1000 µg/mL for the most tested strains. The growth curve showed a lag phase delay for both species, mainly S. aureus, and reduced the growth level of E. coli by half. The combination of EOOG with OXA and CIP led to an additive action for S. aureus. A significant reduction in biofilm biomass and cell viability was verified for S. aureus and E. coli. In conclusion, EOOG has relevant potential as a natural alternative to treat infections caused by multiresistant strains.


1998 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 110-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nanne Nanninga

SUMMARY The shape of Escherichia coli is strikingly simple compared to those of higher eukaryotes. In fact, the end result of E. coli morphogenesis is a cylindrical tube with hemispherical caps. It is argued that physical principles affect biological forms. In this view, genes code for products that contribute to the production of suitable structures for physical factors to act upon. After introduction of a physical model, the discussion is focused on the shape-maintaining (peptidoglycan) layer of E. coli. This is followed by a detailed analysis of the structural relationship of the cellular interior to the cytoplasmic membrane. A basic theme of this review is that the transcriptionally active nucleoid and the cytoplasmic translation machinery form a structural continuity with the growing cellular envelope. An attempt has been made to show how this dynamic relationship during the cell cycle affects cell polarity and how it leads to cell division.


2005 ◽  
Vol 68 (2) ◽  
pp. 282-291 ◽  
Author(s):  
DENISE R. EBLEN ◽  
BASSAM A. ANNOUS ◽  
GERALD M. SAPERS

The response of a potential nonpathogenic surrogate organism to a particular treatment should closely mimic the response of the target pathogenic organism. In this study, growth characteristics (generation time, lag phase duration, and maximum population), pH at stationary phase, and survival characteristics (level of attachment and survival on apple surfaces, resistance to hydrogen peroxide decontamination treatments, and thermal resistance at 60°C) of 15 nonpathogenic generic Escherichia coli strains and one nonpathogenic E. coli O157:H43 strain were compared with those of two E. coli O157:H7 strains and two Salmonella strains. Few differences in growth characteristics or pH at stationary phase were evident between nonpathogenic and pathogenic strains tested. However, considerably more separation among strains was seen following investigation of survival characteristics. E. coli ECRC 97.0152, which does not contain genes encoding for known virulence factors associated with E. coli O157:H7, appears to be a good surrogate candidate, with growth and survival characteristics similar to those of E. coli O157:H7 strains. The less heat-resistant surrogate strains E. coli NRRL B-766 and NRRL B-3054 and E. coli ATCC 11775, ATCC 25253, and ATCC 25922 may be used when attempting to model the heat resistance of Salmonella Montevideo G4639 and Salmonella Poona RM 2350, respectively. These surrogate strains may be useful for evaluating the efficacy of intervention steps in reducing populations of selected strains of E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella in processing environments where these pathogens cannot be introduced.


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