Relationship between desiccation tolerance and biofilm formation in shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli

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dc.contributor.authorJaved, Muhammad Qasim
dc.contributor.authorKovalchuk, Igor
dc.contributor.authorYevtushenko, Dmytro P.
dc.contributor.authorYang Xianqin
dc.contributor.authorStanford, Kim
dc.date.accessioned2024-08-19T21:40:43Z
dc.date.available2024-08-19T21:40:43Z
dc.date.issued2024
dc.descriptionOpen access article. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license (CC BY 4.0) applies
dc.description.abstractShiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is a major concern in the food industry and requires effective control measures to prevent foodborne illnesses. Previous studies have demonstrated increased difficulty in the control of biofilm-forming STEC. Desiccation, achieved through osmotic stress and water removal, has emerged as a potential antimicrobial hurdle. This study focused on 254 genetically diverse E. coli strains collected from cattle, carcass hides, hide-off carcasses, and processing equipment. Of these, 141 (55.51%) were STEC and 113 (44.48%) were generic E. coli. The biofilm-forming capabilities of these isolates were assessed, and their desiccation tolerance was investigated to understand the relationships between growth temperature, relative humidity (RH), and bacterial survival. Only 28% of the STEC isolates had the ability to form biofilms, compared to 60% of the generic E. coli. Stainless steel surfaces were exposed to different combinations of temperature (0 °C or 35 °C) and relative humidity (75% or 100%), and the bacterial attachment and survival rates were measured over 72 h and compared to controls. The results revealed that all the strains exposed to 75% relative humidity (RH) at any temperature had reduced growth (p < 0.001). In contrast, 35 °C and 100% RH supported bacterial proliferation, except for isolates forming the strongest biofilms. The ability of E. coli to form a biofilm did not impact growth reduction at 75% RH. Therefore, desiccation treatment at 75% RH at temperatures of 0 °C or 35 °C holds promise as a novel antimicrobial hurdle for the removal of biofilm-forming E. coli from challenging-to-clean surfaces and equipment within food processing facilities.
dc.description.peer-reviewYes
dc.identifier.citationJaved, M. Q., Kovalchuk, I., Yevtushenko, D., Yang, X., & Stanford, K. (2024). Relationship between desiccation tolerance and biofilm formation in shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli. Microorganisms, 12(2), Article 243. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12020243
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10133/6869
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherMDPI
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of Biological Sciences
dc.publisher.facultyArts and Science
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Lethbridge
dc.publisher.institutionAgriculture and Agri-Food Canada (Lacombe)
dc.publisher.urlhttps://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12020243
dc.subjectEscherichia coli
dc.subjectSTEC
dc.subjectBiofilm
dc.subjectDesiccation
dc.subjectRelative humidity
dc.subjectBacterial survival
dc.subjectStainless steel
dc.subjectFood processing facilities
dc.subjectFoodborne illnesses
dc.subject.lcshFoodborne diseases--Prevention
dc.subject.lcshBiofilms
dc.titleRelationship between desiccation tolerance and biofilm formation in shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli
dc.typeArticle
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