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A comparative molecular analysis of microbial communities on the surface of lettuce from organic and conventional agriculture. In light of the "hygiene hypothesis", findings from probiotics research and gut microbiota science it is valuable to know which microorganisms thrive on commonly eaten food items. Surveying these microbial communities from the field to the market adds to our knowledge of which lettuce microbes ultimately reach the consumer.

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Jutta Zwielehner, born 1980 in Ried im Innkreis (Upper Austria), studied Nutritional Sciences at the University of Vienna until 2006. Ph.D. studies until 2010 at the Department of Nutritional Sciences in Vienna, Austria, and research practicum at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.

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