Food Division Microbiology

Pathogen Determination and Identification

At ILS we have a dedicated Pathogen laboratory that has recently been extended; the Pathogen Laboratory staff are also a dedicated team with vastly experienced microbiologists conducting the testing.

There are basically two main forms of testing food products one is Microbiological Quality Determination and the other is food safety, which includes analysing and testing for food pathogens.

Pathogenic organisms are those that can cause illness in humans either by infections such as Salmonella, Campylobacter and pathogenic Ecoli or in toxications such as Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus or Clostridium botulinum.

One important point to remember is that, unlike food spoilage organisms, you cannot see, taste or smell products that are colonised by pathogenic micro-organisms.

There are a range of symptoms that can occur from these organisms - from flu like symptoms and the worst case scenario is fatality.

At ILS we test for a wide range of food poisoning organisms including the following ;

Salmonella spp - The Salmonella group is probably the best known food poisoning organism and although associated with poultry and eggs can be found in a wide variety of foods. Cases and incidence of Salmonellosis have reduced but it is still one of the major causes of UK outbreaks of food posioning.

Listeria monocytogenes - Listeria monocytogenes is classed as the only pathogenic member of the Listeria group, however others in the group are thought to be possible pathogens. Listeria is widespread in the environment and is often a post process contaminant. Incidence of Listeriosis are on the increase.

Pathogenic E.coli 0157 – This organism is a member of the Enterobacteriaceae which can cause virulent food poisoning, it is an indicator of faecal contamination.

Campylobacter - Campylobacter is now the most prevalent form of food borne illness in the UK mostly associated with raw poultry it can be found in other food groups.

Vibrio parahaemolyticus - This is a marine organism and is generally associated with warm water fish, prawns and shellfish. Incidence is rare in the UK but it can also be found in cold waters.

Bacillus spp – This is a group of aerobic spore forming organisms, which may survive heating and some, can cause food poisoning. Bacillus cereus is one of this group and your food can be tested separately for this organism.

Staphylococcus aureus – This organism could cause food poisoning and if it grows in large numbers can leave toxins in the product, which may survive heating. It lives on the skins if humans and animals and can easily be transferred to food products.

Clostridium perfringens – This is a commonly found organism and is a member of the Clostridia they are anaerobic spore forming organisms, which may survive heating, can be associated with meats and other products.

At ILS we use tried and tested cultural methods alongside some rapid methodology for pathogen determination.

Stool Testing - This is sometimes required to check to see if any members of staff are carriers during outbreaks of organisms such as Salmonella, Campylobacter, Shigella and Ecoli 0157.

ILS work in partnership with Midland Pathology Services who undertake this work.

 Contact ILS - For all your  Pathogen testing enquiries