Fate of salmonella introduced to cantaloupe through natural fruit cracks and flowers, alone or in the presence of the plant pathogen Erwinia tracheiphila

Salmonella-tainted cantaloupe has been implicated in foodborne illnesses. We know little about Salmonella ecology on cantaloupe flowers and fruits, and chose to investigate whether it can enter edible tissues, and whether its interactions with other microbes influence its fate. We assessed the survival and potential internalization of S. enterica and the wilt bacterium, Erwinia tracheiphila, on cantaloupe after fruit surface or flower inoculation. S. enterica, E. tracheiphila, or a mixture of the two (10^7 cfu/ml) were introduced onto natural rind cracks or into the flower whorl. Inoculated rind and sub-rind mesocarp were sampled at 0, 9 and 24 days post-inoculation (DPI). Flower samples were collected at 0 and 43 DPI, and interior mesocarp at 15 and 43 DPI. S. enterica survived on 40% and 14% of cantaloupe rinds inoculated with both pathogens, or S. enterica only, respectively. 58% of E. tracheiphila inoculated samples developed watersoaked lesions on rinds. Unlike S. enterica, E. tracheiphila traversed some fruit cracks and 31% of sub-rind mesocarps were positive at 24 DPI. At 0 and 43 DPI all blossom samples receiving S. enterica alone, or the mixture, were positive for S. enterica. At 43 DPI, the populations of S. enterica were significantly (P