Leuconostoc, characteristics, use in dairy technology and prospects in functional foods

Genera Leuconostoc, Oenococcus and Weissella

Silicosis — Continued Silicosis is a chronic lung disease associated with the inhalation and pulmonary deposition of dust that contains crystalline silica. Through the Sentinel Event Notification System for Occupational Risks (SENSOR)* program, CDC's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is assessing practical models for implementing state-based surveillance of silicosis and linking follow-up intervention activities to surveillance reports. From 1989 through 1992, the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) SENSOR program identified silicosis cases through reports of Bureau of Workers' Compensation (BWC) claims, physician reports, and death certificates. The addition in 1993 of hospital discharge reports as an ascertainment source resulted in a substantial increase in the number of silicosis case reports identified annually (Table 1). This report describes the investigation of a case of occupational silicosis in Ohio and summarizes the impact of hospital-based reporting on surveillance for silicosis in Case Report In September 1991, a case report † was sent to ODH by an infectious disease specialist who was treating a 55-year-old sandblaster with advanced silicosis and an associated Mycobacterium kansasii infection § (2). In January 1992, NIOSH and ODH conducted a joint investigation at the worker's place of employment—a metal preparation shop—to evaluate current levels of exposure to respirable crystalline silica and to screen co-workers for silicosis. The investigation detected excessive exposures to respirable crystalline silica (2–5). Chest radiology revealed radiographic abnormalities consistent with pneumoconiosis in four of 16 current and former workers *SENSOR is a program of cooperative agreements with state health departments to develop surveillance and intervention strategies for selected occupational conditions. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health currently supports SENSOR silicosis programs in seven states and Wisconsin). † Case reports should be submitted for persons with a physician's provisional diagnosis of silicosis, a chest radiograph interpreted as consistent with silicosis, or pathologic findings consistent with silicosis (1).

Current trends in

Safety assessment of dairy microorganisms: the Leuconostoc genus.

Characterization of glucan-producing Leuconostoc strains isolated from sourdough

Leuconostoc strains were characterized according to their antibiotic susceptibilities, carbohydrate fermentation profiles, sucrase activity patterns and plasmid content. All the strains tested were resistant to the antibiotics sulphathiazole, trimethoprim and vancomycin, and could be separated into two groups based on whether or not they could ferment melibiose and raffinose. Six Leuconostoc strains possessed plasmids and many produced unique sucrase activity patterns in polyacrylamide gels. These data will aid in distinguishing among physiologically similar dextran-producing leuconostocs, frequently used in research and industry.

https://sfamjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1046/j.1472-765x.2001.00891.x

K.‐J. Shin

Papers

Characterization of dextran-producing Leuconostoc strains.