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Research Publications (Food Safety)

This page tracks research articles published in national and international peer-reviewed journals. Recent articles are available ahead of print and searchable by Journal, Article Title, and Category. Research publications are tracked across six categories: Bacterial Pathogens, Chemical Contaminants, Natural Toxins, Parasites, Produce Safety, and Viruses. Articles produced by USDA Grant Funding Agencies (requires login) and FDA Grant Funding Agencies (requires login) are also tracked in Scopus.

Displaying 51 - 75 of 317

  1. Insight into Biosorption of Heavy Metals by Extracellular Polymer Substances and the Improvement of the Efficacy: A review

    • Letters in Applied Microbiology
    • Letters in Applied Microbiology, Accepted Article. Heavy metals are continuously released into aquatic environments in which they accumulate. This phenomenon endangers public health because heavy metals accumulate along the food chain. However, conventional remediation methods are inefficient, expensive, and yield toxic intermediate products, which adversely affect the environment.

  2. Bioremediation of heavy metals from wastewater: A current perspective on microalgae‐based future

    • Letters in Applied Microbiology
    • Letters in Applied Microbiology, Accepted Article. Heavy metals containing drinking water and wastewater are posing a severe threat to the environment, and living beings on land air, and water. Different conventional, advanced nanomaterials based and biological method has been employed for the treatment of heavy metals.

  3. Comparative immunogenicity of outer membrane protein K and whole‐cell antigens of Vibrio parahaemolyticus for diagnosis

    • Letters in Applied Microbiology
    • Letters in Applied Microbiology, Accepted Article. The immunogenicity of soluble OmpK- small ubiquitin-like modifier, OmpK inclusion bodies, formalin, and heat-killed V. parahaemolyticus cells were prepared and studied in a mouse model. The results of whole-cell ELISA and western blot (WB) revealed that the serum against soluble OmpK and OmpK inclusion bodies reacted only with homologous V. parahaemolyticus.

      • Vibrio
      • Bacterial pathogens
  4. Virulence associated gene profiling and antimicrobial resistance pattern of Streptococcus suis isolated from clinically healthy pigs from North East India

    • Letters in Applied Microbiology
    • Letters in Applied Microbiology, Accepted Article. The prent study revealed the prevalence of S. suis in 20.39% clinically healthy pigs from North East India. All these isolates were screened for the presence of virulence associated genes such as suilysin (sly), muramidase released protein (mrp), extracellular protein factor (epf) and arginine deiminase (arcA).

  5. Continuous detection of norovirus and astrovirus in wastewater in a coastal city of China in 2014–2016

    • Letters in Applied Microbiology
    • Letters in Applied Microbiology, Accepted Article. Norovirus (NoV) and human astrovirus (HAstV) are important causative agents of acute gastroenteritis in children and adults. They comprised of multiple genotypes and attention should be paid to genotype changes or emergence of new genetic variants. To study the prevalence and diversity of NoV GI, GII and HAstV circulating in eastern China, we conducted a three-year environmental surveillance in a coastal city of Yantai.

      • Norovirus
      • Viruses
  6. Development and evaluation of Multiplex PCR for detection of T‐2 and zearalenone producing Fusarium spp

    • Letters in Applied Microbiology
    • Letters in Applied Microbiology, Accepted Article. The study aimed to develop and evaluate a multiplex polymerase chain reaction assay (mPCR) for the concurrent detection of three major mycotoxin metabolic pathway genes, viz. tri8 (T-2 toxin), tri6 (trichothecene), and pks4 (zearalenone) along with competitive internal amplification control. Specific primers for each of the aforementioned genes were optimized and validated using 14 reference strains and 10 pure culture isolates.

      • Mycotoxins
      • Natural toxins
  7. Lactic acid bacteria biofilms and their ability to mitigate Escherichia coli O157:H7 surface colonization

    • Letters in Applied Microbiology
    • Letters in Applied Microbiology, Accepted Article. LAB (Lactic Acid Bacteria) exert antagonistic activities against diverse microorganisms, including pathogens. In this work, we aimed to investigate the ability of LAB strains isolated from food to produce biofilms and to inhibit growth and surface colonization of Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) O157:H7 at 10°C. The ability of 100 isolated LAB to inhibit EHEC O157:H7 NCTC12900 growth was evaluated in agar diffusion assays.

