A new study shows that an E. coli toxin accelerated colon cancer in study mice, raising the possibility that about two million new cases of colorectal cancer diagnosed every year around the world could originate from food poisoning, even if the cases are brief and mild. The study was conducted at Johns Hopkins University/Bloomberg School … Read more
We have all heard about the several deadly E. coli O157:H7 outbreaks linked to romaine lettuce that sickened hundreds of people last year in the United States. That contamination apparently occurred while the greens were growing in the field. But can leafy greens such as spinach be contaminated with pathogens during germination? Unfortunately, leafy greens … Read more
A new Salmonella DNA test will help improve tracking of Salmonella outbreaks, according to research published in The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics. This should help investigators quickly trace and find the origin of the infection. Food poisoning caused by Salmonella bacteria causes 1.35 million infections every year in the United States. At least 26,500 people … Read more
Researchers at Purdue and Kansas State University have developed new rapid tests for E. coli detection to improve food safety. This will hopefully reduce the number of illnesses caused by this pathogen and save lives. The Kansas State project detects Shiga toxin-producing E. coli in ground beef. The traditional standard test for STEC can take … Read more
New research conducted at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and published in the journal mBio has found that Listeria monocytogenes food poisoning can be a serious miscarriage threat in early pregnancy. Scientists at the university’s School of Veterinary Medicine studied how pathogens affect fetal development and change pregnancy outcomes. Dr. Ted Golos, a UW-Maidson reproductive physiologist and professor … Read more
Texas A&M Agrilife Research and the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station were awarded a grant from the USDA to study and develop super-repellent and anti-fouling surfaces for foods. These types of surfaces could be used to help ensure the safety of fresh food products. Dr. Luis Cisneros-Zevallos, AgriLife Research food science and co-principal investigator for … Read more
A new study from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health and Masonic Cancer Center, published in the journal Science, finds a possible association between E. coli and cancer. The scientists have determined how toxins produced by the pathogen interact with and damage DNA on the molecular level. Applications from this study may help … Read more
A new study from researchers at Princeton University and California State University-Northridge has found that dying bacteria can absorb antibiotics, giving other pathogens the chance to survive. The dying bacteria can absorb large amounts of the antibiotic. The paper was published in eLife on December 18, 2018. The work is supported by the U.S. National … Read more
Scientists at the University of Georgia Center for Food Safety has developed a new approach to identify the animal source of some types of Salmonella outbreaks. The researchers have developed a machine learning approach. The study is published in the January 2019 issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases. Researchers Xiangyu Deng and Shaokang Zhang, along with … Read more
Researchers at McMaster University in Canada have developed a transparent test patch called “Sentinel Wrap” that can be incorporated into food packaging to monitor for pathogens such as Salmonella and E. coli. The patch, which is printed with harmless molecules that can detect food pathogens, would trigger a signal if it detects bacteria that could be … Read more