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Biological Control of Human Pathogens on Fresh Produce
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The interaction of pathogens with their vertebrate hosts has been studied
intensively, but knowledge of their ecology in the plant environment is
greatly lacking. Our studies investigate the bacterial genes involved in
the attachment, growth, and survival of
Salmonella
enterica,
Escherichia coli, and
Listeria monocytogeneson various crops that have been implicated in outbreaks, using gene expression
technology. Plant factors involved in the biology of these pathogens on
plants will also be identified using
Arabidopsis thalianamutant libraries. The role of interactions with the plant natural microflora,
such as plant-associated bacteria, fungi, protozoa and nematodes, in the
growth and survival of human pathogens is being studied. This includes
their interactions within biofilms and their role in the failure of most
sanitizers to decontaminate produce, and methods to remediate it. The lack
of safe sanitizers for produce prompted our search for phytochemicals that
are active against human pathogens and the study of their additive and
synergistic mechanisms. Finally, methods will be developed to detect Norwalk-like
viruses from produce and assess the potential for produce to act as a causal
vehicle for nonbacterial gastroenteritis, which accounts for 67% of food-borne
illnesses in the U.S. The results of our research will provide valuable
information to develop needed strategies for the prevention and control
of produce contamination.
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We have developed several microbe-plant model systems to investigate the
interaction of human pathogens with plants and plant microflora:
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Last Modified: 03/12/2013
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