- FDA has partnered with Purdue University and Indiana produce industry stakeholders to launch an environmental microbiology study to better understand the ecology of human pathogens, focusing on assessing risks related to Salmonella in the environment. The study is intended to develop a better understanding of the source of pathogens, their persistence, and how they transfer through the growing environment to ultimately help inform food safety practices.
- The study is in response to outbreaks of Salmonella linked to cantaloupe grown in the Southwest Indiana agricultural region where a specific source or route of contamination was not found. The identification of other Salmonella varieties that were genetically similar to other isolates collected in the region over the last decade suggests that Salmonella is a reoccurring issue and that multiple reservoirs for Salmonella spp. may exist. According to FDA, “[t]he outbreak investigations have shown that there are complex environmental survival, proliferation, and dispersal mechanisms of pathogens in this region that need to be better understood.”
- Researchers will sample air, soil, water, and animal scat, as well as collect weather data, to better understand what environmental conditions may encourage the survival, growth, and spread of pathogens. The study will occur at a farm in central Indiana, four Purdue-operated farms in northwest Indiana, and the Southwest Purdue Ag Center.
- Indiana ranks sixth in U.S. cantaloupe production, according to USDA data from 2018 when Indiana growers planted 1,800 acres of cantaloupe worth $8.6 million. Growers “want to participate in this study because of their commitment to do everything they can to keep their produce as safe as possible.”