PLANT RESPONSES TO FOOD-BORNE BACTERIA AND VIRUSES AND MECHANISMS USED BY PATHOGENS TO SURVIVE

1. Concurrently evaluate the persistence of three foodborne pathogens (E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella, and Norovirus) on foliar surfaces of plants (lettuce and spinach), under the same conditions to facilitate a direct comparison of the survival characteristics of these organisms in the phyllosphere. 2. Investigate plant defense pathways during attachment and internalization of E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella and noroviruses. Determine if plants respond to these human pathogens using one or more plant-specific defense strategies. 3. Evaluate the metabolic pathways used by pathogenic bacteria to attach to plants, specifically using a novel approach to identify the major proteins of pathogenic bacteria using proteomics.