Abstract
Water is vital to agriculture. It is essential that the water used for the production of fresh produce commodities be safe. Microbial pathogens are able to survive for extended periods of time in water. It is critical to understand their biology and ecology in this ecosystem in order to develop better mitigation strategies for farmers who grow these food crops. In this review the prevalence, persistence and ecology of four major foodborne pathogens, Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), Salmonella, Campylobacter and closely related Arcobacter, and Listeria monocytogenes, in water are discussed. These pathogens have been linked to fresh produce outbreaks, some with devastating consequences, where, in a few cases, the contamination event has been traced to water used for crop production or post-harvest activities. In addition, antimicrobial resistance, methods improvements, including the role of genomics in aiding in the understanding of these pathogens, are discussed. Finally, global initiatives to improve our knowledge base of these pathogens around the world are touched upon.
Highlights
Foodborne bacterial pathogens are microbes that when they contaminate food can lead to illness, typically gastroenteritis
Agricultural water is defined as water that is intended to, or likely to, come into contact with food crops as it is used for all growing activities, including irrigation and washing/cooling of produce, as well as water used for preparing crop sprays, farm equipment cleaning, and dust abatement [3]
In the watersheds of Nova Scotia, Canada, elevated E. coli levels were associated with a higher likelihood of detecting Listeria spp. but were not related to the incidence of L. monocytogenes; this was very interesting since E. coli is widely used as an indicator for fecal contamination in water [194]
Summary
Foodborne bacterial pathogens are microbes that when they contaminate food can lead to illness, typically gastroenteritis. The Produce Safety Rule had outlined a set of standards, but these have since been placed back under review [3] These standards like the EPA standards are based on the counts of generic E. coli found in a set volume of agricultural water. Surface and agricultural waters are often surveyed for specific pathogens as part of longitudinal environmental studies focused on produce safety. Such studies have become commonplace in recent times. An expanding international effort to understand these pathogens on a more global scale is highlighted
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