      • Escherichia coli O157:H7
      • Bacterial pathogens
  8. High pressure homogenization (HPH) inactivation of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus in phosphate buffered saline (PBS), milk and apple juice

    • Letters in Applied Microbiology
    • Letters in Applied Microbiology, Accepted Article. High pressure homogenization (HPH) offers new opportunities for food pasteurization/sterilization. Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus suspended in PBS buffer, milk and apple juice at initial concentration of ~106 log10CFU/mL were subjected to HPH treatments up to 200 MPa with inlet temperatures at 4 ‐ 40 ºC. After HPH at 200 MPa with the inlet temperature at 40 ºC, the count of E.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Staphylococcus aureus
  9. Virulence and antimicrobial resistance potential of Aeromonas spp. associated with shellfish

    • Letters in Applied Microbiology
    • Letters in Applied Microbiology, Accepted Article. Aeromonas spp. are associated with seafood‐related outbreaks worldwide. In seafood industry, shellfish play a major role in global seafood production. With this emerging trend of shellfish consumption, shellfish‐related bacterial infections are being reported frequently. Aeromonas spp. are natural contaminants found in shellfish. Although 36 species have been identified, some species including A. hydrophila, A. caviae, and A.

  10. Hepatitis A virus strains identified in jogaejeot associated with outbreaks in Seoul, South Korea

    • Letters in Applied Microbiology
    • Letters in Applied Microbiology, Accepted Article. Jogaejeot, seasoned Venerupis philippinarum, is a traditional Korean fermented food, and hepatitis A virus (HAV) can be transmitted through contaminated food, especially bivalve shellfish, causing acute gastroenteritis worldwide. Here, we carried out a phylogenetic analysis to identify and characterize HAV strains in jogaejeot samples associated with hepatitis A (HA) outbreaks in Seoul, South Korea, in 2019.

      • Hepatitis
      • Viruses
  11. Inhibitory effect of different Chicken‐derived lactic acid bacteria isolates on drug resistant Salmonella SE47 isolated from eggs

    • Letters in Applied Microbiology
    • Letters in Applied Microbiology, Accepted Article. Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) regulate and maintain the stability of healthy microbial flora, inhibit the adhesion of pathogenic bacteria, and promote the colonization of beneficial microorganisms. The drug resistance and pathogenicity of Salmonella enteritis SE47 isolated from retail eggs were investigated. Meanwhile Enterococcus faecalis L76 and Lactobacillus salivarius LAB35 were isolated from chicken intestinal.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Salmonella
  12. Characterization of extended spectrum beta‐lactamase (ESBL) producing Enterobacterales from organic and conventional chicken meats

    • Letters in Applied Microbiology
    • Letters in Applied Microbiology, Accepted Article. This study was conducted to isolate and identify ESBL‐producing Enterobacterales in conventional and organic chicken meats which were sold in Turkey. A total of 200 raw chicken meat sample (100 conventional and 100 organic) were used as material. Classic culture technique based on chromogenic method was used for the isolation of bacteria, and the identification was performed with VITEK MS.

      • Bacterial pathogens
  13. High concentration of sodium chloride could induce the viable and culturable states of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis

    • Letters in Applied Microbiology
    • Letters in Applied Microbiology, Accepted Article. In the present study, Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis were transferred into Luria‐Bertani medium without NaCl (LBWS) and adjusted to various pHs (4, 5, 6, and 7) with lactic acid containing 0.75%, 5%, 10%, and 30% NaCl, and stored at 25°C until the bacterial populations reached below detectable levels on tryptic soy agar (TSA). Although E. coli O157:H7 and S.

      • Escherichia coli O157:H7
      • Salmonella
      • Bacterial pathogens
  14. Inter‐strains comparison of the antimicrobial effect and mode of action of a Vietnamese Cinnamomum cassia essential oil from leaves and its principal component against Listeria monocytogenes

    • Letters in Applied Microbiology
    • Letters in Applied Microbiology, Accepted Article. The antibacterial activity of a Cinnamomum essential oil and of its main component trans‐cinnamaldehyde (90% w/w) was examined against 5 Listeria monocytogenes strains. The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of C. cassia essential oil against the 5 L. monocytogenes strains were identical (250 µg.mL‐1) while the minimal bactericidal concentrations (MBC) ranged between 800 and 1200 µg.mL‐1.

