St. Paul, Minnesota
June 11, 2007
Monitoring vegetables while they
are growing is crucial in the prevention of contamination of
fresh produce with harmful bacteria such as E. coli and
Salmonella, say plant pathologists who are members of The American
Phytopathological Society (APS).
There have been outbreaks of E. coli and Salmonella for at least
the past decade, and the incidences of vegetable contamination
are increasing in frequency. "We've studied plant pathogens on
plants for a long time, but haven’t studied human pathogens on
plants until recently," said Jeri D. Barak, research
microbiologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's
Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Albany, Calif.
"What we've found up to this point is that most contamination is
occurring while the plants are still growing in the field," said
Barak. "The most successful way to prevent contamination of
fresh produce is to intervene before the harvest, not after,"
she said.
Her research has shown that pathogens like Salmonella use
specific genes to colonize plants, creating an active
interaction with the plant surface. “When this happens, the
bacteria become almost inseparable from the vegetable,” she
said.
Barak and other APS members will present their latest food
safety research and describe future research needs at a
symposium titled “Cross Domain: Emerging Threats to Plants,
Humans, and Our Food Supply” on Monday, July 30 from 1 to 5
p.m. These experts from across the United States will discuss
the environmental biology of bacteria in fresh produce and the
link between plants and bacteria associated with human
infections, such as the recent E. coli outbreaks from California
spinach.
The symposium will be held during the joint meeting of The
American Phytopathological Society (APS) and the Society of
Nematologists (SON). The meeting will take place July 28 -
August 1, 2007, at the Town and Country Resort and Convention
Center in San Diego, Calif.
A news conference on plant diseases and issues that are of
importance to the California economy and agriculture, including
the latest food safety information, will be held during the
meeting on Monday, July 30 at 11 a.m.
More information on the meeting is available at
http://meeting.apsnet.org.
Members of the media are extended complimentary registration to
the meeting. To register, contact Amy Steigman at
asteigman@scisoc.org
or +1.651.994.3802.
The American Phytopathological Society (APS) is a non-profit,
professional scientific organization. The research of the
organization’s 5,000 worldwide members advances the
understanding of the science of plant pathology and its
application to plant health. The Society of Nematologists (SON)
is an international organization formed to advance the science
of nematology in both its fundamental and economic aspects. |
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