(NC Research Campus, Kannapolis, NC, November 15, 2011)- On a mission to defeat pathogens like Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, E. coli 0157:H7 or any of 31 other microorganisms that cause foodborne illness and to treat outbreaks more effectively are the researchers at the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University’s (NC A&T) Center for Excellence in Post Harvest Technologies (CEPHT) located at the North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis (NCRC).
“Pathogens cause a lot of deaths, sickness and hospitalization which results in a tremendous economic burden with loss of work and doctor visits and on the food industry with recalls and lawsuits,” said Leonard L. Williams, PhD, CEPHT’s interim director, lead scientist and associate professor of food microbiology and biotechnology. The human and economic burden, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), totals over 48 million foodborne illnesses, 128,000 hospitalizations and over 3,000 deaths a year, mostly in people who are young, elderly, pregnant or immunocompromised.
“It exponentially compounds itself to where it’s (foodborne illness) probably one of the most costly to treat,” Williams continued. “It is something we hope to help find a remedy for through the research in this center.”
The remedies Williams is developing are natural alternatives. Recently, Williams with co-investigators from Alabama A&M University reported in the September 2011 Journal of Medicinal Food that sorrel(Hibiscus sabdariffa), a perennial herb, has antimicrobial activity that can inhibit E. coli O157:H7.
“This is the type of work we are trying to focus on comparing natural alternatives to the synthetic alternatives such as the antibiotics that we take,” Williams said. “Bacteria have the ability to acquire resistance and mutate consistently. With natural extracts, they have not quite figured out how to change their genetic material to become resistant. That’s the reason a lot of companies and universities are looking at interventions using natural extracts.”
Williams is also participating in studies to understand how MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and Listeria monocytogenes achieve microbial resistance. He isleading a study to track, test and isolate Verotoxin-producing E. coli (VTEC), Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus on lettuce, green onions, sprouts and spinach in North Carolina, California, the US Midwest and Mexico.
CEPHT’s research focus spans food safety; food processing, packaging and engineering; product development and consumer science; and functional foods and bioactive compounds. They are one of eight universities, businesses and government organizations partnering at the NCRC to advance human health, nutrition and agriculture to prevent, treat, and, one day, cure diseases.
For more information, find Keeping Healthy Foods Healthy for Us about Williams’ research on foodborne illness at www.ncresearchcampus.net.
About the North Carolina Research Campus
The NCRC is a public-private collaboration of universities, businesses, government and non-profit organizations located in Kannapolis, NC, near Charlotte, dedicated to advancing human health, nutrition and agriculture to prevent, treat and cure diseases. Follow the North Carolina Research Campus on Facebook or Twitter.