Micro Imaging Technology Inc (MMTC)

[StrengthenNumbers]

"...waiting 2 years for salmonelia and Ecoli?"




I seem to recall reading about that. Wasn't there a comment in one of Brennan's interviews that E. Coli had numerous pathogenic strains and the testing was long and detailed before they were ready to apply for certification?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escherichia_coli

Escherichia coli encompasses an enormous population of bacteria that exhibit a very high degree of both genetic and phenotypic diversity. Genome sequencing of a large number of isolates of E. coli and related bacteria shows that a taxonomic reclassification would be desirable. However, this has not been done, largely due to its medical importance[25] and Escherichia coli remains one of the most diverse bacterial species: only 20% of the genome is common to all strains.[26] In fact, from the evolutionary point of view, the members of genus Shigella (dysenteriae, flexneri, boydii, sonnei) should be classified as E. coli strains, a phenomenon termed taxa in disguise.[27] Similarly, other strains of E. coli (e.g. the K-12 strain commonly used in recombinant DNA work) are sufficiently different that they would merit reclassification.

A strain is a sub-group within the species that has unique characteristics that distinguish it from other strains. These differences are often detectable only at the molecular level; however, they may result in changes to the physiology or lifecycle of the bacterium. For example, a strain may gain pathogenic capacity, the ability to use a unique carbon source, the ability to take upon a particular ecological niche or the ability to resist antimicrobial agents. Different strains of E. coli are often host-specific, making it possible to determine the source of faecal contamination in environmental samples.[8][9] For example, knowing which E. coli strains are present in a water sample allows researchers to make assumptions about whether the contamination originated from a human, another mammal or a bird.