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The magazine of the Society for Applied Microbiology ■ December 2006 ■ Vol 7 No 4 ISSN 1479-2699 REGULARS MEETINGS FEATURES Microbiologist 04Editorial Vol 7 No.4 Lucy Harper reviews December 2006 this issues top stories ISSN 1479-2699 05 Contact Full contact information for all Committee members 06Media Watch Microbiological news 21 Winter 08President’s Meeting column 2007 Publisher: Society for One day meeting on 28 Cover story Applied Microbiology. 10 Med-Vet-Net Food and Health Viral zoonoses Microbial Editor: Lucy Harper BOOK NOW! contamination of [email protected] 12 Membership fruit and vegetables: Contributions: These are Matters always welcome and should evidence and be addressed to the Editor 14 New issues at: [email protected] committee Keith Jones and Advertising: Joanna Heaton Lucy Harper members review the facts Telephone: 01234 326709 24 Spring [email protected] 15 Biosciences Meeting 32 Fermented Art and Design & layout: Federation fish Pollard Creativity A message from the 2007 CEO Broadening anyone? Production and printing: Microbiology Martin Adams Pollard Creativity. explores the All technical questions should 16 Making Horizons - 11 April be addressed to: good use of 2007 microbiology of [email protected] fermented fish Tel: 01933 665617 your products © Society for Applied supervisor Microbiology 2006 36 Stat Note 7 Material published in 19 Careers Chi-square Microbiologist may not be Water Microbiology contingency tables reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form 40Students 38 MISAC without the prior permission Competition 2007 of the Society. into Work reports Society for Applied WRITE FOR US! Microbiology, 44President’s The editor is always looking for Bedford Heights, 26 Summer enthusiastic writers who wish to Brickhill Drive, Fund articles contribute articles to Bedford Conference Microbiologist on their chosen MK41 7PH, UK 2007 microbiological subject. 51 Books For further information please Tel: +44 (0)1234 326661 Microbiology of email the editor, Lucy Harper at: Fax: +44 (0)1234 326678 54 Join SfAM Fresh Produce [email protected] www.sfam.org.uk Editorial Microbiologist Y NOW I EXPECT MOST OF Vol 7 No.4 you will be making B preparations for the December 2006 forthcoming yuletide festivities. I expect you’ll all be buying your Contact the Editor: Christmas trees, stocking up the fridge [email protected] and freezer with food, and wading through the shops dragging carrier-bags Microbiologist copy Dates: contributors please full of presents. This year, while I was note that the final copy looking for presents for my friends and dates in 2006/2007 will be: family, I found an interesting gift idea - cuddly microbe toys. There are many to Vol 8 No.1 March 2007 choose from: Orthomyxovirus, Friday 5 January 2007 Rhinovirus, Shigella, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Bordetella pertussis to Vol 8 No.2 June 2007 name but a few. On finding these cuddly Friday 6 April 2007 microbes it struck me that you can literally give your friends and relatives the number of outbreaks of Salmonella Vol 8 No.3 Sept 2007 Friday 6 July 2007 ‘flu this Christmas! caused by consumption of Tomatoes in As well as the giving of gifts, food is a the USA, and I’m sure you will all have Vol 8 No.4 Dec 2007 big part of Christmas celebrations, and as heard about the well-publicised E. Coli Friday 5 October 2007 Microbiologists, I’m sure the safety of O157:H7 outbreak from contaminated food is at the forefront of your minds. In Spinach. The Microbiology of fresh How to submit material the UK there are many local council produce is the subject of our feature Please submit all articles, websites with guides for the general article in this issue of Microbiologist. reports, meetings public on how to make sure you cook Turn to page 28 to read more. This is also notifications, letters etc., as your turkey properly, and there is usually the theme for our Summer Conference plain text (*.txt) or rich text at least one article in the media offering 2007, the full programme for which is files (*.rtf). Please submit all images as original advice on the preparation and cooking of now available on page 27 and online at photographic prints or festive food. This is probably just a www.sfam.org.uk/sumconf.php. transparencies rather than precaution at a time when joviality may Looking to the more immediate future, scanned images and these take over from common sense. But we return to this festive time of year. will be processed by us and regardless of the time of year, we must Whilst researching the theme of returned to you promptly. always take care when handling and Christmas traditions, I learnt that in If your images are only in preparing food. In the USA approximately Austria one of the traditional dishes at digital format please make 76 million people are affected by a Christmas is fried Carp. Although not sure they are supplied at a foodborne illness annually, with 2 million fried, the subject of fish forms the basis resolution of 300dpi (dots being affected in the UK. It is not only of our