Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 1998 Apr;64(4):1532-5.
doi: 10.1128/AEM.64.4.1532-1535.1998.

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 present in radish sprouts

Y Itoh  1 , Y Sugita-Konishi, F Kasuga, M Iwaki, Y Hara-Kudo, N Saito, Y Noguchi, H Konuma, S Kumagai
Affiliations

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 present in radish sprouts

Y Itoh et al. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1998 Apr.

Abstract

Using cultivation, immunofluorescence microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy, we demonstrated the presence of viable enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 not only on the outer surfaces but also in the inner tissues and stomata of cotyledons of radish sprouts grown from seeds experimentally contaminated with the bacterium. HgCl2 treatment of the outer surface of the hypocotyl did not kill the contaminating bacteria, which emphasized the importance of either using seeds free from E. coli O157:H7 in the production of radish sprouts or heating the sprouts before they are eaten.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

FIG. 1
FIG. 1
Contaminated radish sprouts as shown by fluorescence microscopy. Horizontal sections were prepared and stained with the antibody against E. coli O157:H7. (a) Contaminated sprouts. The fluorescence was caused by antibody against E. coli O157:H7 binding. (b) Noncontaminated control sprouts. (a and b) Magnification, ×100. (Insets) Magnification, ×400.
FIG. 2
FIG. 2
Contaminated radish sprouts as shown by scanning electron microscopy. (a) Outer surface. The arrow indicates a stomate, and the arrowheads indicate bacteria. (b) Inner surface. The arrow indicates the xylem, and the arrowheads indicate bacteria. Insets show sections stained with E. coli O157:H7 antibody. (a and b) Bar = 5 μm. (Insets) Bar = 50 nm.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Andrews W H, Mislivec P B, Wilson C R, Bruce V R, Poelma P L, Gibson R, Trucksess M W, Young K. Microbial hazards associated with bean sprouting. J Assoc Off Anal Chem. 1982;65:241–248. - PubMed
    1. Beuchat L R. Comparison of chemical treatment to kill salmonella on alfalfa seeds destined for sprout production. Int J Food Microbiol. 1997;34:329–333. - PubMed
    1. Como-Sabetti K, Reagan S, Allaire S, Parrott K, Simonds C M, Hrabowy S, Ritter B, Hall W, Altamirano J, Martin R, Downes F, Jennings G, Barrie R, Dorman M F, Keon N, Kucab M, Al Shab A, Robinson-Dunn B, Dietrich S, Moshur L, Reese L, Smith J, Wilcox K, Tilden J, Wojtala G, Park J D, Winnett M, Petrilack L, Vasquez L, Jenkins S, Barrett E, Linn M, Woolard D, Hackler R, Martin H, McWilliams D, Rouse B, Willis S, Rullan J, Miller G, Jr, Henderson S, Pearson J, Beers J, Davis R, Saunders D Food-Borne and Diarrheal Diseases Branch, Division of Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases, National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Outbreaks of Escherichia coli O157:H7 infection associated with eating alfalfa sprouts—Michigan and Virginia, June-July 1997. Morbid Mortal Weekly Rep. 1997;46:741–744.
    1. Hara-Kudo Y, Konuma H, Iwaki M, Kasuga F, Sugita-Konishi Y, Ito Y, Kumagai S. Potential hazard of radish sprouts as a vehicle of Escherichia coli O157:H7. J Food Prot. 1997;60:1125–1127. - PubMed
    1. Jaquette C B, Beuchat L R, Mahon B E. Efficacy of chlorine and heat treatment in killing Salmonella stanley inoculated onto alfalfa seeds and growth and survival of the pathogen during sprouting and storage. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1996;62:2212–2215. - PMC - PubMed

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources