Archive for Research
Common Garden Microbe Combats E. coli
Geneticist Michael B. Cooley of the ARS Western Regional Research Center in Albany, Calif. has found that the common garden microbe Enterobacter asburiae significantly reduced the quantity of both E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella enterica. Hale seeds were incubated with E. asburiae and both of the pathogenic microbes.
In a similar test using lettuce leaves, [...]
Microbial Products Reduce E. coli Content in Cattle Feces
Researchers from the College of Agriculture at North Dakota State University have found that when cattle are fed with Direct Fed Microbial (DFM) products, the amount of E. coli in the feces of feedlot cows is reduced. Cattle feces are a major source of E. coli related outbreaks and recalls, so reducing the E. [...]
Antimicrobial Tomato Films
Research chemist Mendel Friedman, a member of the Agricultural Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, has been testing natural antimicrobials for years. He has found that oil extracts of various spices such as oregano, thyme, cinnamon and cloves have the ability to fight foodborne microbes such as E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella, Listeria [...]
MLVA, a New Method to Trace E. coli Outbreaks
Pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) has been the standard way E. coli outbreaks are identified and traced to determine the source of outbreaks. Although PFGE tests can help investigators find the source of an E. coli outbreak, individual tests are time consuming and can only be performed by specially trained researchers. Also, PFGE [...]