Water, sodium chloride and acidified sodium chlorite effects on Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Staphylococcus aureus on beef briskets.

Effectiveness of spray application of potable water wash (WW), 25% (w/v) sodium chloride (NaCl), and 0.1% (v/v) acidified sodium chlorite (ASC) was evaluated against Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Staphylococcus aureus inoculated onto beef briskets. The purpose was to identify antimicrobial treatments which may be applied to beef carcasses and more specifically in kosher meat facilities. Treatments were applied for 10-60 s at pressure of 419 kPa. Water wash, NaCl, and ASC significantly reduced E. coli O157:H7 as compared with the control, although, only ASC resulted in improved removal with increased exposure time. Water wash did not significantly reduce S. aureus counts throughout exposure and NaCl was only effective after 60 s of exposure, while ASC reduced counts throughout exposure. E. coli O157:H7 was twice as sensitive to WW and NaCl as S. aureus in terms of percent reduction in cell count.

Continuous online processing of fecal- and ingesta-contaminated poultry carcasses using an acidified sodium chlorite antimicrobial intervention.

The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the combined use of an inside-outside-bird-washer for the removal of visible contamination and an online acidified sodium chlorite (ASC) spray system in reducing microbial levels on contaminated poultry carcasses. Specifically, we attempted to determine if this technique (referred to as continuous online processing [COP]) would (i) eliminate the need for offline reprocessing of contaminated carcasses, (ii) meet Zero Fecal Tolerance standards, and (iii) attain significant reductions in titers of some of the commonly found bacterial species. Carcasses were sampled for Ercherichia coli, Salmonella, and Campylobacter at five stations along the processing lines in a series of five commercial plant studies to compare the efficacy of the COP system to that of offline processing. The microbiological quality of fecally contaminated carcasses was found to be significantly better following COP treatment (E. coli, 0.59 log10 CFU/ml; Salmonella, 10.0% incidence) than after standard offline reprocessing (E. coli, 2.37 log10 CFU/ml; Salmonella, 31.6% incidence). Zero Fecal Tolerance requirements were met by all but 2 (0.2%) of the 1.127 carcasses following COP. COP also significantly reduced the titers of Campylobacter; residual titers were 1.14 log10 CFU/ml (49.1% incidence) following COP, compared to 2.89 log10 CFU/ml (73.2% incidence) in carcasses that underwent offline reprocessing. These results support the combined use of an inside-outside-bird-washer for the removal of visible contamination and an online ASC spray system to reduce microbial levels in commercially processed poultry.

The clinical and microbiological effects of a novel acidified sodium chlorite mouthrinse on oral bacterial mucosal infections.

Acidified sodium chlorite mouthrinses have been shown to have equivalent anti-plaque activity to those containing chlorhexidine, the current 'gold standard'. In this study, sodium chlorite mouthrinses (ASC) acidified with either malic or gluconic acids were compared to each other and with a chlorhexidine rinse and sterile water for their effect on salivary bacterial counts. Sixteen subjects participated in the study, which had a cross-over Latin square design. In a second study, a sodium chlorite/gluconic acid rinse was compared with chlorhexidine for its clinical and microbiological effects in 36 patients with oral mucosal infections. The sodium chlorite rinses acidified with malic and gluconic acids and the chlorhexidine rinse caused significant reductions in salivary bacterial counts up to 7 h after a single rinse compared with water. There were no significant differences between the three active treatments. In the mucosal infection study, there was a significant reduction in erythema in the chlorhexidine group compared with the ASC group. Patients who received the ASC rinse reported significantly less discomfort following treatment than those receiving the chlorhexidine rinse. Staphylococcus aureus counts were significantly reduced in the group who received the sodium chlorite rinse. There were no other significant differences between the treatments. ASC appears to be an effective alternative to chlorhexidine mouthrinse.

Acidified sodium chlorite antimicrobial treatment of broiler carcasses.

An acidified sodium chlorite (ASC) solution was investigated for its antimicrobial effects on broiler carcasses processed under conditions similar to those used in U.S. commercial poultry facilities. Of particular interest was the ability of the ASC solution to reduce natural bioburden in a prechill procedure. A number of parameters such as pretreatment washing of carcasses with water (no wash versus water wash), ASC concentration (500, 850, and 1,200 ppm), method of application (spray versus dip), and method of acid activation (phosphoric acid versus citric acid) were explored to evaluate disinfection conditions. ASC dip solutions (18.9 liters) were freshly prepared for groups of five prechill eviscerated carcasses per treatment (n = 10 carcasses). ASC treatment was shown to be an effective method for significantly reducing naturally occurring microbial contamination on carcasses. Reductions following immersion dipping were demonstrated at all disinfectant concentrations for total aerobes (82.9 to 90.7%), Escherichia coli (99.4 to 99.6%), and total coliforms (86.1 to 98.5%). Additionally, testing showed that ASC solutions maintained stable pH and minimal chlorite ion concentration deviations throughout each treatment. The results of the parameter evaluations indicated that maximal antimicrobial activity was achieved in carcasses that were prewashed and then exposed to a 5-s dip in a solution containing phosphoric acid- or citric acid-activated ASC. At 1,200 ppm ASC, a mild but transitory whitening of the skin was noted on dipped carcasses. The results support the methods currently approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the use of ASC solutions as a prechill antimicrobial intervention in U.S. poultry processing plants.

