Approximately eight years ago, Dr. Larry Barrett (a founding board member of WIFSS) invited Dr. Michele Jay-Russell to participate in a "unique new collaborative initiative" involving a partnership between government, academia, and industry that would "revolutionize approaches for assuring safe food and food security."

Dr. Michele Jay-Russell DVM, MPVM, Diplomate, ACVPM | Profile | Biography |

In 2003, after many meetings, draft white papers, and name changes for the proposed new Institute, the Western Institute for Food Safety and Security opened its doors at UC Davis.

Dr. Jay-Russell earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and Master of Preventive Veterinary Medicine degrees from UC Davis in 1992, and is currently a Candidate for the PhD degree in Microbiology. She was board certified in the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine in 1997.

She is currently a Research Scientist with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) in the Food and Drug Laboratory Branch and is assigned at WIFSS to build important liaisons between key food safety and public health organizations. Her research interests include the molecular epidemiology of zoonotic and foodborne pathogens, improved pathogen detection in diagnostic and environmental samples, and innovative approaches to provide food safety and food security outreach and education to stakeholders. Dr. Jay-Russell has worked on the front lines of public health for over 14 years in both state and local government. In September 2006, she joined a multi-agency, multi-disciplinary team to investigate a nationwide outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 traced to fresh spinach grown in the California Central Coast. She was recognized for teamwork on the spinach outbreak with a CDHS Superior Accomplishment Award, the FDA Leveraging/Collaboration Award, and the International Association of Food Protection Innovation award.
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Dr. Atwill gave a talk, entitled "Understanding pathogens of concern, their prevalence, and survival on rangeland," to a room full of beef cattle ranchers at the Rangeland Water Quality Meeting (Solano County UC Cooperative Extension). Dr. Atwill's talk exemplifies the importance of WIFSS and its partners (UCCE, NRCS, and others) to continue to provide up-to-date information to landowners regarding beneficial management practices for microbial water quality.
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Dr. Harris gave an overview of food preservation and food safety to incoming classes of Master Food Preservers in Sacramento and Placerville, On March 1 and March 18 respectively.  The Master Food Preserver program is a volunteer program similar to Master Gardeners.  Volunteers go through several weeks of training that includes lectures and laboratory sessions and then provide educational programs on home food preservation.  They also attend farmers markets and other county shows to answer questions related to home food preservation and food safety in general.
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In Bakersfield on March 11, Dr. Harris provided the Fresh Carrot Research Board with a research grant update on a literature review of microbial safety of carrots and carrot products.  She also gave a separate presentation on the microbial safety of fresh vegetable products to the same group. Later the same day at Harris Ranch in Collinga, she provided an update on her research related to E. coli O157:H7 and lettuce to the California Lettuce Research Board.
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Dr. Harris attended the Western Growers Food Safety/Science and Technology Committee meeting in Sacramento on March 12.  This is her second year as an ad-hoc member of this committee.
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WIFSS’s March 28 meeting of the Emergency Animal Disposal Workgroup (EADW) was hosted first by the State Office of Emergency Services followed by Sacramento Rendering. OES is the lead agency which coordinates emergency planning and response and is assisting the EADW in its review of the state’s livestock mortality management. Besides learning how OES would assist in a catastrophic animal mortality event, attendees had the opportunity to tour the Mather facility including the emergency operations center (photos: EOC). Following lunch, EADW members toured nearby Sacramento Rendering in small groups (photos: air filter, protein meal ). Rendering is a indispensable and environmentally friendly process which helps recycle a wide variety of materials including livestock mortalities, road kill, restaurant grease, spoiled food, and animal by-products (e.g., feathers, or viscera).
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The WIFSS Agroterrorism Preparedness Training program is, again, in full swing with a total of 73 courses scheduled to date this year. We are continuing to enroll new communities across the country requesting delivery of the full six-course curriculum. During March, WIFSS added Florida and Hawaii to the growing list of 20 states requesting training nationwide. WIFSS' training is funded by a competitive grant from the Department of Homeland Security, California Office of Homeland Security, and a subcontract from Eastern Kentucky University. WIFSS is making very good progress on the objectives of all three contracts. Recently, Eastern Kentucky University has invited WIFSS to participate on a concept paper to train elected officials and top administration within select Kentucky communities. California Office of Homeland Security is funding delivery of the curriculum to communities throughout the state of California. These deliveries will allow communities to complete the WIFSS curriculum, which is facilitating preparedness statewide. As some of you may know, California and the Pacific Northwest's salmon industry are experiencing a financial crisis due to the commercial and sport fishing ban. WIFSS is looking for ways to support the industry and coastal communities facing extraordinary financial stress. We propose to use our Recovery Planning Course as a resource to help, those in the salmon industry and their communities, plan and implement recovery strategies. We will be seeking federal and state funds to implement the recovery training for these communities. WIFSS' FDA project to develop Rapid Response Teams in ten states nationwide is still in the development phase. A two-day meeting is scheduled for June that will identify specific roles, expectations and timeframes. We expect to start working with the states next fall.
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On March 7, 2008, WIFSS held its Winter Quarter Advisory Board Meeting from 10 a.m.–2 p.m.. Key items discussed included revision of the bylaws, and board replacements for the seats previously held by California Department of Public Health’s Kevin Reilly, who took a new assignment down in Southern California, and California Grocers Association’s Peter Larkin, who retired and is now working independently. Bonnie Fernandez, the newly appointed director of the Center for Produce Safety, was a guest attendee at this meeting but was asked to be a member of the board.  Staff reported on ongoing and completed outreach and research activities which are covered in more detail in other sections of the newsletter.
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This conference is one of the largest gatherings of county, state, and federal wildlife trappers involved in resolving human-wildlife conflicts. Dr. Atwill's talk, entitled "Implications of wildlife in E. coli outbreaks associated with leafy green produce" addresses issues and concerns of wildlife shedding E. coli O157:H7 and produce food safety. This meeting was a great opportunity to enhance awareness of the potential for wildlife to function as a source of microbial contamination for fresh produce. Also discussed were possible intervention strategies to mitigate these risks.

