Arthur Lindsay, Jones Sandra, Fabri Martha, Odumeru Joseph
Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, 1 Stone Road West, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 4Y2.
J Food Prot. 2007 Dec;70(12):2864-7. doi: 10.4315/0362-028x-70.12.2864.
Recent produce-related outbreaks have been receiving heightened media coverage, which has increased public concern toward the safety of fresh fruits and vegetables. In response, the microbial contamination of Ontario-grown fresh fruits and vegetables was evaluated by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs during the summer of 2004. Prior to this survey, information specific to the microbial contamination of Ontario-produced fruits and vegetables was limited. This nonregulatory survey had two objectives: (i) to obtain a general microbiological profile of selected fruits and vegetables produced in Ontario and (ii) to use the information and knowledge gained from this survey to direct and support future on-farm food safety research and food safety programs to manage potential risks. In all, 1,183 samples, including muskmelon (151), scallions and green onions (173), leaf lettuce (263), organic leaf lettuce (112), head lettuce (155), parsley (127), cilantro (61), and fresh market tomatoes (141), were collected and analyzed. Samples were analyzed for Salmonella, Shigella, and generic E. coli. Enrichment cultures positive for E. coli were further assessed for verotoxigenicity. One sample each of Roma tomato and organic leaf lettuce were positive for Salmonella, with no samples yielding Shigella or verotoxigenic E. coli. The E. coli prevalence was highest in parsley (13.4%), followed by organic leaf lettuce (11.6%), leaf lettuce (6.5%), scallions (6.4%), cilantro (4.9%), muskmelon (1.3%), head lettuce (0%), and fresh market tomatoes (0%). These findings, in combination with foodborne illness data, will help target those commodities that require more focused risk mitigation efforts.
近期与农产品相关的疫情爆发受到了媒体的更多关注，这增加了公众对新鲜水果和蔬菜安全性的担忧。作为回应，安大略省农业、食品和农村事务部在2004年夏季对安大略省种植的新鲜水果和蔬菜的微生物污染情况进行了评估。在这项调查之前，关于安大略省生产的水果和蔬菜微生物污染的具体信息有限。这项非监管性调查有两个目标：（i）获取安大略省生产的选定水果和蔬菜的一般微生物概况；（ii）利用从这项调查中获得的信息和知识，指导和支持未来的农场食品安全研究及食品安全计划，以管理潜在风险。总共收集并分析了1183个样本，包括甜瓜（151个）、青葱（173个）、叶生菜（263个）、有机叶生菜（112个）、结球生菜（155个）、欧芹（127个）、香菜（61个）和新鲜市场番茄（141个）。对样本进行了沙门氏菌、志贺氏菌和大肠埃希氏菌属的分析。对大肠埃希氏菌呈阳性的增菌培养物进一步评估其产志贺毒素能力。有一个罗马番茄样本和一个有机叶生菜样本沙门氏菌呈阳性，没有样本检出志贺氏菌或产志贺毒素的大肠埃希氏菌。大肠埃希氏菌的检出率在欧芹中最高（13.4%），其次是有机叶生菜（11.6%）、叶生菜（6.5%）、青葱（6.4%）、香菜（4.9%）、甜瓜（1.3%）、结球生菜（0%）和新鲜市场番茄（0%）。这些发现与食源性疾病数据相结合，将有助于确定那些需要更有针对性地降低风险措施的商品。
