An official website of the United States government.
<ol>
<li>Develop methods to detect Listeria and other bacteria in channel catfish</li>
<li>Develop more effective methods for utilizing antimicrobial therapy and monitoring antimicrobial drugs used in catfish therapy</li>
<li>The development of processing strategies to improve the microbiological safety of shellfish aquaculture products.</li>
</ol>
Procedures for detecting Listeria and other bacteria will be developed by appropriate swab, rinse, and plating/growth techniques. Bactometer readings will determine microbial numbers. Catfish will be inoculated with various concentrations of Listeria and growth under different storage conditions will be determined. Rapid methods to detect Listeria in catfish flesh will be developed utilizing monoclonal antibody technology adapted to standard or modified immunoassay techniques. In efforts to develop more effective antimicrobial therapy in catfish, various compounds and approaches will be tested, including pH adjustment, oxidizing agents, lysozyme, fatty acids, citric acid, peracids, and hypertonic solutions. Shellfish: The effects of starvation and cold stress on the growth characteristics, heat tolerance, and freeze-thaw stability of Vibrio vulnificus will be determined. Knowledge of the response to these sublethal stresses will allow design and development of appropriate processing & storage regimes to eliminate the pathogen, & to minimize food safety risk