Survival and growth of acid-adapted and unadapted Shigella flexneri in a traditional fermented Ghanaian weaning food as affected by fortification with cowpea

Shigellae are among the major causes of diarrheal diseases in infants and young children in developing countries. We conducted a study to determine the effect of fermentation of corn and corn/cowpea doughs used to prepare a traditional weaning porridge on the survival and growth characteristics of acid-adapted and unadapted Shigella flexneri. Porridges were prepared from doughs fermented for 0, 24, and 48 h at 30°C. Four-strain mixtures of acid-adapted and unadapted S. flexneri cells were separately inoculated (10 ⁴-10⁵ and 10⁶-10⁷ cfu/ml) into porridges made from unfermented (pH 5.74-6.05) and fermented (pH 4.07-4.38) doughs. Viability of acid-adapted cells was retained at higher levels in porridge made from fermented dough, compared to unfermented dough, regardless of composition of the porridge or incubation temperature. Cells inoculated into the porridges containing fermented dough were not detected (<1 cfu/ml) within 4 h at 48°C. Results indicate that prior exposure of cells to acid stress renders them more resistant to subsequent acidic conditions. The addition of cowpea flour to corn dough followed by fermentation had little effect on the survival of S. flexneri in porridges made from the dough.