The conditions under which the sprouts are grown, along with the nutritional composition of sprouts, make them excellent substrates for bacterial growth. The seeds may be a source of bacteria because many opportunities exist for seed to become contaminated, including contact with birds, rodents and other animals, animal manure, contaminated irrigation water, and unhygienic working practices. Decontamination of seeds by use of an antimicrobial treatment can be used to prevent further outbreaks. A treatment which successfully kills the microorganisms without affecting viability of the seeds is needed. However, concentrations of these solutions will have to be optimized in order to find the greatest level of decontamination allowing maximum germination of seeds.
Further testing is needed.
Treatments will also be applied to seeds on a larger scale.