Prevalence of multidrug resistant (MDR) Salmonella in bovine dairy herds in western France.

As a part of our effort in quantitative risk analysis of food-borne diseases, we carried out an epidemiologic study to estimate the prevalence of multidrug resistant (MDR) Salmonella in dairy herds situated in western France. The study population consisted of 489 farms in the region and manure or slurry was sampled from these operations and tested for the Salmonella spp. All strains isolated during the study were serotyped and tested for their antimicrobial susceptibility.

Quantitative risk assessment of human salmonellosis from the consumption of a turkey product in collective catering establishments.

The quantitative risk assessment (QRA) approach recommended by the Codex Alimentarius Commission was used to assess the risk of human salmonellosis from the consumption of 'cordon bleu', a specific turkey product, in collective catering establishments (CCEs) of a French department. The complete process was modeled and simulated, from the initial storage in the CCE freezer to the consumption, using a Monte Carlo simulation software. Data concerning the prevalence of contaminated 'cordon bleu', the level of contamination of Salmonella, the cooking and storage process were collected from 21 CCEs and 8 retailers of 'cordon bleu' in the selected department.

Evaluation of IS200-PCR and comparison with other molecular markers To trace Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serotype typhimurium bovine isolates from farm to meat.

A procedure that uses an original molecular marker (IS200-PCR) and that is based on the amplification of DNA with outward-facing primers complementary to each end of IS200 has been evaluated with a collection of 85 Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serotype Typhimurium isolates. These strains were isolated from a group of 10 cows at different stages: during transportation between the farm and the slaughterhouse, on the slaughter line, from the environment, and from the final product (ground beef).

Salmonella typhimurium contamination from farm to meat in adult cattle. Descriptive study.

The aim of this work was to study the increase in hair contamination by salmonella in cattle between the farm and slaughterhouse and to explore the possible relationship between this contamination and the contamination of carcasses and of the ground beef made from these animals. Between April 1994 and May 1995, eight groups of ten cows were sampled at different stages during transportation between the farm and the slaughterhouse and on the slaughterline. For each group, one or two cows were included in each group because they had been shown to excrete Salmonella typhimurium 15 days before slaughtering.

Characterization and distribution of two insertion sequences, IS1191 and iso-IS981, in Streptococcus thermophilus: does intergeneric transfer of insertion sequences occur in lactic acid bacteria co-cultures?

A chromosomal repeated sequence from Streptococcus thermophilus was identified as a new insertion sequence (IS), IS1191. This is the first IS element characterized in this species. This 1313 bp element has 28 bp imperfect terminal inverted repeats and is flanked by short direct repeats of 8 bp.

Strain characterization, genome size and plasmid content in the Lactobacillus acidophilus group (Hansen and Mocquot).

Chromosomal DNA of nine strains of the Lactobacillus acidophilus (Hansen and Mocquot) group in which heterogeneity had previously been revealed by biochemical characteristics and DNA-DNA hybridization studies were further investigated by restriction analysis, Southern hybridization, conventional and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) analyses. Industrial strains were characterized and identified as Lact. acidophilus.

The 23S-5S spacer of two rRNA loci of Streptococcus salivarius subsp thermophilus includes a promoter.

The nucleotide sequence of the 3' part of a ribosomal and transfer RNA locus from Streptococcus salivarius subsp thermophilus NST1403 was determined. The sequenced DNA fragment includes the 3' end of a 23S rRNA gene, a 5S rRNA gene, a tRNA(asn) gene and a potential transcriptional terminator. The tRNA gene does not encode for the CCA 3'terminus of mature tRNA.

Detection of intraspecific DNA polymorphism in Streptococcus salivarius subsp. thermophilus by a homologous rDNA probe.

Three ribosomal probes from Streptococcus salivarius subsp. thermophilus were cloned. Sequence data demonstrate that their juxtaposition corresponds to an entire operon.

A species-specific DNA probe obtained from Streptococcus salivarius subsp. thermophilus detects strain restriction polymorphism.

Genomic polymorphism in Streptococcus salivarius subsp. thermophilus was revealed by DNA restriction pattern analysis. A 4.