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View/Open - ARAN - National University of Ireland, Galway

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Summary <strong>of</strong> Content<br />

Summary <strong>of</strong> Content<br />

A recent report indicated that Salmonella was the most frequently<br />

identified agent in food-borne outbreaks in Europe. Salmonella can survive<br />

on surfaces and act as a source <strong>of</strong> cross-contamination. Bi<strong>of</strong>ilm formation<br />

may allow Salmonella enterica survival on surfaces and persistence in food<br />

processing environments for extensive periods <strong>of</strong> time.<br />

In 2008 there was a large food-borne outbreak <strong>of</strong> Salmonella Agona linked<br />

to a food processing facility. Prior to this outbreak, S. Agona was less<br />

frequently implicated in food-borne infections. The S. Agona strain<br />

SAGOXB.0066 and a variant strain remained in the environment for an<br />

extensive period <strong>of</strong> time. This lead to the hypothesis that the S. Agona<br />

strain may have a high propensity to form a bi<strong>of</strong>ilm and withstand<br />

disinfection treatment.<br />

The objectives <strong>of</strong> this research were to investigate if S. Agona<br />

SAGOXB.0066 may form a more dense bi<strong>of</strong>ilm than other S. enterica strains.<br />

Secondly, to investigate if S. enterica bi<strong>of</strong>ilm density increased over an<br />

extended period <strong>of</strong> time. Thirdly, to examine if S. enterica bi<strong>of</strong>ilm results in<br />

enhanced bacterial survival post disinfection treatment.<br />

The results indicate there was no evidence to suggest that S. Agona<br />

SAGOXB.0066 or the variant strain formed a more dense bi<strong>of</strong>ilm than other<br />

S. Agona strains after 48-hours. However there is some limited evidence to<br />

suggest that the serovar S. Agona may from more dense bi<strong>of</strong>ilm than other<br />

serovars. The results also indicate that S. enterica strains were able to<br />

withstand disinfectant treatment after bi<strong>of</strong>ilm formation.<br />

A number <strong>of</strong> S. enterica bi<strong>of</strong>ilm studies have tended to examine a limited<br />

number <strong>of</strong> strains or a single bi<strong>of</strong>ilm substratum. This research enhances<br />

the understanding <strong>of</strong> the S. enterica bi<strong>of</strong>ilm formation through the use <strong>of</strong><br />

multiple strains. Moreover, the results illustrate the extent to which<br />

variation in repeated measurements on the same strain or the impact <strong>of</strong><br />

different bi<strong>of</strong>ilm development models may contribute to apparent<br />

difference between strains examined.<br />

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