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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Albany, California » Western Regional Research Center » Produce Safety and Microbiology Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #264161

Title: Molecular approachs for produce safety in California

Author
item Quinones, Beatriz

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/3/2011
Publication Date: 3/18/2011
Citation: Quinones, B. 2011. Molecular approachs for produce safety in California. Meeting Abstract. 1:80-95.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Current practices of agricultural production and processing have witnessed an increase in virulent human pathogens that are adapted to grow or survive on foods; therefore, there is a need for rapid and simple methods for pathogen detection and virulence characterization. The recent rise in foodborne-related outbreaks of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) has heightened the importance of developing improved molecular-based detection methods. Sequence-based method such as multiple-locus variable number tandem repeat analysis, multilocus sequence typing, full-genome sequencing, and DNA microarrays allow a higher-resolution analysis when compared to traditional culturing methods and pulse-field gel electrophoresis. These sequence-based methods offer a viable alternative for the typing and characterizing of STEC strains, allowing the identification of reservoirs, movement, persistence, and sources of contamination. The Symposium on the Trans-Pacific Partnership on Food Safety and Security at Kyushu University in Fukuoka Japan will focus on new knowledge and technology for improved detection and characterization of foodborne pathogens.