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Study on E. coli and Salmonella biofilms from fresh fruits and vegetables

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Abstract

Foodborne outbreaks associated with fresh fruits and vegetables are on the rise worldwide. Biofilm formation is one of the important traits of pathogens making them strongly attached to substrates as well as express virulence phenotypes. Present study investigates the biofilm forming ability of E. coli and Salmonella sp. isolated from fresh fruits and vegetables. A total of 53 strains, including 35 E. coli and 18 Salmonella sp. isolated from different fruit and vegetable samples were taken into account for the study. Initial screening for biofilm formation was done using Congo Red agar plate test. Results revealed that 22.8% E. coli and 22.2% Salmonella sp. were potential biofilm formers. However, the MTP (Micro-Titre Plate) assay suggested more isolates of both E. coli and Salmonella sp. were moderate to strong biofilm producers. Agar plate diffusion assay with Agrobacterium tumefaciens NTL-4 showed the production of quorum signaling molecules (AHLs) by three isolates of E. coli and one Salmonella sp. Two E. coli isolates showed a significant amount of EPS production indicating higher biofilm forming potential. The Presence of LUX R homologue gene (sdiA) in two of the Salmonella isolates were confirmed by PCR which demonstrated their potential pathogenicity. Results of the work underline the biofilm forming and potentially virulent capacities of isolates from the surface of fruits and vegetables.

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Acknowledgements

Authors are grateful to the DST-PURSE Programme, DST, New Delhi, for providing the funding for the research work and Pondicherry University for providing the essential laboratory facilities to carry out the work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Food Science and Technology, Pondicherry Central University, R V Nagar, Kalapet, Puducherry, 605 014, India

    Balagopal Amrutha, Kothandapani Sundar & Prathapkumar Halady Shetty

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  1. Balagopal Amrutha
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  2. Kothandapani Sundar
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  3. Prathapkumar Halady Shetty
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Correspondence to Prathapkumar Halady Shetty.

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Amrutha, B., Sundar, K. & Shetty, P.H. Study on E. coli and Salmonella biofilms from fresh fruits and vegetables. J Food Sci Technol 54, 1091–1097 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13197-017-2555-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13197-017-2555-2

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