Open AccessEmergence and Stability of High-Pressure Resistance in Different Food-Borne Pathogens
Author(s) -
Dietrich Vanlint,
Nele Rutten,
Chris W. Michiels,
Abram Aertsen
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
applied and environmental microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.552
H-Index - 324
eISSN - 1070-6291
pISSN - 0099-2240
DOI - 10.1128/aem.00030-12
Subject(s) - yersinia enterocolitica , biology , hydrostatic pressure , listeria monocytogenes , salmonella enterica , yersinia , microbiology and biotechnology , salmonella , escherichia coli , shigella , listeria , genetics , bacteria , gene , physics , thermodynamics
High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) processing is becoming a valuable nonthermal food pasteurization technique, although there is reasonable concern that bacterial HHP resistance could compromise the safety and stability of HHP-processed foods. While the degree of natural HHP resistance has already been shown to vary greatly among and within bacterial species, a still unresolved question remains as to what extent different food-borne pathogens can actually develop HHP resistance. In this study, we therefore examined and compared the intrinsic potentials for HHP resistance development among strains ofEscherichia coli ,Shigella flexneri ,Salmonella enterica serovars Typhimurium and Enteritidis,Yersinia enterocolitica ,Aeromonas hydrophila ,Pseudomonas aeruginosa , andListeria innocua using a selective enrichment approach. Interestingly, of all strains examined, the acquisition of extreme HHP resistance could be detected in only some of theE. coli strains, indicating that a specific genetic predisposition might be required for resistance development. Furthermore, once acquired, HHP resistance proved to be a very stable trait that was maintained for >80 generations in the absence of HHP exposure. Finally, at the mechanistic level, HHP resistance was not necessarily linked to derepression of the heat shock genes and was not related to the phenomenon of persistence.