Metagenomics and Phenotypic Arrays-based Approaches for the Assessment of Foodborne Pathogen Persistence on Lettuce and Cilantro

1) To determine the microbiome composition of healthy vs diseased lettuce and spinach leaf tissue from fields in the Salinas region, and assess its effect on the persistence of E. coli O157:H7 in these crops; and 2) To characterize Salmonella strains isolated from cilantro seeds and leaves, and assess their comparative fitness on cilantro plants inoculated at the seed planting stage.