Microbial dynamics of indicator microorganisms on fresh tomatoes in the supply chain from Mexico to the USA.

Quality and safety of fresh produce are important to public health and maintaining commerce between Mexico and USA. While preventive practices can reduce risks of contamination and are generally successful, the variable environment of the supply chain of fresh produce can be suitable for introduction or proliferation of pathogenic microorganisms. As routine surveillance of these pathogens is not practical, indicator microorganisms are used to assess the sanitary conditions of production and handling environments.

Ability of Hand Hygiene Interventions Using Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizers and Soap To Reduce Microbial Load on Farmworker Hands Soiled during Harvest.

Effective hand hygiene is essential to prevent the spread of pathogens on produce farms and reduce foodborne illness. The U.S.

Validation of a novel rinse and filtration method for efficient processing of fresh produce samples for microbiological indicator enumeration.

Several methods have been described to prepare fresh produce samples for microbiological analysis, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. The aim of this study was to compare the performance of a novel combined rinse and membrane filtration method to two alternative sample preparation methods for the quantification of indicator microorganisms from fresh produce. Decontaminated cantaloupe melons and jalapeño peppers were surface inoculated with a cocktail containing 10(6) CFU/ml Escherichia coli, Salmonella Typhimurium, and Enterococcus faecalis.

Endothelial epithelial sodium channel inhibition activates endothelial nitric oxide synthase via phosphoinositide 3-kinase/Akt in small-diameter mesenteric arteries.

Recent studies have shown that the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) is expressed in vascular tissue. However, the role that ENaC may play in the responses to vasoconstrictors and NO production has yet to be addressed. In this study, the contractile responses of perfused pressurized small-diameter rat mesenteric arteries to phenylephrine and serotonin were reduced by ENaC blockade with amiloride (75.

Stycholysin II, a cytolysin from the sea anemone Stichodactyla helianthus promotes higher hemolysis in aged red blood cells.

We have investigated the relationship between the status of red blood cells (RBCs) and their susceptibility to toxin sticholysin II (StII) hemolytic activity; we have evaluated this effect in different RBC ensembles, comprising young and old cells, and in cells partially damaged by their pre-exposition to a free radical source. Upon action of StII, young cell populations are less prone to hemolysis than the whole population, while old cell populations and peroxyl-oxidized red cells are lysed faster than the whole population. Cell K(+) content was higher in young cells and lower in both senescent cells and in peroxyl-damaged cells relative to whole cell population.