Potential Hazard of Radish Sprouts as a Vehicle of Escherichia coli O157:H7

• DOI: 10.4315/0362-028x-60.9.1125
• Publication Date: 2016-12-01T17:13:38Z
• Authors: Y. Hara-Kudo; H. Konuma; M. Iwaki; F. Kasuga; Y. Sugita-Konishi; Y. Ito; S. Kumagai
• Keywords: 0404 agricultural biotechnology; 04 agricultural and veterinary sciences; 6. Clean water; 3. Good health

We studied the contamination of radish sprouts after exposure to Escherichia coli O157:H7-inoculated water in the laboratory. The edible parts, the cotyledons and hypocotyl, became heavily contaminated with E. coli O157:H7 when they were grown from seeds soaked in E. coli O157:H7-inoculated water. These same parts became contaminated with E. coli O157:H7 when their roots were dipped into E. coli O157:H7-inoculated water. These findings suggest that E. coli O157:H7 contamination in the edible parts of radish sprouts could pose a serious hazard if the seeds or hydroponic water are contaminated with the bacterium.