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The effect of volatile fatty acids in acidified fermented piggery effluent on shiga‐toxigenic and non‐toxic resident strains of Escherichia coli
Author(s) -
Harris I.,
Henry D.P.,
Frost A.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
letters in applied microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.698
H-Index - 110
eISSN - 1472-765X
pISSN - 0266-8254
DOI - 10.1046/j.1472-765x.2001.01024.x
Subject(s) - escherichia coli , fermentation , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , effluent , volatile fatty acids , food science , enzootic , bacteria , biochemistry , rumen , gene , engineering , virus , genetics , virology , environmental engineering
Aims: To examine the effects of acidified acidogenically fermented piggery effluent containing Volatile Fatty Acids (VFA) on shiga‐toxigenic and resident strains of Escherichia coli ( E. coli ) as part of the development of a waste treatment process. Methods and Results: Four shiga‐toxigenic E. coli strains (O157:H7, 091.H‐, 0111.H‐, and 0123.H‐) and four non‐toxic resident enzootic strains were all killed by 3 h treatment with fermented piggery effluent liquor (153 mmol l −1 total VFA) at pH 4·3. The shiga‐toxigenic strains showed greater sensitivity after 1 h of treatment. The fermented liquor at pH 6·8 was not inhibitory. Conclusions: The shiga‐toxigenic strains were no more resistant to the toxic effects of VFA than the non‐toxic strains tested. Significance and Impact of the Study: Shiga‐toxigenic strains and resident enzootic non‐toxigenic strains are equally susceptible to inactivation by this waste treatment process and by acidified VFA in general.