Direct 24-Hour Presumptive Enumeration of Escherichia coli 0157:H7 in Foods Using Hydrophobic Grid Membrane Filter Followed by Serological Confirmation: Collaborative Study

Fifteen laboratories took part in a collaborative study to validate a method for enumerating Escherichia coli 0157:H7. The method is based on use of a hydrophobic grid membrane filter and consists of 24 h presumptive enumeration on SD-39 Agar and serological confirmation to yield a confirmed E. coli 0157:H7 count. Six food products were analyzed: pasteurized apple cider, pasteurized 2% milk, cottage cheese, cooked ground pork, raw ground beef, and frozen whole egg. The test method produced significantly higher confirmed count results than did the reference method for milk, pork, and beef. Test method results were numerically higher than but statistically equivalent to reference method results for cheese, cider, and egg. The test method produced lower repeatability and reproducibility values than did the reference method for most food/inoculation level combinations and values very similar to those of the reference method for the remaining combinations. Overall, 94% of presumptive positive isolates from the test method were confirmed serologically as E. coli 0157:H7, and 98% of these were also biochemically typical of E. coli 0157:H7 (completed test). Corresponding rates for the reference method were 69 and 98%, respectively. On the basis of the results of this collaborative study and the precollaborative study that preceded it, it is recommended that this method be adopted official first action for enumeration of E. coli 0157:H7 in meats, poultry, dairy foods, infant formula, liquid eggs, mayonnaise, and apple cider

VIDAS® Enzyme-Linked Immunofluorescent Assay for Detection of Listeria in Foods: Collaborative Study

The VIDAS LIS method and the traditional culture methods for detection of Listeria species in food were evaluated in a multilaboratory comparative study. The 6 foods tested were either naturally contaminated or inoculated with 3 different concentrations of Listeria. Results for each food and each contamination level with the VIDAS LIS method were as good as or better than those obtained with the traditional culture method. Of 1558 samples tested, 935 were positive: 839 by the VIDAS method and 809 by standard culture methods. Overall false negative rates were 10.3 and 13.5% for the VIDAS LIS and culture methods, respectively. The false positive rate for the VIDAS LIS assay was 1.4% based on 9 VIDAS LIS positive assays that did not confirm positive by isolation of Listeria. The agreement between the VIDAS LIS and culture methods for all samples tested was 86%.

Risk factors for work-related low back pain in the People's Republic of China

A critical review was conducted of studies of work-related low back pain in the People's Republic of China. The published literature in both the English and Chinese languages from 1983 to 1997 was reviewed for studies that permitted the calculation of prevalence ratios. Thirty-five papers were identified initially, and after quality inclusion/exclusion criteria were applied, 16 (14 in Chinese and two in English) were selected for more detailed review. Prevalence ratios were statistically elevated in all but two of the selected studies. Prevalence ratios for individual groups ranged from 2.0 to 8.5 for bending and twisting, 1.5 to 14.3 for static posture, 1.9 to 5.5 for whole-body vibration, and 2.6 to 9.4 for low-temperature exposure. The literature was limited by the absence of standardized and robust measures of low-back-pain outcomes and exposures and by the omission of fundamental details from research reports. Even with these limitations, the review findings suggest that three physical risk factors, all well known in the international literature, are associated with the prevalence of low back pain in the People's Republic of China.

Changes in muntjac fibroblasts associated with the acquisition of cadmium resistance. A pre-resistance, transitional and post-resistance study

A series of cell lines with different levels of resistance to continuous cadmium exposure has been developed from an immortal but non-transformed muntjac fibroblast cell line. Concentrations accepted in their culture medium range from 0.1 microM for the cadmium sensitive parent line to 5 microM for the intermediate "cadmium-tolerant" line, to 5, 10, 20 and 50 microM for the four "cadmium-resistant" lines. The present paper follows the morphological changes which accompanied the development of resistance through a 20-month pre-resistance period, a relatively abrupt 6-week transitional period and a 3-year post-resistance period, during which time levels of cadmium resistance were increased. Initial changes which led to the cadmium-tolerant CR5 cell line included (i) increased efficiency in autophagocytosing damaged cell components and in ridding the cell of residual waste materials, (ii) a reduction in fluid filled vacuoles and (iii) improved recycling and/or replacement of cadmium-damaged cell membrane. With the advent of cadmium resistance the intracellular damage necessitating these activities disappeared, yet the series of changes which occurred included a massive build-up of Golgi and the appearance of a trans-Golgi tubular network in addition to cytoskeletal and membrane changes. Though metallothionein levels are greater in the cadmium-resistant variants, their increase appears inadequate on their own to account for the high levels of resistance. The post-resistance changes which accompanied each step-up in cadmium resistance included further membrane and glycocalyx changes, in addition to continued increases in Golgi bodies and tubular network. This paper details the morphological changes which occurred throughout the 5-year period, tests the direct dependence of each on the presence of cadmium and examines their possible contribution to a cadmium protective mechanism.