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Intensive livestock feed-lots have become more prevalent in recent years to help in meeting the predicted food production targets based on expected population growth. Effluent from these is stored in ponds, representing a potential concern for seepage and contamination of groundwater. Whilst previous literature suggests that effluent particulate can limit seepage adequately in combination with a clay liner, this research addresses potential concerns for sealing of ponds with low concentration fine and then evaluates this against proposed filter-cake based methodologies to describe and predict hydraulic reduction. Short soil cores were compacted to 98% of the maximum dry density and subject to ponded head percolation with unfiltered-sediment-reduced effluent, effluent filtered to <3 µm, and chemically synthesized effluent. Reduction in hydraulic conductivity was observed to be primarily due to the colloidal fraction of the effluent, with larger particulate fractions providing minimal further reduction. Pond sealing was shown to follow mathematical models of filter-cake formation, but without the formation of a physical seal on top of the soil surface. Management considerations based on the results are presented.

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Shigella, the causative agent of shigellosis or "bacillary dysentery," has been increasingly involved in foodborne outbreaks. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Emerging Infections Program, Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet), Shigella was the third most reported foodborne bacterial pathogen in 2002. Foods are most commonly contaminated with Shigella by an infected food handler who practices poor personal hygiene. Shigella is acid resistant, salt tolerant, and can survive at infective levels in many types of foods such as fruits and vegetables, low pH foods, prepared foods, and foods held in modified atmosphere or vacuum packaging. Survival is often increased when food is held at refrigerated temperatures. Detection methods for Shigella include conventional culture methods, immunological methods, and molecular microbiological methods. Conventional culture of Shigella in foods is often problematic due to the lack of appropriate selective media. Immunological methods for Shigella have been researched, yet there is only one commercially available test kit. Molecular microbiological methods such as PCR, oligonucleotide microarrays, and rep-PCR have also been developed for the detection and identification of Shigella. This manuscript reviews the general characteristics, prevalence, growth and survival, and methods for detection of Shigella in food.

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Isolation of Shigella spp. from food is difficult because of a lack of appropriate selective media and the presence of low numbers of shigellae relative to competitive microorganisms. Chromogenic Shigella spp. plating medium (CSPM) was evaluated for use with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Bacteriological Analytical Manual (BAM) enrichment procedure for isolation of artificially contaminated Shigella boydii UI02 and Shigella sonnei UI05 from tomato surfaces. Tomatoes were inoculated with various concentrations of S. boydii UI02 or S. sonnei UI05 and rinsed using a shake-rub-shake procedure. Tomato rinses were enriched overnight according to the BAM procedure and streaked for isolation on CSPM, Salmonella-Shigella agar (SSA), and MacConkey agar (MAC). To access the isolation of S. boydii UI02 and S. sonnei UI05 without competition from natural tomato microflora, experiments were repeated using rifampin-adapted inocula and enrichments supplemented with 50 microg/ml rifampin. Isolation of S. boydii UI02 and S. sonnei UI05 with or without natural tomato microflora was not significantly different (P > 0.05) on CSPM, MAC, or SSA. Colony color enhancements created by CSPM may ease differentiation of Shigella colonies from those of closely related competitors.

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Detection of Shigella boydii UI02 and Shigella sonnei UI05 artificially inoculated onto tomatoes was evaluated using enrichment protocols of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Bacteriological Analytical Manual (BAM) and the American Public Health Association's Compendium of Methods for the Microbiological Examination of Food (CMMEF), enrichment in Enterobacteriaceae enrichment (EE) broth supplemented with 1.0 microg/ml novobiocin and incubated at 42 degrees C, and FTA filtration-nested PCR. To assess the effect of natural tomato microflora on recovery, conventional culture enrichments were repeated using rifampin-adapted inocula and enrichment medium supplemented with 50 microg/ml rifampin. The lowest detection levels for S. boydii UI02 were > 5.3 x 10(5) (BAM, CMMEF, and EE broth) and 6.2 CFU per tomato (FTA filtration-nested PCR). For S. sonnei UI05, the lowest detection levels were 1.9 x 10(1) (BAM), 1.5 x 10(3) (CMMEF), 1.1 x 10(1) (EE broth), and 7.4 CFU per tomato (FTA filtration-nested PCR). Natural tomato microflora had a large impact on recovery of S. sonnei UI05 and completely inhibited recovery of S. boydii UI02. EE broth was inhibitory to S. boydii UI02. FTA filtration-nested PCR provided superior detection (P < 0.05) compared with the conventional culture enrichment protocols.

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