Research Publications (Food Safety)

Coral reefs belong to the marine ecosystems and host the richest biodiversity of marine organisms. Coral reefs are formed as a result of the symbiotic relationship between the host coral animal and photosynthetic dinoflagellates, namely Symbiodinium sp. Coral animals induce the release of carbon fixation products of symbiotic Symbiodinium sp. through secreting host release factors (HRFs) such as taurine.

Sewage effluent discharge is a major source of pathogenic contamination to the environment. The disinfection process is critical for the elimination of pathogens in sewage. In this study, we examined the impact of chlorine disinfection on the total, viable, and culturable populations of indicator bacteria, pathogens, and bacterial communities in two contrasting types of effluents (primarily treated saline and secondarily treated freshwater).

Campylobacter jejuni is the leading cause of bacterial gastroenteritis, or campylobacteriosis, in humans worldwide, and poultry serves as a major source of infection. To reduce the risk associated with C. jejuni transmission via poultry meat, effective interventions during poultry production are needed, and the use of probiotics is a promising approach. In this study, 15 Bacillus subtilis strains were initially screened for their anti-Campylobacter activities. B.

Enteric fever is caused by Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi, Salmonella enterica serovar Paratyphi A, B, and C. While S. Typhi remains the primary causative agent of enteric fever, S. Paratyphi A is responsible for an increasing portion of enteric fever incidence. However, the current available vaccines for enteric fever are all developed from S. Typhi, and lack adequate cross immune protection against paratyphoid fever A. Therefore, paratyphoid A vaccines are urgently needed.

Two new indole diketopiperazines (1–2) obtained from the fermentation culture of a deep-sea-derived fungus Aspergillus chevalieri MCCC M23426, were characterized, together with nine biogenetic related compounds (3–11). The structures of 1–2 were assigned based on NMR, MS, NMR calculation, DP4+ analysis, and ECD calculation. The bioactive assay showed that compounds 1, 5–7 significantly inhibited the growth of Staphylococcus aureus.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis (MRSE) is one of the most commonly found pathogens that may cause uncontrollable infections in immunocompromised and hospitalized patients. Compounds isolated from cinnamon such as cinnamaldehyde and cinnamic acid showed promising anti-oxidant, anti-tumor, and immunoregulatory effects; more importantly, these compounds also possess promising broad-spectrum antibacterial activity.

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) is one of the common causes of human colitis. In the present study, two lytic phages vB_SenS-EnJE1 and vB_SenS-EnJE6 were isolated and the therapeutic effect of the combination of phages and faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) on S. Typhimurium-induced mouse colitis was investigated. The characteristics and genome analysis indicated that they are suitable phages for phage therapy.

16S rRNA amplicon sequencing was used to investigate changes in the broiler gastrointestinal tract (GIT) microbiota throughout the rearing period and in combination with antibiotic treatment.

Esterase, as a type of powerful catabolic enzyme for the degradation of pyrethroid pesticides (PYRs), appears promising in improving the quality of crops and the environment contaminated by pesticide residues. The purpose of this research is to provide a detailed introduction to the enzymatic properties, optimal production and immobilization conditions, and the degradation ability of Est804 for PYRs.

The enrichment of the social environment during lactation alleviates the stress of weaned piglets. It is significant to understand how the enriched social environment improves the weaning stress of piglets. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) of colonic mucosa, 16S rRNA sequencing of feces, and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) of colonic content were used to determine the effects of social contact during lactation.

Escherichia coli belonging to the enterohemorrhagic (EHEC), Shiga toxin-producing (STEC) and atypical enteropathogenic (aEPEC) pathotypes are significant foodborne zoonotic pathogens posing serious health risks, with healthy cattle as their main reservoir. A representative sampling of Hungarian cattle farms during 2017–2018 yielded a prevalence of 6.5 and 5.8% for STEC and aEPEC out of 309 samples.

Salmonella is one of the leading causes of foodborne illnesses worldwide. The rapid emergence of multidrug-resistant Salmonella strains has increased global concern for salmonellosis.