Validation of thiosulfate for neutralization of acidified sodium chlorite in microbiological testing.

At low pH, acidified sodium chlorite (ASC) has antimicrobial activity against a variety of foodborne contaminants. To evaluate the antimicrobial efficacy of ASC at specific time points posttreatment, it is necessary to halt the action of the disinfectant by removing residual chlorite or by increasing the pH. In this study, thiosulfate was investigated at varying concentrations for its effect on microbial survival and was investigated at a concentration of 0.1% in the presence of ASC for its effect on the antimicrobial and chemical activity of the test solution. Additionally, sodium thiosulfate was tested in two buffering systems, buffered peptone water (BPW) and Butterfield's phopshate buffer (BPB), for its ability to inactivate ASC chemistry. The results of this study show that, at a concentration of 0.1%, sodium thiosulfate has no deleterious effect on Escherichia coli survival and is effective in halting the antimicrobial action of ASC by eliminating the production of residual chlorite. The BPW alone and BPB in combination with thiosulfate were found to be effective inactivators of ASC chemistry.

Reduction of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella typhimurium on beef carcass surfaces using acidified sodium chlorite.

The efficacy of a phosphoric acid-activated acidified sodium chloride (PASC) spray and a citric acid-activated acidified sodium chlorite (CASC) spray applied at room temperature (22.4 to 24.7 degrees C) in combination with a water wash was compared with that of a water wash only treatment for reduction of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella Typhimurium inoculated onto various hot-boned individual beef carcass surface regions (inside round, outside round, brisket, flank, and clod). Initial counts of 5.5 and 5.4 log CFU/cm2 were obtained after inoculation with E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella Typhimurium, respectively. Initial numbers for both pathogens were reduced by 3.8 to 3.9 log cycles by water wash followed by PASC spray and by 4.5 to 4.6 log cycles by water wash followed by CASC spray. The sprays consisted of applying 140 ml of the appropriate sanitizing solution for 10 s at 69 kPa. Corresponding reduction values obtained by water wash alone were 2.3 log. The performance of CASC appeared to be consistently better than that of PASC. In general, no effect of the carcass surface region was observed on the log reductions for either pathogen, except for the inside round, which consistently had lower reductions. Both PASC and CASC were capable of effectively reducing pathogens spread to areas beyond the initial contaminated area of the cuts to levels close to or below the counting method detection limit (0.5 log CFU/cm2). However, 30 to 50% of the carcasses treated by these antimicrobial solutions still yielded countable colonies. Results of this study indicate that acidified sodium chlorite sprays are effective for decontaminating beef carcass surfaces.

Efficacy of two barrier teat dips containing chlorous acid germicides against experimental challenge with Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus agalactiae.

Two postmilking teat dips were tested for efficacy against Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus agalactiae using experimental challenge procedures recommended by the National Mastitis Council. Both dips contained chlorous acid as the primary germicidal agent and lactic acid or mandelic acid as the chlorous acid activator. The dip activated with mandelic acid significantly reduced new IMI by Staph. aureus and Strep. agalactiae. The IMI rate was reduced 68.7% for Staph. aureus and 56.4% for Strep. agalactiae. The dip activated with lactic acid significantly reduced new Staph. aureus IMI by 69.3% but did not significantly reduce new Strep. agalactiae IMI (35.2% reduction) through the full 11-wk study period. Teat skin condition did not change from pretrial status after using either teat dip during the study.

Anthelmintic resistance survey in New Zealand.

The prevalence and level of thiabendazole resistance of sheep nematodes in the North Island of New Zealand was investigated by means of an in vitro egg-hatch technique; samples from sheep on 52 properties in six country areas were examined. Resistance of Haemonchus contortus and Trichostrongylus spp. was identified on the basis of egg hatch in 0.1 ppm thiabendazole. Evidence of resistance was obtained on 11(21.2%) of the properties. LD 50's and resistance ratios were calculated for the resistant nematode populations found.