Method Modification for the Atlas Listeria Environmental LE Detection Assay Using FoodChek Actero Listeria Enrichment Media and Half-Fraser Media for the Detection of Listeria spp. from Environmental Surfaces.

Two candidate method modifications for the Atlas Listeria Environmental LE Detection Assay were compared with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)-Food Safety and Inspection Service Microbiology Laboratory Guidebook 8.09 (MLG 8.09) method for detection of Listeria spp. on stainless steel, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and sealed concrete surfaces. For LE candidate method 1, samples were enriched in FoodChek Actero Listeria Enrichment Media [ALEM; Performance Tested MethodSM (PTM) 111201] at 35 ± 2°C for 18 to 24 h and evaluated for a range of analytical sample volumes. For LE candidate method 2, the current Roka PTM using 90 mL of Half-Fraser broth for enrichment at 35 ± 2°C was evaluated at 24 h with a reduced sample volume. These comparisons were made in multiple studies across the three environmental surfaces. Within each method and study, a total of 5 samples were uninoculated, 20 samples were inoculated with Listeria spp. at a low level to target fractional positivity, and 5 samples were inoculated with Listeria spp. at a high level to approach a probability of detection of 1. Inclusivity and exclusivity studies were also conducted for the LE method in combination with Half-Fraser and ALEM. The Atlas Listeria Environmental LE Detection Assay detected all 50 inclusive organisms, including 25 strains of L. monocytogenes and 5 strains of each of the other five common species of Listeria (L. innocua, L. welshimeri, L. ivanovii, L. seeligeri, and L. grayi) and none of the 30 exclusive organisms across all media and with both 200 and 2000 µL sample volumes. For the LE candidate method 1 studies, no significant differences were observed within the Roka ALEM method at 18, 20, or 24 h and for both the 200 and 2000 µL sample volumes as compared with the paired culture outcome. However, the ALEM method performed significantly better as compared with the unpaired reference method for sealed concrete and stainless steel. For the LE candidate method 2 studies, no significant differences were observed within the Roka HF method at 24 h for the 200 and 2000 µL samples as compared with the paired culture outcomes and unpaired reference method outcomes across the surfaces. The independent laboratory studies observed no significant differences in performance between the USDA/MLG 8.09 reference method and candidate methods 1 or 2, respectively, across the evaluated parameters. Overall, the candidate method 1 modification parameters and candidate method 2 sample parameters for the Atlas Listeria Environmental LE Detection Assay were statistically equivalent to or better than the reference method for detection of Listeria spp. on stainless steel, PVC, and sealed concrete surfaces, providing greater flexibility in method application for end users.

Rapid Detection and Classification of Salmonella enterica Shedding in Feedlot Cattle Utilizing the Roka Bioscience Atlas Salmonella Detection Assay for the Analysis of Rectoanal Mucosal Swabs.

With an increasing focus on preharvest food safety, rapid methods are required for the detection and quantification of foodborne pathogens such as Salmonella enterica in beef cattle. We validated the Atlas Salmonella Detection Assay (SEN), a nucleic acid amplification technology that targets Salmonella rRNA, for the qualitative detection of S. enterica with sample enrichment using immunomagnetic separation as a reference test, and we further evaluated its accuracy to predict pathogen load using SEN signal-to-cutoff (SCO) values from unenriched samples to classify animals as high or nonhigh shedders. Rectoanal mucosal swabs (RAMS) were collected from 238 beef cattle from five cohorts located in the Midwest or southern High Plains of the United States between July 2015 and April 2016. Unenriched RAMS samples were used for the enumeration and SEN SCO analyses. Enriched samples were tested using SEN and immunomagnetic separation methods for the detection of Salmonella. The SEN method was 100% sensitive and specific for the detection of Salmonella from the enriched RAMS samples. A SEN SCO value of 8, with a sensitivity of 93.5% and specificity of 94.3%, was found to be an optimum cutoff value for classifying animals as high or nonhigh shedders from the unenriched RAMS samples. The SEN assay is a rapid and reliable method for the qualitative detection and categorization of the shedding load of Salmonella from RAMS in feedlot cattle.

Tracking health and the environment: a pilot test of environmental public health indicators.

Examining the relationship between health outcomes and environmental exposures requires summary measures, or indicators. To advance the use of indicators, the Johns Hopkins Center for Excellence in Environmental Public Health Tracking piloted three pairs of indicators: 1) air toxics and leukemia in New Jersey, 2) mercury emissions and fish advisories in the United States, and 3) urban sprawl and obesity in New Jersey. These analyses illustrate the feasibility of creating environmental hazard, exposure, and health outcome indicators, examining their temporal and geographic trends, and identifying their temporal and geographic relationships. They also show the importance of including appropriate caveats with the findings. The authors' investigations demonstrate how existing environmental health data can be used to create meaningful indicator measures to further the understanding of environment-related diseases and to help prioritize and guide interventions. Indicators are the foundation of environmental public health tracking, and increased use and development of them are necessary for the establishment of a nationwide tracking network capable of linking environmental exposures and health outcomes.

A review of breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screening interventions in older women.

Although cancer-screening guidelines recommend periodic testing for women 50 years of age and older, these tests are underused. A search of databases identified 156 community-based breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screening intervention studies published before April 2003. Most were conducted in the United States. More than half used randomization procedures or pre-post measures, and one third used both. Most reported significant intervention effects. Cervical and combined cervical and breast studies had higher rates of pre-post designs, and breast studies had the highest percentage using randomization. Although effective community-based breast and cervical interventions have been conducted, there is an urgent need for amplification of colorectal cancer screening.

Assessing cardiovascular reactivity in working women with the social competence interview.

The Social Competence Interview (SCI), an interview to induce cardiovascular reactivity through recounting a stressful life experience, was used with a sample of 120 working women employed as childcare providers. Women recounted their most stressful work factor while cardiovascular reactions were monitored at 2-minute intervals (data points included 4 baseline, 6 SCI, and 3 recovery). Increases were found when comparing mean baseline and SCI measures: systolic blood pressure (SBP) increased 10.00 mmHg; diastolic blood pressure (DBP)increased 10.63 mmHg; and heart rate increased 4.57 beats per minute. Consistent with the literature SBP and DBP were higher for some subgroups of women (those who were 50 years or older, were obese, or had 4 or more risk factors) across all data points. There were no time by individual difference interactions, indicating that the patterns of change over time were the same across groups. In a logistic regression, comparing women who reached SBP > or = 140 mmHg and/or DBP > or = 90 mmHg during the SCI versus those who did not, higher BP was associated with being older and obese, having a higher level of acceptance coping, and a lower level of suppression of competing activities coping.