Plant-Scale Validation of Physical Heat Treatment of Poultry Litter Composts Using Surrogate and Indicator Microorganisms for .

This study selected and used indicator and surrogate microorganisms for to validate the processes for physically heat-treated poultry litter compost in litter processing plants. Initially laboratory validation studies indicated that 1.2- to 2.

Isolation of Toxigenic Clostridium difficile from Animal Manure and Composts Being Used as Biological Soil Amendments.

The well-known nosocomial pathogen has recently been recognized as a community-associated pathogen. As livestock animals carry and shed in their feces, animal manure-based composts may play an important role in disseminating toxigenic strains into the agricultural environment. The present study surveyed contamination of commercially available composts and animal manure.

Efficacy of Silver Dihydrogen Citrate and Steam Vapor against a Human Norovirus Surrogate, Feline Calicivirus, in Suspension, on Glass, and on Carpet.

Carpets and other soft surfaces have been associated with prolonged and reoccurring human norovirus (HuNoV) outbreaks. Environmental hygiene programs are important to prevent and control HuNoV outbreaks. Despite our knowledge of HuNoV transmission via soft surfaces, no commercially available disinfectants have been evaluated on carpets.

Prevalence of Human Noroviruses in Commercial Food Establishment Bathrooms.

Although transmission of human norovirus in food establishments is commonly attributed to consumption of contaminated food, transmission via contaminated environmental surfaces, such as those in bathrooms, may also play a role. Our aim was to determine the prevalence of human norovirus on bathroom surfaces in commercial food establishments in New Jersey, Ohio, and South Carolina under nonoutbreak conditions and to determine characteristics associated with the presence of human norovirus. Food establishments (751) were randomly selected from nine counties in each state.

Improving culture media for the isolation of Clostridium difficile from compost.

This study was to optimize the detection methods for Clostridium difficile from the animal manure-based composts. Both autoclaved and unautoclaved dairy composts were inoculated with a 12-h old suspension of a non-toxigenic C. difficile strain (ATCC 43593) and then plated on selected agar for vegetative cells and endospores.

Persistence of Non-O157 Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli in Dairy Compost during Storage.

Dairy compost with 20, 30, or 40% moisture content (MC) was inoculated with a mixture of six non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) serovars at a final concentration of 5.1 log CFU/g and then stored at 22 and 4°C for 125 days. Six storage conditions-4°C and 20% MC, 4°C and 30% MC, 4°C and 40% MC, 22°C and 20% MC, 22°C and 30% MC, and 22°C and 40% MC-were investigated for the persistence of non-O157 STEC in the dairy compost.

Refrigerated Shelf Life of a Coconut Water-Oatmeal Mix and the Viability of Lp 115-400B.

Non-dairy probiotic products have the advantage of being lactose-free and can be manufactured to sustain the growth of probiotics. In this study, coconut water and oatmeal were used with the probiotic, Lp 115-400B () as a starter culture. Two separate treatments were carried out probiotic (P) and probiotic and prebiotic (PP) added.

Rapid identification of Campylobacter jejuni from poultry carcasses and slaughtering environment samples by real-time PCR.

The objective of this study was to develop a real-time PCR assay for rapid identification of Campylobacter jejuni and to apply the method in analyzing samples from poultry processing. A C. jejuni-specific primer set targeting a portion of the C.

Thermal inactivation of desiccation-adapted Salmonella spp. in aged chicken litter.

Thermal inactivation of desiccation-adapted Salmonella spp. in aged chicken litter was investigated in comparison with that in a nonadapted control to examine potential cross-tolerance of desiccation-adapted cells to heat treatment. A mixture of four Salmonella serovars was inoculated into the finished compost with 20, 30, 40, and 50% moisture contents for a 24-h desiccation adaptation.