Publications by authors named "Eric T Handy"
Article Synopsis
- Alternative irrigation waters can contain harmful bacterial foodborne pathogens that may contaminate fruits and vegetables, making detection crucial for food safety.
- A study compared qPCR (real-time PCR) with traditional culture methods for identifying these pathogens, examining factors like water type, season, and sample volume over two years across multiple sites.
- The findings revealed that qPCR detection had reasonable predictive values, with better agreement observed in spring and summer, particularly in reclaimed and pond water compared to river water, indicating water type influences detection accuracy.
Irrigation water sources have been shown to harbor foodborne pathogens and could contribute to the outbreak of foodborne illness related to consumption of contaminated produce. Determining the probability of and the degree to which these irrigation water sources contain these pathogens is paramount. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of Salmonella enterica and Listeria monocytogenes in alternative irrigation water sources.
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- Enteric viruses (EVs) are a major cause of foodborne illnesses, and their persistence in the environment poses contamination risks for agricultural crops, especially through nontraditional irrigation sources like reclaimed and surface waters.
- A 17-month study focused on detecting specific human EVs and indicators in Mid-Atlantic region irrigation waters, using real-time quantitative PCR to assess viral presence and environmental factors.
- The results indicated higher detection rates of EVs and PMMoV in reclaimed water compared to surface water, showing significant correlations with water salinity and highlighting the need for microbiological analysis to ensure food safety.
Article Synopsis
- This study investigated the presence of Salmonella enterica and Listeria monocytogenes in various irrigation water sources over a two-year period.
- Researchers found that river waters had higher levels of S. enterica compared to pond or reclaimed waters, while non-tidal river sites showed significantly more L. monocytogenes during cooler months.
- The study also highlighted that filtering larger water volumes (10 L) was much more effective at detecting these pathogens than smaller samples (1 L and 0.1 L).
Article Synopsis
- * Over a year, researchers collected 510 water samples from various sources, finding that 2.35% contained STEC and 9.0% contained atypical enteropathogenic E. coli (aEPEC).
- * The most commonly detected virulence factor gene was eae, and STEC isolates were primarily found in specific water sites, suggesting possible post-treatment contamination in reclaimed water.
Untreated biological soil amendments of animal origin (BSAAO) are commonly used as biological fertilizers but can harbor foodborne pathogens like , leading to potential transfer from soils to fruits and vegetables intended for human consumption. Heat-treated poultry pellets (HTPP) can provide produce growers with a slow-release fertilizer with a minimized risk of pathogen contamination. Little is known about the impact of HTPP-amended soil on the survival of The contributions of RpoS and formation of viable but nonculturable cells to survival in soils are also inadequately understood.
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- Untreated biological soil amendments of animal origin (BSAAO), like manure, can harbor harmful bacteria that pose food safety risks, and this study investigates how different types of BSAAO affect the survival of these pathogens in agricultural fields.
- The research, conducted across multiple sites in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. from 2011 to 2015, analyzed 324 survival profiles and found that factors such as season, amendment type, and soil moisture content significantly influenced how long these pathogens could survive in the soil.
- Results showed that poultry litter had the longest survival duration for the pathogens compared to other amendments, emphasizing the need to consider specific management practices and soil properties when determining safe intervals between manure application and crop harvesting to reduce foodborne illness
Salmonella enterica associated with consumption of cucumbers ( Cucumis sativus ) has led to foodborne outbreaks in the United States. Whole and fresh-cut cucumbers are susceptible to S. enterica contamination during growing, harvesting, and postharvest handling.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCantaloupes, marketed as "Rocky Ford," were implicated in the U.S. multistate outbreak of listeriosis in 2011, which caused multiple fatalities.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWhole cantaloupes (Cucumis melo L.), marketed as 'Rocky Ford', were implicated in a large multi-state outbreak of listeriosis in the United States in 2011; however, survival and growth of Listeria monocytogenes on whole cantaloupes remains relatively unexplored. The research presented here evaluated three different storage temperatures, two sites of contamination of cantaloupes, and two cantaloupe varieties to determine their effect on the survival of L.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBacterial pathogens may survive and regrow in finished compost due to incomplete thermal inactivation during or recontamination after composting. Twenty-nine finished composts were obtained from 19 U.S.
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