James Rutherford

Environmental Microbiology: Unit 10

The thought of a bacteria-free world sounds pretty amazing doesnt it?
No illnesses, no fear of getting diseases, or viruses. This sounds pretty ideal,
right? However, most people who think all bacteria are bad dont know that
without bacteria, life would not exist. With no bacteria on earth there would
be no plants or animals. Tiny bacteria do more than make us sick. They
convert atmospheric nitrogen into compounds plants use, create vitamins
and other products for their animal hosts, break down dead bodies, and cast
off parts and animal wastes (Russel 2013).
The validity of using fecal coliforms has not been scientifically
reviewed to prove that it is a valid approach. Considering the differences in
the target bacteria being detected, absent any consideration of pathogen
presence in water, and without formal efforts to determine how well they
fulfill the essential criteria of an ideal or acceptable indicator of fecal
contamination, the validity of H2S tests, the meaning and reliability of
interpretation of their results and their ability to predict microbial health risks
is a matter of concern (WHO). This method however should be used. It has
been determined by use, that it is monitored by determining the correlation
between different bacterial indicators and occurrence of digestive illness.
This is how the state determines if the water meets quality standards of
preventing illnesses (EPA 2012).
If my class was to have a party where only items produced by
microorganisms would be produced, one of the items I could bring is yogurt.
In yogurt, microorganisms are added to heated milk and set aside at a warm

temperature which produces yogurt. I could also take Sauerkraut which is

fermented cabbage. There are microorganisms that grow within the cabbage
that aids in the fermentation. This is also the same process for pickles.
The microbial content of a beef stake is 100 to 100,000 per gram. To
properly prepare a steak, make sure all surfaces are clean and the steak,
depending on thickness should be cooked until 325-450 degrees. Ground
beef produced 3,846 bacterial cells per gram after a six hour period of
defrosting in the refrigerator. The bacteria found in ground beef are
Escherishia coli, Campylobacter jejuni, Listeria monocytogenes, and
Staphylococcus aureus. These are all harmful. To keep these bacteria levels
low, you should store it at 40 degrees F. If you dont plan on using it within
two days, it should be frozen. It should be cooked until internal temp reaches
160 degrees F. Yersinia enterocolitica was found in 69% of pork samples from
around the country. This can cause fever, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. To
safely cook pork chops to prevent this, you should cook them to 144 degrees
as recommended by the USDA to give room for margin error. One of the
major microbes found in chicken is salmonella. These bacteria can cause
vomiting, diarrhea, a low-grade fever. Chicken should be cooked until 165
degrees internally to kill the bacteria.

References

https://www.ebiomedia.com/bacteria-ya-cant-live-without-um.html
www.water.epa.gov/type/rls/monitoring/vms511.cfm
www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/WSH02.08.pdf
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/getanswers/foodsafety-fact-sheets/meat-preparation/ground-beef-and-foodsafety/CT_Index
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2013/01/what-s-in-thatpork/index.htm