The presence of enteric pathogens in produce can serve as a significant means of transmitting infections to consumers. Notably, tomatoes, as a type of produce, have been implicated in outbreaks caused by various human pathogens, such as
Salmonella enterica and pathogenic
Escherichia coli.
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The presence of enteric pathogens in produce can serve as a significant means of transmitting infections to consumers. Notably, tomatoes, as a type of produce, have been implicated in outbreaks caused by various human pathogens, such as
Salmonella enterica and pathogenic
Escherichia coli. However, the survival characteristics of
Shigella spp. in tomatoes have not been thoroughly investigated. In this study, we assess the survival of
S. flexneri 2a in two distinct varieties of post-harvested tomatoes.
S. flexneri 2a was used to inoculate both regular-sized Vine tomatoes and cherry-type Mini Plum tomatoes. Our findings reveal no significant difference in
Shigella survival in the pericarp of both varieties on day 2 post-inoculation. However, a significant disparity emerges on day 6, where all recovered
Shigella colonies exclusively belong to the Mini Plum variety, with none associated with the Vine type. When
Shigella was inoculated into the locular cavity (deep inoculation), no significant difference between varieties was observed. Additionally, we investigate the potential role of the SRL pathogenicity island (SRL PAI) in the survival and fitness of
S. flexneri 2a in post-harvested tomatoes. Our results indicate that while the SRL PAI is not linked to the survival of the strains in tomato, it does impact their fitness. These findings underscore the variability in
Shigella strains’ survival capabilities depending on the tomato variety, highlighting the importance of understanding
Shigella ecology beyond the human host and identifying molecular determinants influencing bacterial survival to mitigate the risk of future outbreaks. The significance of this data on
Shigella persistence in fresh vegetables should not be underestimated, as even a small number of
Shigella cells can pose a threat to the health of individuals.
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