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J Harwig

Publications and source records attributed to J Harwig.

18 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1996

Health risk assessment of Listeria monocytogenes in Canada.

In this review, the major steps used in the formulation of a health risk assessment for Listeria monocytogenes in foods are discussed. Data is given on the numbers of human listeriosis cases reported in Canada along with the current Canadian regulatory policy on L. monocytogenes. Four major steps in the health risk assessment of this organism in foods, namely, hazard identification, hazard characterization, exposure assessment and risk characterization, were examined. For hazard characterization, since it is known that no direct human dose response data is available for L.monocytogenes, a flexible dose response model called the Weibull-Gamma model was evaluated. For the exposure assessment, pâté and soft cheese, both high-risk foods in terms of listeriosis infection, were used as prototypes in some of the models that were used. Using disappearance data for cheese and 100 g as a typical serving, the data suggested an average of 102 servings per capita, per year in Canada. As a rough approximation, for L. monocytogenes, reference ID10 and ID90 dose levels of response for both normal and high risk populations were given as 10(7) and 10(9) for normal individuals, and 10(5) and 10(7) for high-risk people. The corresponding dose response models were graphically displayed. These models exhibited a higher degree of susceptibility and less host/pathogen heterogeneity for the higher risk group. The range of doses between the ID10 and ID90 reference values corresponded roughly to levels associated with cases of listeriosis. In the risk characterization stage, dose response data was combined with some predictive growth modeling data of L. monocytogenes on pâté, assuming an initial exposure of a single cell for food stored at 4 degrees and 8 degrees C. Storage of pâté at 4 degrees C for more than 35 days resulted in a rapidly increasing risk for the high risk population, while storage at 8 degrees C produced a similar risk after about 13 days. In addition, an equation, used to calculate the average probability of acquiring human listeriosis in Canada from soft and semi-soft cheese consumption, was formulated. Computations derived from this equation indicated a substantial level consistency between reported data and assumptions of the risk assessment model. An important part of risk characterization or possibly risk management is characterizing the economic and social consequences of estimated risks. The total annual estimated cost of listeriosis illnesses and deaths in Canada was estimated to be between 11.1 and 12.6 million dollars.

Canada↗
PubMed1987

Methods for recovering poliovirus and rotavirus from oysters.

Polioviruses and rotaviruses are potential indicators of sewage pollution of water and shellfish. Several methods for detecting these viruses in oysters were assessed. Elution-precipitation involving Catfloc for clarification and skim milk for subsequent flocculation resulted in the recovery of an average of 79% of poliovirus type 1 and 37% of rotavirus SA-11 from oyster homogenates inoculated with low numbers of these viruses. Adsorption-elution-precipitation did not improve the recovery of poliovirus and was detrimental to the recovery of rotavirus. Ultrafiltration or ultracentrifugation resulted in improved recovery of rotavirus but also in higher toxicity of oyster extracts to cell cultures. We recommend the use of the described elution-precipitation method for detecting viral pollutants in sample of oysters.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Adaptational changes in Staphylococcus aureus MF31 grown above its maximum temperature when protected by NaCl: physiological studies.

Staphylococcus aureus MF31 can grow at 46 degrees C, 2 degrees C above its normal maximum temperature of growth if 1 M NaCl is added to the medium. In the present work we show that monosodium glutamate, proline, threonine, aspartic acid, and betaine (in order of decreasing effectiveness) also enabled cells to grow at 46 degrees C. Cells grown at 46 degrees C in he presence of salt (protected or P cells) accumulated glutamate more rapidly than cells grown at 37 degrees C without salt (normal or N cells) and contained an increased amino acid pool. The principal constituents of this pool were dicarboxylic amino acids and proline. Turbidimetric evidence suggests that NaCl caused plasmolysis in S. aureus. The P cells, although grown in 1 M NaCl, had about the same Cl- and K+ content as the N cells grown without added NaCl. P cells had increased heat resistance but high concentrations of CaCl2 in the heating menstruum reduced their D55 value from a maximum of 214 min to less than 30 s. We suggest that growth at 46 degrees C in 1 M NaCl can be explained, in part at least, by the increased amino acid pool internal to the cell and the external osmotic support given by Cl- anions excluded by the cell.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed1980

Screening Fusarium strains isolated from overwintered Canadian grains for trichothecenes.

A survey of 38 samples of Canadian overwintered grains showed that 14 (37%) contained viable Fusarium. Of a total of 38 Fusarium isolates, cultured on autoclaved corn, 20 (from 7 grain samples) showed toxicity to brine shrimp larvae and 12 (from 5 samples) produced levels of trichothecenes detectable by thin layer chromatography. The principal trichothecene found was T-2 toxin, produced by 10 strains and accompanied in half of these by neosolaniol; some of these strains were identified as F. sporotrichioides Sherbakoff. Two strains of F. poae (Peck) Wollenw. formed small amounts of diacetoxyscirpenol. T-2 toxin was the most toxic of 8 trichothecenes tested on brine shrimp larvae; the wide range of toxicities limits the usefulness of this bioassay as a general screening method for trichothecenes.

