Survival and Growth of Vibrio cholerae O1, Salmonella typhi , and Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Alfalfa Sprouts

The survival and growth of Vibrio cholerae O1, Salmonella typhi , and Escherichia coli O157:H7 during germination and sprouting of disinfected alfalfa seeds and alfalfa sprouts was determined. All pathogens showed ability to grow during germination and sprouting, reaching counts of approximately 6.0 log 10 CFU/g after 24 h. No growth was observed for any pathogen when the sprouts were inoculated after 24 h of seed germination. At this time, the background microflora was abundant. Numbers of pathogens inoculated on alfalfa sprouts decreased less than 1 log10 CFU/g over 15 d of refrigeration. Alfalfa sprouts can be an important factor contributing to the endemicity for typhoid fever and cholera in México.