Background Due to the increase in multidrug-resistant pathogens, it is important to investigate further antimicrobial options. In order not to have to work directly with pathogens, the investigation of possible surrogates is an important aspect. It is examined how suitable possible surrogate candidates for ESKAPE pathogens are for UVC applications.

Streptococcus anginosus produces the novel antimicrobial peptide Angicin, which inhibits Gram positive microorganisms and is classified as a group IId bacteriocin. Production of Angicin is regulated by the quorum sensing system Sil (Streptococcus invasion locus), which is located adjacent to the bacteriocin gene cluster. Within this genetic region a typical CAAX protease is encoded, which was designated SilX.

Focusing on the utility of ticks as xenosurveillance sentinels to expose circulating pathogens in Kenyan drylands, host-feeding ticks collected from wild ungulates [buffaloes, elephants, giraffes, hartebeest, impala, rhinoceros (black and white), zebras (Grévy’s and plains)], carnivores (leopards, lions, spotted hyenas, wild dogs), as well as regular domestic and Boran cattle were screened for pathogens using metagenomics.

Freshwater bodies receive waste, feces, and fecal microorganisms from agricultural, urban, and natural activities. In this study, the probable sources of fecal contamination were determined. Also, antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) were detected in the two main rivers of central Chile. Surface water samples were collected from 12 sampling sites in the Maipo (n = 8) and Maule Rivers (n = 4) every 3 months, from August 2017 until April 2019.

Many prokaryotes are covered by a two-dimensional array of proteinaceous subunits. This surface layers (S-layer) is incompletely characterized for many microorganisms. Here, we studied Bacillus cereus AH187. A genome analysis identified two genes encoding the S-layer proteins SL2 and EA1, which we experimentally confirmed to encode the two protein components of the S-layer covering the surface of B. cereus. Shotgun proteomics analysis indicated that SL2 is the major component of the B.

Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis (S. Enteritidis) is the major contaminant of poultry products, and its ability to form biofilms on produced food and poultry farm processing surfaces contributes to Salmonella transmission to humans. Bacteriophages have come under increasing interest for anti-Salmonella biofilm control.

Salmonella Typhimurium defective in guanosine 5′-diphosphate-3′-diphosphate (ppGpp) synthesis (ΔppGpp) is an attenuated strain with good biosafety and excellent anticancer efficacy. It has been widely applied in preclinical studies of anticancer therapy for various types of solid cancer.

Salmonella enterica resistant to colistin, third-generation cephalosporins (3GCs), and fluoroquinolones (FQs) has been deemed a high-priority pathogen by the World Health Organization (WHO). The objective of this study was to characterize 11 mcr-1-harboring Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium isolates from raw pork and ready-to-eat (RTE) pork products in Guangzhou, China. All isolates were multi-drug resistant and contained 6–24 antibiotic-resistant genes.

Flat peaches possess characteristic flavors and are rich in nutrients. The fermentation of flat peaches to produce wine through complex biochemical reactions is an effective method to overcome their seasonal defects. Spontaneously fermented flat peach wine has plentiful and strong flavors, but the microbiota of fermentation are still unknown.

Hepatitis B is an infectious hepatocellular disease of global concern caused by hepatitis B virus (HBV), which belongs to Hepadnaviridae. Recently, a novel HBV-like virus, domestic cat hepadnavirus (DCH), was detected from an immunocompromised cat with a hepatic disease in Australia.

Soil health plays a vital role to sustain plants, animals, and humans (Lehmann et al., 2020).

In 2019, the United States National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) surveyed raw salmon, shrimp, and tilapia from retail grocery outlets in eight states to assess the prevalence of bacterial contamination and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the isolates.

Bacterial pathogens, such as Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) and Shigella spp., are important causes of foodborne illness internationally. Recovery of these organisms from foods is critical for food safety investigations to support attribution of illnesses to specific food commodities; however, isolation of bacterial cultures can be challenging. Methods for the isolation of STEC and Shigella spp.