Viable but non-culturable forms of food and waterborne bacteria: Quo Vadis?

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    Abstract

    There is increasing evidence for a viable but non-culturable (VBNC) state in microbes, particularly in the stressing environment presented by modern foods with their varied pre-treatment and packaging strategies. This is a cause for concern because of evidence that microbial pathogens in such a state may retain their capacity to cause infections after ingestion by the consumer despite their inability to grow under the conditions employed in procedures for determining their presence in foods. Heavily stressed pathogenic species of bacteria in a VBNC or not immediately culturable state are potentially dangerous public health problems, particularly as stressed cells may be more virulent than well-fed bacteria. In this viewpoint article, I wish to focus on possible procedures for detecting such organisms and assessing their physiological state.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)462-467
    Number of pages6
    JournalTrends in Food Science and Technology
    Volume15
    Issue number9
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Sep 2004

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