Research Publications (Food Safety)

Diarrheal diseases are among the most common illnesses in the world and the bacterium Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality from diarrhea globally. The German cockroach (Blattella germanica) frequently harbors and has been linked to human outbreaks of Salmonella, but the mechanisms of vector-borne transmission are not fully clear.

Introduction Salmonella Typhimurium is the leading cause of foodborne illnesses in the U.S., causing over a million cases each year.

Salmonella, a foodborne pathogen, has been frequently associated with recalls of fresh food products, including poultry meat products. Atmospheric cold plasma (ACP) is a novel non-thermal technology, which has potential to reduce pathogens in food products.

Multiple foodborne routes of Salmonella infection have been observed; however, the majority of the literature to date has been dominated by research into the most frequently observed reservoirs, such as chicken, beef, and pork. While less commonly observed, outbreaks of Salmonella within sheep meat still occur, requiring extensive investigation by food safety inspectors.

The development of the stationary-phase, low-pH-inducible acid tolerance response (ATR) in the Salmonella contaminant of beef during the processing arises food safety concerns, because it may evoke bacterial coping mechanisms against bactericidal insults and alter gene expression that contribute to pathogen virulence.