Comparison of Pathogen Detection Methods in Compost and Compost Characteristics as Potential Predictors of Pathogen Regrowth

Simple item page
dc.contributor.advisorFelton, Garyen_US
dc.contributor.authorReynnells, Russell Edwarden_US
dc.contributor.departmentEnvironmental Science and Technologyen_US
dc.contributor.publisherDigital Repository at the University of Marylanden_US
dc.contributor.publisherUniversity of Maryland (College Park, Md.)en_US
dc.date.accessioned2014-02-05T06:31:37Z
dc.date.available2014-02-05T06:31:37Z
dc.date.issued2013en_US
dc.description.abstractImproperly thermally treated compost can allow human pathogens to survive. Pathogens can regrow in finished compost due to recontamination or incomplete pathogen-kill. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) and U.S. Composting Council's (USCC) methodologies were compared to recover populations of inoculated non-pathogenic E. coli and pathogenic Salmonella spp. from finished compost. Two immunomagnetic separation (IMS) techniques were additionally compared for the rapid recovery of inoculated pathogenic E. coli O157:H7. Twenty-nine point-of-sale composts were obtained from 19 U.S. states. EPA methods recovered more (generic E. coli, p=0.0001) or statistically equal (Salmonella, p=0.27) amounts of inocula compared to USCC methods. Both IMS techniques identified with 3-4% false negatives among replicates. Physicochemical parameters of compost were tested as predictors of Salmonella and O157:H7 regrowth in finished compost. Salmonella and O157:H7 populations increased over three days in 48% and 52% of compost samples, respectively. No physicochemical measurements could predict the regrowth of Salmonella or O157:H7.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/14819
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.subject.pqcontrolledEnvironmental scienceen_US
dc.subject.pqcontrolledAgricultureen_US
dc.subject.pqcontrolledFood scienceen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledComposten_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledE. coli O157:H7 Salmonellaen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledEPA Method 1680 1682en_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledimmunomagnetic separationen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledPathogen regrowthen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledTMECC 07.01 07.02en_US
dc.titleComparison of Pathogen Detection Methods in Compost and Compost Characteristics as Potential Predictors of Pathogen Regrowthen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US

Files

Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
Reynnells_umd_0117N_14764.pdf
Size:
1.26 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Download

Collections

UMD Theses and Dissertations
Environmental Science & Technology Theses and Dissertations