second feature article: fermented or pixels per inch at a size of not less than 100mm (4 poor hygiene in the home that is fish and their products. Read more on inches) square. responsible for food-borne disease. The page 32. growth of produce and preparation of It is at this time of year that our Advertisers: if you wish to food can also hold some danger. As we all thoughts turn to reflection, and our advertise in Microbiologist know, Environmental Health Officers have President takes this opportunity to reflect you should contact the quite a job assessing the kitchens of upon the successes the Society has Society Office in the first restaurants and cafes to ensure they accomplished during the first half of her instance. Advertising rates maintain standards of hygiene. This leads reign (page 8). and Guidelines on how to me nicely on to the subject of our Finally, it just leaves me to wish you all submit advertisements are forthcoming Winter meeting: Food and a Merry Christmas and a Happy and given on the website and are also obtainable by Health, with sessions on Hospital Healthy New Year. emailing the editor at: Acquired Infection and Food Safety. The [email protected] Food Safety session ‘Simmering issues in Food Safety’ has been put together Website: the society with Environmental Health Officers in website is a timely source mind and there are discounted rates and of up-to-date information CPD points for members of the CIEH and on all Society matters and IBMS. This meeting is nearly fully booked maintains a comprehensive and numbers are limited so see page 23 archive of articles and for a booking form and book your place reports on a variety of microbiological topics. now! Another source of food-borne illness is www.sfam.org.uk the contamination of fresh produce with pathogenic bacteria. There have been a 04 December 2006 www.sfam.org.uk Contact point COMMITTEE MEMBERS 2005 - 2008 HON PRESIDENT: Dr Margaret Patterson, Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Agricultural, Food and Environmental Science Division, Newforge Lane, Belfast BT9 5PX [email protected] HON GENERAL SECRETARY: Dr Anthony Hilton, School of Life and Health Sciences, Aston University, Birmingham B4 7ET [email protected] HON MEETINGS SECRETARY: Professor Martin Adams, School of Biomedical & Molecular Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford,Surrey GU2 7XH [email protected] HON TREASURER: Dr Valerie Edwards-Jones, Research Development Unit, Manchester Metropolitan University, Lower Chatham St, Manchester M15 5HA [email protected] HON EDITOR: Journal of Applied Microbiology Professor Arthur Gilmour, Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Agricultural, Food and Environmental Science Division, Newforge Lane, Belfast BT9 5PX [email protected] HON EDITOR: Letters in Applied Microbiology Dr Jean-Yves Maillard, Welsh School of Pharmacy, Cardiff University, Redwood Building, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff CF10 3XF [email protected] HON EDITOR: Microbiologist Dr Lucy Harper, Society for Applied Microbiology, Bedford Heights, Brickhill Drive, Bedford MK41 7PH [email protected] ORDINARY COMMITTEE MEMBERS until July 2007 Dr John Coote, Infection and Immunity Division, Glasgow University, Joseph Black Building. Glasgow G12 8QQ [email protected] Professor Geoff Hanlon, School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Brighton, Moulsecoomb, Brighton BN2 4GJ [email protected] Dr Karen Stanley, Biosciences, Faculty of Health and Wellbeing, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield S1 1WB [email protected] Dr Susannah Walsh, H3.09b Hawthorne Building, School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Heath and Life Sciences, De Montfort University, The Gateway, Leicester LE1 9BH [email protected] ORDINARY COMMITTEE MEMBERS until July 2008 Dr Tony Worthington, Department of Pharmaceutical and Biological Sciences, Aston University, Birmingham B4 7ET [email protected] Dr Andrew Sails, Health Protection Agency, Institute of Pathology, Newcastle General Hospital, Westgate Road, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE4 6BE [email protected] ORDINARY COMMITTEE MEMBERS until July 2009 Professor Carol Phillips, School of Health, The University of Northampton, Boughton Green Road, Northampton NN2 7AL [email protected] Dr Mark Fielder, School of Life Sciences, Kingston University, Penrhyn Road, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey KT1 2EE [email protected] Professor Joanna Verran, Manchester Metropolitan University, Dept Biological Sciences, Chester Street, Manchester M1 5GD [email protected] SOCIETY OFFICE STAFF CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER: Philip Wheat [email protected] ● tel: 01234 326661 COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER: Lucy Harper [email protected] ● tel: 01234 326709 MEMBERSHIP CO-ORDINATOR: Julie Wright [email protected] ● tel: 01234 326846 www.sfam.org.uk December 2006 05 MEDIAwatch Voice of Young Science Workshop, Sense About Science Microbiology is often a media hot Today Programme) gave their views on what we tell them.