Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34010301›Full record

Observational studyPloS one2021

Cross-contamination of lettuce with Campylobacter spp. via cooking salt during handling raw poultry.

Nânci Santos-Ferreira, Ângela Alves, Maria João Cardoso, Solveig Langsrud, Ana Rita Malheiro, Rui Fernandes, Rui Maia, Mónica Truninger, Luís Junqueira, Anca Ioana Nicolau and 6 more

Open access · goldAbstract readObservational Study
In one paragraph

Observational study in PloS one, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
2.1field-weighted citation impact, top 14% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

9 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 16 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. International journal of microbiology · 2026
    Review
  4. Microplastics-AssistedFoods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025
    Review
  5. Food science and biotechnology · 2024
    Review
  6. Article
  7. Frontiers in microbiology · 2023
    Article
  8. Article
  9. Estimation of the Impact of Foodborne Salmonellosis on Consumer Well-Being in Hungary.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

16 authors at 8 institutions in 4 countries.

Nânci Santos-FerreiraUniversidade Católica Portuguesa, CBQF-Centro de Biotecnologia e Química Fina-Laboratório Associado, Escola Superior de Biotecnologia, Porto, Portugal.ORCID 0000-0003-4995-5580
Ângela AlvesUniversidade Católica Portuguesa, CBQF-Centro de Biotecnologia e Química Fina-Laboratório Associado, Escola Superior de Biotecnologia, Porto, Portugal.
Maria João CardosoUniversidade Católica Portuguesa, CBQF-Centro de Biotecnologia e Química Fina-Laboratório Associado, Escola Superior de Biotecnologia, Porto, Portugal.ORCID 0000-0003-4241-0473
Solveig LangsrudNofima, Norwegian Institute of Food, Fisheries and Aquaculture Research, Ås, Norway.ORCID 0000-0001-6415-017X
Ana Rita MalheiroHistology and Electron Microscopy (HEMS), Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde-i3S, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular-IBMC e Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
Rui FernandesHistology and Electron Microscopy (HEMS), Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde-i3S, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular-IBMC e Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.ORCID 0000-0002-9535-368X
Rui MaiaUFP Energy, Environment and Health Research Unit (FP-ENAS), Universidade Fernando Pessoa, Porto, Portugal.
Mónica TruningerUniversidade de Lisboa, Instituto de Ciências Sociais, Lisboa, Portugal.
Luís JunqueiraUniversidade de Lisboa, Instituto de Ciências Sociais, Lisboa, Portugal.
Anca Ioana NicolauFaculty of Food Science and Engineering, Dunărea de Jos University of Galați, Galați, Romania.ORCID 0000-0001-8018-1478
Loredana DumitrașcuFaculty of Food Science and Engineering, Dunărea de Jos University of Galați, Galați, Romania.
Silje Elisabeth SkulandConsumption Research Norway (SIFO), Oslo Metropolitan University, Oslo, Norway.
Gyula KaszaDepartment of Risk Prevention and Education, National Food Chain Safety Office, Budapest, Hungary.
Tekla IzsóDepartment of Risk Prevention and Education, National Food Chain Safety Office, Budapest, Hungary.
Vânia FerreiraUniversidade Católica Portuguesa, CBQF-Centro de Biotecnologia e Química Fina-Laboratório Associado, Escola Superior de Biotecnologia, Porto, Portugal.
Paula TeixeiraUniversidade Católica Portuguesa, CBQF-Centro de Biotecnologia e Química Fina-Laboratório Associado, Escola Superior de Biotecnologia, Porto, Portugal.ORCID 0000-0002-6296-5137
Universidade Católica Portuguesa · PT"Dunarea de Jos" University of Galati · ROi3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto · PTNational Food Chain Safety Office · HUUniversity of Lisbon · PTFernando Pessoa University · PTNofima · NOOsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University · NO

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Campylobacter spp. are the most common bacterial pathogens associated with human gastroenteritis in industrialized countries. Contaminated chicken is the food vehicle associated with the majority of reported cases of campylobacteriosis, either by the consumption of undercooked meat or via cross- contamination of ready-to-eat (RTE) foods during the handling of contaminated raw chicken parts and carcasses. Our results indicate that cooking salt (used for seasoning) is a potential vehicle for Campylobacter spp. cross-contamination from raw chicken to lettuce, through unwashed hands after handling contaminated chicken. Cross-contamination events were observed even when the chicken skin was contaminated with low levels of Campylobacter spp. (ca. 1.48 Log CFU/g). The pathogen was recovered from seasoned lettuce samples when raw chicken was contaminated with levels ≥ 2.34 Log CFU/g. We also demonstrated that, once introduced into cooking salt, Campylobacter spp. are able to survive in a culturable state up to 4 hours. After six hours, although not detected following an enrichment period in culture medium, intact cells were observed by transmission electron microscopy. These findings reveal a "novel" indirect cross-contamination route of Campylobacter in domestic settings, and a putative contamination source to RTE foods that are seasoned with salt, that might occur if basic food hygiene practices are not adopted by consumers when preparing and cooking poultry dishes.

Indexed as

Food MicrobiologyAnimalsCampylobacterCampylobacter InfectionsChickensColony Count, MicrobialCookingEquipment ContaminationEuropeFood HandlingFood SafetyGastroenteritisHand HygieneHumansLactucaSodium Chloride, DietarySodium Chloride, Dietary

Identifiers

PMID34010301
PMCPMC8133440
OpenAlexW3161776341

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.