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Colonisation of crop plants with human pathogenic bacteria
Project
Project code: JKI-EP-08-2294
Contract period: 01.06.2016
- 31.08.2019
Purpose of research: Applied research
More and more people develop a consciousness of, and interest in a healthy lifestyle and food, which contains a daily consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables. Those generally promote health, however, under certain conditions they can have a contrary effect. The disease outbreaks caused by the consumption of raw vegetables which are contaminated with human pathogenic bacteria have increased during the last years. In first line Escherchia coli and Salmonella enterica are the cause of those outbreaks. They can contaminate the crop plants via irrigation of the soil with contaminated water, by organic fertilization or through animal feces. Because of the potential danger for the consumer it is essential to investigate the interactions between human pathogenic bacteria and plants. In this project we investigate the interaction between the crop plants Lactuca sativa (lettuce), Valerianella locusta (corn salad), Solanum lycopersicum (tomato) and the human pathogenic bacterium Salmonella enterica. Following questions are under investigation using microbiological and molecular biological methods: i) Are plants different in their susceptibility to the colonization by Salmonella enterica? ii) Do the different Salmonella enterica strains prefer a certain plant to colonize? iii) How high is the percentage of plants within a population which are colonized by Salmonella enterica? iv) What is the transcriptional response of Solanum lycopersicum and Lactuca sativa to of the inoculation with Salmonella enterica?
Section overview
Subjects
- Horticulture
- Food microbiology
Framework programme
Funding programme
Excutive institution
Institute for Epidemiology and Pathogen Diagnostics (JKI-EP)
