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<OL> <LI> Determine the environmental factors that must be modified to prevent the early establishment of Salmonella in food production environments and virulence expression under these conditions; <LI> Study the metabolism of Salmonella spp. under anaerobic conditions to better understand what factors are required for successful Salmonella spp. establishment in food production animals; <LI> Screen beneficial probiotic bacteria such as Bifidobacteria spp. for production of biological compounds exhibiting antimicrobial and health beneficial properties.
NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: Salmonellosis is one of the most common foodborne diseases with a range anywhere from 1 to 4 million human infections reported each year in the United States. Further, it is is one of the more costly foodborne diseases in the U.S. Given that foodborne Salmonella spp. can originate from a wide variety of food production environments, reduction of this organism at all stages of food production is critical. This project's research program reflects an integrated approach for controlling Salmonella spp. and other foodborne pathogens by examining virulence expression of Salmonella under typical food production and processing conditions.
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APPROACH: The idea here is to compare anaerobic and aerobic growth and pathogenic responses of foodborne Salmonella spp. The hypothesis is that Salmonella may physiologically behave differently when grown under one environmental condition versus the other. Our food production Salmonella spp. research projects will emphasize studies on the growth, survival and pathogenesis of Salmonella spp. under conditions encountered during food animal production and processing. We will also examine virulence activity of Salmonella spp. under these conditions.