NUIG study highlights difficulty in killing salmonella

Galway Bay Fm Newsroom

Salmonella can become almost impossible to kill once it has an opportunity to establish itself.

That's the findings of an NUI Galway study which was prompted by the European salmonella agona outbreak in 2012.

Over 160 cases of gastroenteritis were reported in 10 countries.

The research found that all types of salmonella studied were able to adopt the specialised biofilm lifestyle on surfaces such as glass, tile, concrete and plastic.

It was not possible to kill the salmonella cells using any of three disenfectancts if the biofilm was allowed to grow for seven days before it was applied.

The findings will serve as a warning to food processors highlighting that once this happens, it is likely to be extraordinarily difficult to kill it.