All 14 Uses of
bacteria
in
Fast Food Nation
- Much like the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) responsible for causing AIDS, the E. coli 0157:H7 bacterium is a newly emerged pathogen whose spread has been facilitated by recent social and technological changes.†
p. 196..0
- E. coli 0157:H7 is a mutated version of a bacterium found abundantly in the human digestive system.†
p. 199..6
- Most E. coli bacteria help us digest food, synthesize vitamins, and guard against dangerous organisms.
p. 199..6 *bacteria = microorganisms (living creatures so small it takes a microscope to see them)
- According to Dr. Neal D. Bernard, who heads the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, chicken manure may contain dangerous bacteria such as Salmonella and Campylobacter, parasites such as tapeworms and Giardia lamblia, antibiotic residues, arsenic, and heavy metals.†
p. 202..9
- According to Dr. Russell Cross, head of the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service, "The presence of bacteria in raw meat, including E. coli 0157:H7, although undesirable, is unavoidable, and not cause for condemnation of the product."†
p. 207..7
- Instead, they could test for other bacteria as a broad measure of fecal contamination levels; the results of those tests would not have to be revealed to the government; and meat containing whatever organisms the tests found could still be sold to the public.†
p. 215..5
- When used properly, steam pasteurization cabinets can kill off most of the E. coli 0157:H7 and reduce the amount of bacteria on the meat's surface by as much as 90 percent.†
p. 216..7
- With every passing minute, bacteria grows more firmly attached and difficult to kill.†
p. 216..9
- Carcasses that sat for longer than two hours, that were at highest risk for bacterial contamination, were not to be destroyed, or sent to rendering, or set aside for processing into precooked meats.†
p. 217..2
- Irradiation is a form of bacterial birth control, pioneered in the 1960s by the U.S. Army and by NASA.†
p. 217..5
- Fish endorsed one of Supreme Beef's central arguments: a ground beef processor should not be held responsible for the bacterial levels of meat that could easily have been tainted with Salmonella at a slaughterhouse.†
p. 220..6
- Having played a central role in the creation of a meatpacking system that can spread bacterial contamination far and wide, the fast food chains are now able to avoid many of the worst consequences.†
p. 221..3
- A series of tests conducted by Charles Gerba, a microbiologist at the University of Arizona, discovered far more fecal bacteria in the average American kitchen sink than on the average American toilet seat.†
p. 221..7
- Strict regulations cover every aspect of meat production, prohibiting the inclusion of animal wastes in feed, banning the use of hormones as growth stimulants, limiting the stress that cattle endure during transport (and thereby reducing the amount of bacteria shed in their stool), and confiscating tainted meat.†
p. 263..7
Definition:
-
(bacteria) microorganisms (living creatures so small it takes a microscope to see them) that can both cause disease and be beneficial.
(Bacteria are different and larger than viruses.)editor's notes: A single bacteria is called a bacterium and consists of a single cell that reproduces by splitting. (This is unlike a virus that uses cells in the body to reproduce.)
Bacteria are found virtually everywhere. For example, there are typically 40 million bacterial cells in a gram of soil and a million bacterial cells in a milliliter of fresh water. Many bacteria reside on our skin and in our bodies. For example, bacteria in the stomach help animals digest food.