Email: lm@foodsci.umass.edu
L. McLandsborough Food Science Dept Website

Ph.D.: University of Minnesota
Postdoctoral Training: University of Minnesota

Involvement of Bacterial Surface Molecules in Attachment to Food and Food Processing Surfaces

It is estimated that foodborne disease costs the U.S. economy between 6.5 and 33 million dollars annually. The emergence of bacterial strains resistant to traditional food processing, such as the acid resistance of E. coli O157:H7, has fueled an increased interest in mechanisms used by bacteria to survive and grow under the adverse conditions found in many food products. The primary objective of our research is to study the physical and biological interaction between bacterial surface molecules and food systems. We have recently developed a model system using confocal laser microscopy and E. coli O157:H7 expressing green fluorescent protein to investigate mechanisms of bacterial interaction with solid foods and food emulsions. A major advantage of using a microscopic system is the ability to study affinities of bacteria to components within heterogeneous food systems.

Other areas of research in my laboratory are rapid bacteria detection methods, media formulation, and dairy starter cultures.

Representative publications:

P. Prachaiyo and L. A. McLandsborough. 2003. Oil-in-water emulsion as a model system to study the growth of E. coli O157:H7 in a heterogenous food system. J. Food Sci. 68:1018-1024.

D. Djordjevic, M. Wiedmann, and L. A. McLandsborough. 2002. Microtiter plate assay for assessment of Listeria monocytogenes biofilm formation. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 68:2950-2958.

Li, J., D. J. McClements and L. A. McLandsborough. 2001. Interaction between emulsion droplets and Escherichia coli cells. J. Food Sci. 66:570-575.

Fernec, J., J. Oliver, R. Witkowski, L. McLandsborough, and R. Levin. 2000. Studies in the growth of Escherichia coli O157:H7 strains at 45.5 C. J. Food Prot. 63:1173-1178.

Prachaiyo, P., and L. McLandsborough. 2000. A microscopic method to visualize Escherichia coli interaction with beef muscle. J. Food Prot. 63:427-433.

Shaw, W.K., and L. A. McLandsborough. 2000. PCR reaction parameter titration as an approach to develop shortened reaction times in a conventional thermal cycler. J. Rapid Meth. Automat. Microbiol. 8:53-64.

Li, J. and L. McLandsborough. 1999 The effects of the surface charge and hydrophobicity of Escherichia coli on its adhesion to beef muscle. Int. J. Food Microbiology. 53:185-193.

Cleary, P. P., L. McLandsborough, L. Ikeda, D. Cue, J. Krawczak, and H. Lam. 1998. High-frequency intracellular infection and erythrogenic toxin A expression undergo phase variation in M1 group A streptococci . Mol. Microbiol. 28:157:67.

McLandsborough, L.A., Sechard, L. and McKay, L.L. (1998) Synergistic effect of combination of lactococcal phage resistance fragments of pNP40 with cloned abortive infection gene abiD. J. Dairy Sci. 81, 362-368.

Ji, Y., McLandsborough, L.A., Kondagunta, A. and Cleary, P.P. (1996) C5a peptidase alters clearance and trafficking of group A streptococci by infected mice. Infect. Immun. 64, 503-510.

McLandsborough, L.A. and Cleary, P.P. (1995) Insertional inactivation of virR in Streptococcus pyogenes M49 demonstrates that VirR functions as a positive regulator of ScpA, FcRA, OF, and M protein. FEMS Microbiol. Let. 128, 45-52.

McLandsborough, L.A., Kolaetis, K.M., Requena, T. and McKay, L.L. (1995) Cloning and characterization of the abortive infection genetic determinant abiD isolated for pBF61 of Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis KR5. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 61, 2023-2026.

McLandsborough, L.A. and Tatini, S.R. (1991) A 6 h microslide immunodiffusion assay for confirmed detection of staphylococcal enterotoxins. Let. Appl. Microbiol. 12, 81-84.