What is it about?
We used a simple adhesive-tape-based approach to remove microbial cells from tomato surfaces for further processing. We then used Salmonella-specific fluorescent probes to detect this pathogen, even in the presence of non-target organisms. This approach provides a simple, low-tech, yet accurate means of detecting this human pathogen on fresh produce samples.
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Why is it important?
New, user-friendly techniques for sampling and detection of human pathogens present on various surfaces are needed. Our approach provides a simple and rapid means for doing so on tomato surfaces and may facilitate timely detection of Salmonella by producers or processors.
Perspectives
We received a good deal of positive feedback from potential users in the field and provided them with additional advice on how they might implement this approach in their operations. The number of responses from potential stakeholders, and the diversity of operations that they represented underscored the need for techniques such as ours that offer unique solutions for pathogen detection in the field.
Dr Byron F Brehm-Stecher
Iowa State University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Simple Adhesive-Tape-Based Sampling of Tomato Surfaces Combined with Rapid Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization for Salmonella Detection, Applied and Environmental Microbiology, January 2009, ASM Journals,
DOI: 10.1128/aem.01944-08.
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