Fate of sympathetic trunk ganglia after cutting in German meat plants.

To minimize risks from pathogenic prion proteins, particular tissues from bovines and other ruminants have been declared specified risk materials (SRMs), which are required to be removed from the food chain. However, in particular for the sympathetic trunk (ST) as a part of the autonomous nervous system (ANS), which represents a potential transfer route for abnormal prion proteins (PrP(Sc)), this is not the case. Consequently, its destination during cutting procedures deserves attention.

Chemical, instrumental and sensory characteristics of cooked pork ham.

Instrumental, chemical and sensory parameters of cooked pork ham were evaluated. Principal component analysis was carried out on the basis of the instrumental variables related to colour and texture. The four PCs account for almost 94% of the total variance in the data set.

Occurrence of Escherichia coli O157 on hides of slaughtered cattle.

Aims: To obtain the first information on the occurrence of Escherichia coli O157 on hides of slaughtered cattle in Serbia.

Methods And Results: A total of 355 swabs were taken on the slaughterline from five areas of hide of each of the 71 cattle in a single commercial abattoir in Serbia. Using an ISO method incorporating enrichment and immunomagnetic separation steps, E.

Survey on the hygienic status of plastic doors of a pig abattoir.

Three pig abattoirs in northeastern Germany were visited for examination of flexible plastic doors at the access to the chilling room. Swabs were taken from the front and back of the doors and were examined for aerobic plate count, Enterobacteriaceae, Salmonella, and Campylobacter. The aerobic plate count was within the range of 1.

Microflora of two different types of poultry litter.

1. The microbiological composition of litter (straw and wood shavings) was sampled, prior to placing 1-d-old chicks, during housing of the birds and after depopulation. Two independent trials were conducted.

Conclusions and activities of previous expert groups: the Scientific Steering Committee of the EU.

In 1998, the EU Commission consulted its Scientific Steering Committee (SSC) to give advice on actions against anti-microbial resistance based on scientific evidence. The SSC set up a working group and adopted in 1999 an Opinion on Antimicrobial Resistance. Statements given in the well-structured document are clear, and precise recommendations were proposed.

Exclusion of vanA, vanB and vanC type glycopeptide resistance in strains of Lactobacillus reuteri and Lactobacillus rhamnosus used as probiotics by polymerase chain reaction and hybridization methods.

Strains of Lactobacillus reuteri and Lact. rhamnosus are used as probiotics in man and animal. The aim of this study was to determine whether the glycopeptide resistance in these lactobacilli has a similar genetic basis as in enterococci.

Monitoring chlorinated pesticides and toxic elements in tissues of food-producing animals in Yugoslavia.

According to the established monitoring program in Yugoslavia, 941 swine, 561 cattle, and 358 lamb samples collected during a 5-year period were analyzed for chlorinated pesticide residues. Less than 10% of the examined samples contained residues of HCB (hexachlorobenzene), HCH (hexachlorocyclohexane), lindane (gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane), and total DDT (p,p'-DDT and metabolites) at concentrations greater than the lowest detectable limit. None of the swine and cattle samples exceeded the residue limit (RL).

Taxonomy and physiology of probiotic lactic acid bacteria.

The current taxonomy of probiotic lactic acid bacteria is reviewed with special focus on the genera Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium and Enterococcus. The physiology and taxonomic position of species and strains of these genera were investigated by phenotypic and genomic methods. In total, 176 strains, including the type strains, have been included.

Peritonitis associated with vancomycin-resistant Lactobacillus rhamnosus in a continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis patient: organism identification, antibiotic therapy, and case report.

A case of Lactobacillus rhamnosus-associated peritonitis in a patient undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis is reported. The patient was treated with vancomycin after isolation of glycopeptide-susceptible coagulase-negative staphylococci. After a skin rash developed, vancomycin was discontinued and replaced with teicoplanin.

Antibiotic resistance patterns of enterococci and occurrence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci in raw minced beef and pork in Germany.

The food chain, especially raw minced meat, is thought to be responsible for an increase in the incidence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) in human nosocomial infections. Therefore, 555 samples from 115 batches of minced beef and pork from a European Union-licensed meat-processing plant were screened for the occurrence of VRE. The processed meat came from 45 different slaughterhouses in Germany.

The use of a PCR-generated invA probe for the detection of Salmonella spp. in artificially and naturally contaminated foods.

Part of the invasion A gene (invA) of slamonellae (Rahn et al., 1992) was amplified and labelled simultaneously with digoxigenin by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). This was used as gene probe for a colony hybridization assay which included nitrocellulose filter incubation on modified Rambach agar.

Rapid Detection of Salmonellae by Means of a New Impedance-Splitting Method.

An Impedance-Splitting method is proposed for the rapid detection of salmonellae in foods. The measuring System, BacTrac 4100, permits the registration of changes, caused by bacterial metabolism, not only of the impedance of the culture medium but also of changes in the ionic layers at the measuring electrodes, which has advantages in case of high salt concentrations. These changes are expressed as percentage decreases of the initial values, M-value and E-value, respectively.