France’s proposal for Guidelines about setting Maximum Residue Limits in honey

contribution to session I Regulatory issues Background: Honey is produced in an environment potentially polluted by different sources of contamination, so it is necessary to set Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs). These MRLs should be fixed as low as possible in relation to Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs). The guidance provided in this Draft Working Document gives advice on: • when and for what kind of active substance a MRL has to be set in honey • how to propose a temporary MRL for a given active substance • how to design, prepare and realise supervised residue trials when necessary Results: The proposed approach is based on using the available data before an active substance or product is registered, and is divided into several successive steps, represented in a global decision-making scheme. The MRL will be set depending on the results obtained at each different step. Besides, the applicants will have the choice between different methods to set a provisional MRL in preregistration. Conclusion: The initial proposal was a protocol on field residue trials proposed by Germany. The approach used in this guidance document proposes also other possibilities for fixing MRL without conducting systematically field trials. This proposition will be discussed at European level. Keywords: Regulation 396/2005, MRL, honey, plant protection produc

Environmental and physico-chemical factors induce VBNC state in Listeria monocytogenes

Investigations of bacterial survival in natural environments have indicated that some organisms lose culturability on appropriate media under certain conditions and yet still exhibit signs of metabolic activity and thus viability. This reproducible loss of culturability in many bacterial species led to the description of a “Viable But Non Culturable" (VBNC) state. The purpose of this article is to determine environmental and physico-chemical factors which induce the VBNC state in a food-borne pathogen that has become a public concern: Listeria monocytogenes. The factors, i.e. inoculum size, natural sunlight, temperature (4 $^{\circ}$C or 20 $^{\circ}$C), NaCl concentration (0% or 7%) and pH (5 or 6) were studied on 4 strains (LO28, ATCC 19115, Scott A, CNL 895807). The culturability of the starved cell suspension was determined in each condition tested by the spread plate count, and the cell activity was determined by the Direct Viable Count technique and CTC-DAPI double staining. A strain effect was found in different test conditions. For the LO 28 and ATCC 19115 strains, the VBNC state was very transient in certain conditions. For the other strains tested (Scott A, CNL 895807), the VBNC state was maintained throughout the observation period. In the dark, the incubation temperature was the main factor in the production of VBNC forms in L. monocytogenes. However, natural sunlight rapidly produced the VBNC state in L. monocytogenes cells in microcosm water. We conclude that because of its ubiquity and the factors studied which are met in the food industry, the presence of VBNC L. monocytogenes cells could pose a major public health problem since they cannot be detected by traditional culturing methods. Further investigations are needed to establish virulence before and after resuscitation of VBNC L. monocytogenes cells.Les facteurs environnementaux et physico-chimiques induisent l'état VNC chez Listeria monocytogenes . Des études sur la viabilité bactérienne dans l'environnement ont démontré l'existence d'un état particulier qualifié d'état Viable non Cultivable (VNC), dans lequel certaines bactéries perdent leur capacité à former des colonies sur des milieux de culture, tout en conservant une activité métabolique. L'objectif de ce travail est d'étudier l'influence de facteurs physico-chimiques et environnementaux, intervenant dans l'entrée à l'état VNC de Listeria monocytogenes. Les facteurs : taille de l'inoculum, exposition à la lumière naturelle, température (4-20 $^{\circ}$C), concentration en NaCl (0-7%), pH (5-6) ont été étudiés chez 4 souches de L. monocytogenes : LO28, ATCC19115, Scott A, CNL 895807. Les cellules ont été placées dans des conditions de privation nutritionnelle (eau distillée filtrée). La capacité à former des colonies a été déterminée par étalement sur boîte de gélose, alors que l'activité métabolique des bactéries a été établie par 2 techniques : le Direct Viable Count et la double coloration CTC-DAPI. Un effet souche a été constaté: pour les souches LO28 et ATCC 19115, l'état VNC semblait très transitoire, alors que pour les souches Scott A et CNL 895807, l'état VNC s'est maintenu pendant toute la durée de l'expérimentation. A l'obscurité, la température d'incubation est apparue comme le facteur primordial d'entrée à l'état VNC, mais l'exposition à la lumière naturelle a entraîné une perte rapide du caractère cultivable. Compte tenu d'une part de l'ubiquité de L. monocytogenes, d'autre part du fait que les facteurs étudiés peuvent être rencontrés dans l'environnement des industries agro-alimentaires, les auteurs pensent que l'état VNC chez L. monocytogenes pourrait représenter un réel problème de santé publique. Des travaux complémentaires concernant la virulence et le retour à l'état cultivable de ces formes sont en cours afin de préciser le risque lié à l'état VNC chez L. monocytogenes

Effect of Antiplatelet Therapy on Survival and Organ Support–Free Days in Critically Ill Patients With COVID-19

International audienc