Canada↗
PubMed1979

Toxins of molds from decaying tomato fruit.

Among 27 mold isolates from decaying tomatoes, culture filtrates or ethyl acetate extracts of 8 isolates grown in yeast extract-sucrose medium were markedly toxic (mortality, greater than 50%) to brine shrimp larvae. The toxicity of six of these isolates could be attributed to the presence of citrinin, tenuazonic acid, or T-2 toxin. Ethyl acetate extracts of five Alternaria isolates and one Fusarium isolate were mutagenic for Salmonella typhimurium strains. In ripe tomatoes inoculated with toxin-producing isolates and incubated at 25 degrees C, one Alternaria alternata isolate produced tenuazonic acid in seven of seven tomatoes at levels of up to 106 micrograms/g and alternariol methyl ether in one of the seven tomatoes at 0.8 microgram/g. Another A. alternata isolate produced tenuazonic acid or alternariol methyl ether at much lower levels in only three of seven tomatoes. Patulin and citrinin were produced by a Penicillium expansum isolate at levels of up to 8.4 and 0.76 microgram/g, respectively. In tomatoes incubated at 15 degrees C, a Fusarium sulphureum isolate produced T-2 toxin, HT-2 toxin, and neosolaniol at levels of up to 37.5, 37.8 and 5.6 micrograms/g, respectively. If these mycotoxins are thermostable, they may occur at detectable levels in tomato products whenever partially moldy tomatoes are used as raw material.

Animals↗
PubMed1977

Study of conditions of production of roquefortine and other metabolites of Penicillin roqueforti.

Experiments to determine optimum yields of roquefortine, isofumigaclavine A, and PR toxin, metabolites from Penicillum roqueforti Thom, were performed. Four strains, isolated from blue cheese, and five liquid media were evaluated, although not all permutations were studied. Sucrose (15%)-yeast extract (2%) was the medium chosen for time-course studies at 25 and 15 degrees C using one favorable strain. At 25 degrees C, maximum estimated yields of roquefortine were about 100 mg/liter in the mycelium by 16 days, and no subsequent degradation of this alkaloid was observed. On the other hand, production of PR toxin in the medium peaked at 770 mg/liter at 21 days. At 15 degrees C, yields of roquefortine and PR toxin after 49 days were 60 to 70% of the maximum yields obtained at 25 degrees C. However, about three times more isofumigaclavine A (up to 11 mg/liter) was formed in the mycelium at 15 degrees C than at 25 degrees C. All four strains of P. roqueforti procedure both roquefortine and PR toxin on the sucrose-yeast extract medium at 25 degrees C; isofumigaclavine A was detected in all but one strain grown on this medium.

Cheese↗
PubMed1971

Brine shrimp (Artemia salina L.) larvae as a screening system for fungal toxins.

Concentrations resulting in 50% mortality, determined with brine shrimp (Artemia salina L.) larvae exposed to known mycotoxins for 16 hr, were (mug/ml): aflatoxin G(1), 1.3; diacetoxyscirpenol, 0.47; gliotoxin, 3.5; ochratoxin A, 10.1; and sterigmatocystin, 0.54. 4-Acetamido-4-hydroxy-2-butenoic acid gamma-lactone gave no mortality at 10 mug/ml. Used as a screening system involving discs saturated with solutions of known mycotoxins, the larvae were relatively sensitive to aflatoxin B(1), diacetoxyscirpenol, gliotoxin, kojic acid, ochratoxin A, rubratoxin B, sterigmatocystin, stemphone, and T-2 toxin. Quantities of 0.2 to 2 mug/disc caused detectable mortality. The larvae were only moderately sensitive to citrinin, patulin, penicillic acid, and zearalenone which were detectable at 10 to 20 mug/disc. They were relatively insensitive to griseofulvin, luteoskyrin, oxalic acid, and beta-nitropropionic acid. The disc screening method indicated that 27 out of 70 fungal isolates from foods and feeds grown in liquid or solid media produced chloroform-extractable toxic material. Examination of toxic extracts by thin-layer chromatography for 17 known mycotoxins showed that the toxicity of eight isolates could be attributed to aflatoxin B(1) and B(2), kojic acid, zearalenone, T-2 toxin, or ochratoxin A. Nine out of 32 of these fungal isolates grown in four liquid media yielded toxic culture filtrates from at least one medium. Chemical tests for kojic, oxalic, and beta-nitropropionic acids showed the presence of one or two of these compounds in filtrates of seven of these nine isolates.

Aspergillus↗