IEH Study on Cronobacter sakazakii in U.S. Households

Male figure bottle feeding a baby.

Our most recent research publication by Samadpour et al., entitled “Microbiological survey and genomic analysis of Cronobacter sakazakii strains isolated from US households and retail food” was published in the American Society for Microbiology Journal, Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

𝘊𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘻𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘪 is an opportunistic pathogen known to cause severe illness, especially in infants. To investigate the role of domestic environments in Cronobacter infections, we conducted a nationwide microbiological survey of homes and foods across the US.

Results showed 𝘊𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘻𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘪 was found in one-quarter of homes, with higher recovery rates on floors and kitchen surfaces. The dominant strain identified, 𝘊. 𝘴𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘻𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘪 ST4, is commonly associated with neonatal meningitis. Retail foods were also surveyed, revealing higher contamination frequencies in nut products, seeds, grains, baked goods, and flours.

Sequence typing of isolates from homes aligned closely with those from retail foods. Whole genome sequencing demonstrated considerable diversity, with redundancies only identified from isolates recovered from the same household. These findings highlight the potential for home environments to contribute to community-onset 𝘊𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳 infections.

For further findings, visit: https://lnkd.in/gcpcvu4j