Dr. Michele Jay-Russell also presented the feral pig data she and her team collected from their September 2006 investigation of the nationwide outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 traced to fresh spinach grown in the California Central Coast.  She co-presented the paper, "Food Safety Risks and Mitigation Strategies for Feral Swine (Sus scrofa) near Agriculture Fields" with Gerald Wiscomb (USDA APHIS Wildlife Services).  The advantages and potential pitfalls of mitigation strategies to reduce the risk of contamination of raw vegetable commodities by free-roaming feral swine were discussed.

For more information regarding the conference, visit www.vpconference.org.
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WIFSS' Dr. Michele Jay-Russell presented on "Foodborne Pathogens in the Farm Environment: Wildlife and Other Potential Risk Factors" at the CDC National Laboratory Training Network conference, Investigating Foodborne Ilness: The Laboratory's Role. The purpose of this dynamic conference was to enhance laboratorians' awareness of the role they play in investigating and combating foodborne illness.  The training also provided information about the newest laboratory methods and techniques used in investigating these illnesses. The conference was presented in Rancho Cucamongo, CA on February 7, 2008 and in Richmond, CA on February 8, 2007. The faculty comprised experts on the front lines of outbreak investigation including Dr. Bala Swaminathan who conceived and implemented PulseNet, the acclaimed molecular subtyping network for foodborne disease surveillance. To download the complete brochure, click here.
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2^nd National Food Safety Research Symposium for the Treecrop Industry
May 7, 2008, 8am–2pm
Bally’s Hotel, Las Vegas, NV
The organization of the conference has been a collaborative effort of the Western Institute for Food Safety and Security (UC Davis), the Postharvest Technology Research and Information Center (UC Davis), treecrop industry representatives, and academics from the University of Florida and Cornell University. The objectives of this second meeting are to work to further refine data gaps and research needs that were identified at the October 2007 meeting.  The goal is to develop a prioritized list of commodity and regionally-specific research that would help develop appropriate pre-and post-harvest standards and critical limits.  Martha Roberts (University of Florida) and Dave Gombas (United Fresh) have been invited to discuss the progress made with similar activities of the tomato and lettuce/leafy greens industry.  Professionals from the fresh produce industry, agricultural extension, and government and academic research, have been invited.   The meeting time and location was selected to coordinate with the United Fresh Food Safety and Technical Seminar.  For more information, contact Dr. Linda J. Harris.
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A Systems Approach to Food Safety…Connecting the Dots Conference
June 5, 2008
Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, St. Helena, CA
WIFSS is co-sponsoring a conference with the California Institute for Food and Agricultural Research on June 5, 2008.  The conference entitled “A Systems Approach to Food Safety…Connecting the Dots" will be held at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena, CA.  This one-day conference will provide a holistic perspective of food safety, weaving risk, standards, practices, and emerging technologies into a practical mosaic of agriculture, environment, health, and safety.  Speakers and participants will represent different segments of the regional, national, and global food supply chain; and contribute their own perspectives toward ensuing a safe, diverse, nutritious, and affordable food supply. For more information, contact Dr. Linda J. Harris.
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Animal Composting Research Project Gets Underway(submitted by Michael Payne)

One of the Emergency Animal Disposal Workgroup (EADW) current research projects is examining pathogen reduction and environmental impacts during composting of cattle mortalities (photos: breaking ground, groundwork). On April 2^nd, four freshly dead cows were buried in dairy manure solids along with strategically placed temperature data loggers and surrogate pathogens (photos: observation). This project is a collaborative project between the California Department of Food and Agriculture and UC Davis' School of Veterinary Medicine and WIFSS. The research is being performed at the Veterinary Medicine Teaching and Research Center (UC Davis' School of Veterinary Medicine) in Tulare.
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Escherichia coli O157:H7 in feral swine near spinach fields and cattle, Central California Coast. Emerg Infect Dis 13(12):1908-11. (2007)
Jay MT, Cooley M, Carychao D, Wiscomb GW, Sweitzer RA, Crawford-Miksza L, Farrar JA, Lau DK, O'Connell J, Millington A, Asmundson RV, Atwill ER, Mandrell RE.

Available from: CDC web site

ABSTRACT:
We investigated involvement of feral swine in contamination of agricultural fields and surface waterways with Escherichia coli O157:H7 after a nationwide outbreak traced to bagged spinach from California. Isolates from feral swine, cattle, surface water, sediment, and soil at 1 ranch were matched to the outbreak strain.
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Incidence and Tracking of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in a major produce production region in California. PLoS ONE 2(11): e1159. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0001159. (2007)
Cooley M, Carychao D, Crawford-Miksza L, Jay MT, Myers C, Rose C, Keys C, Farrar J, Mandrell RE.

Available from: Plosone web site

ABSTRACT:
Fresh vegetables have become associated with outbreaks caused by Escherichia coli O157:H7 (EcO157). Between 1995-2006, 22 1produce outbreaks were documented in the United States, with nearly half traced to lettuce or spinach grown in California. Outbreaks between 2002 and 2006 induced investigations of possible sources of pre-harvest contamination on implicated farms in the Salinas and San Juan valleys of California, and a survey of the Salinas watershed. EcO157 was isolated at least once from 15 of 22 different watershed sites over a 19 month period. The incidence of EcO157 increased significantly when heavy rain caused an increased flow rate in the rivers. Approximately 1000 EcO157 isolates obtained from cultures of >100 individual samples were typed using Multi-Locus Variable-number-tandem-repeat Analysis (MLVA) to assist in identifying potential fate and transport of EcO157 in this region. A subset of these environmental isolates were typed by Pulse Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE) in order to make comparisons with human clinical isolates associated with outbreak and sporadic illness. Recurrence of identical and closely related EcO157 strains from specific locations in the Salinas and San Juan valleys suggests that transport of the pathogen is usually restricted. In a preliminary study, EcO157 was detected in water at multiple locations in a low-flow creek only within 135 meters of a point source. However, possible transport up to 32 km was detected during periods of higher water flow associated with flooding. During the 2006 baby spinach outbreak investigation, transport was also detected where water was unlikely to be involved. These results indicate that contamination of the environment is a dynamic process involving multiple sources and methods of transport. Intensive studies of the sources, incidence, fate and transport of EcO157 near produce production are required to determine the mechanisms of pre-harvest contamination and potential risks for human illness.
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Migration of Salmonella Enteritidis PT 30 through almond hulls and shells.  J. Food Prot. 71:397-401.(2008)
Danyluk, M. D., M. T. Brandl, and L. J. Harris.

ABSTRACT:
The ability of Salmonella to migrate from an external aqueous environment through the almond hull and shell, and to colonize the kernel, was evaluated in two ways.  First, the outer surface of shell halves from five varieties of almonds that differed in shell hardness were placed in contact with a suspension of Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis Phage Type (PT) 30 for 24 h at 24˚C.  Salmonella Enteritidis was isolated from the inside of these almond shells in 46% and 100% of the samples by direct swabbing of the inner surface of the shell and by enrichment from the swab, respectively. These findings suggested that hardness of the shell is not a significant factor in the migration of the pathogen through that tissue.  In addition, both motile and non-motile strains of S. enterica serovar Typhimurium migrated through the almond shells to the same extent under the conditions of this assay, indicating that bacterial migration through the wet shell may be a passive process. Second, whole almonds (intact hull, shell, and kernel) were soaked for 24 to 72 h at 24˚C in a suspension of S. Enteritidis PT 30 labeled with the green fluorescent protein (GFP). GFP-labeled Salmonella cells were observed on the outer and inner surfaces of both the almond hull and shell, and on the kernel, by confocal laser scanning microscopy.  Our data provide direct evidence that wet conditions allow for Salmonella migration through the hull and shell and onto the almond kernel, thus providing a means by which almond kernels may become contaminated in the field.
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Vacuum cooling process and internalization of Escherichia coli O157:H7 into lettuce tissue. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2008 Mar 14 [Epub ahead of print].
Li H, Tajkarimi M, Osburn BI.
Available from: AEM web site

ABSTRACT:
Vacuum cooling is a common practice in the California leafy-green industry. This study addressed the impact of vacuum cooling on the internalization of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in lettuce as part of the risk assessment responding to the E. coli O157:H7 outbreaks associated with leafy-green produce from California. Vacuum cooling increased the internalization of E. coli O157:H7 into the lettuce tissue significantly (2.65E+06 CFU/g) compared to the non-vacuumed condition (1.98E+05 CFU/g). A stringent surface sterilization and quadruple washing could not eliminate the internalized bacteria in lettuce. It appeared that vacuuming forcibly changed the structure of lettuce tissue such as the stomata, suggesting a possible mechanism of E. coli O157:H7 internalization. Vacuuming also caused a slower reduction rate of E. coli O157:H7 in stored lettuce leaves, compared to the non-vacuumed condition.
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