      • Listeria monocytogenes
      • Bacterial pathogens
  15. Chemical composition and synergistic effect of three Moroccan lavender EOs with ciprofloxacin against foodborne bacteria: a promising approach to modulate antimicrobial resistance

    • Letters in Applied Microbiology
    • The aim of this study was to determine the chemical profile of the essential oils (EOs) of three Moroccan lavender species (Lavandula pedunculata, LP; Lavandula angustifolia, LA; and Lavandula maroccana, LM) and to investigate, for the first time, the synergistic effect of the optimal mixture of the EOs with conventional antibiotic ciprofloxacin against three pathogenic foodborne bacteria.

  16. Analysis of phenanthrene degradation by Ascomycota fungi isolated from contaminated soil from Reynosa, Mexico

    • Letters in Applied Microbiology
    • Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are organic compounds generated mainly by anthropogenic sources. They are considered toxic to mammals, since they have carcinogenic, mutagenic, and genotoxic properties, among others. Although mycoremediation is an efficient, economical, and eco‐friendly technique for degrading PAHs, the fungal degradation potential of the phylum Ascomycota has not been widely studied.

      • Chemical contaminants
  17. Multi Drug Resistant Staphylococci Isolated from Pigs with Exudative Epidermitis in North Eastern Region of India

    • Letters in Applied Microbiology
    • Exudative epidermatitis (EE) or greasy pig disease (GPD) is a contagious disease of pig and endemic worldwide caused by toxigenic strains under genus Staphylococcus. The present study reported an outbreak of GPD in Champhai district of Mizoram adjoining to the southern border of Myanmar. A total of 60 samples were collected from 22 clinically affected animals and processed for isolation and identification of Staphylococcus spp.

      • Staphylococcus aureus
      • Bacterial pathogens
  18. Chromium Binding Bacillus cereus VITSH1‐ A Promising Candidate for Heavy Metal Clean up

    • Letters in Applied Microbiology
    • Bacteria survive metal stress by several mechanisms and metal binding is one such mechanism which has been screened in the present study to investigate the survival strategies of metal resistant bacteria. The production of siderophores, a metal chelating agent, was detected by chrome azurol S agar assay. The changes in cell wall studied by analyzing the peptidoglycan and teichoic acid content indicated an increase in the cell wall content.

      • Bacillus cereus
  19. Assessing the faecal source sensitivity and specificity of ruminant and human genetic microbial source tracking markers in the central Ethiopian highlands

    • Letters in Applied Microbiology
    • This study tested genetic microbial source tracking (MST) methods for identifying ruminant‐ (BacR) and human‐associated (HF183/BacR287, BacHum) bacterial faecal contaminants in Ethiopia in a newly created regional faecal sample bank (n=173). BacR performed well, and its marker abundance was high (100% sensitivity (Sens), 95% specificity (Spec), median log10 8.1 marker equivalents (ME) g‐1 ruminant faeces).

  20. Occurrence of ‘gang of five’ Shiga toxin‐producing Escherichia coli (STEC) serogroups on Belgian dairy cattle farms by overshoe sampling

    • Letters in Applied Microbiology
    • Shiga toxin‐producing Escherichia coli (STEC) are foodborne pathogens responsible for global outbreaks. This study was conducted to investigate the occurrence of ‘gang of five’ STEC serogroups (O26, O103, O111, O145, O157) on Belgian dairy cattle farms by overshoe (OVS) sampling, and to evaluate the presence of virulence genes in the obtained isolates.

      • Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli
      • Bacterial pathogens
  21. Deciphering the origin of Aspergillus flavus NRRL21882, the active biocontrol agent of Afla‐Guard®

    • Letters in Applied Microbiology
    • Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of genome sequences of eight Aspergillus flavus and seven Aspergillus oryzae strains were extracted with Mauve, a multiple‐genome alignment program. A phylogenetic analysis with sequences comprised of concatenated total SNPs by the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA) of MAFFT adequately separated them into three groups, A. flavus S‐morphotype, A. flavus L‐morphotype, and A. oryzae. Divergence time inferred for A.

      • Aflatoxins
      • Natural toxins
  22. Characterization and application of rhamnolipid from Pseudomonas plecoglossicida BP03

    • Letters in Applied Microbiology
    • Significance and Impact of the Study: Nowadays chemically synthesized drugs are expensive and create damage to nontarget environment. It creates the demand for low toxic drugs to control and need to achieve immediate results. Microbially derived biosurfactant has been prepared and tried as a drug to various biofilm producers, Anopheles vector and cancer cells. These results confirms the potential ability of rhamnolipid in various toxic environment.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Staphylococcus aureus
  23. Evaluation of the probiotic and functional potential of Lactobacillus agilis 32 isolated from pig manure

    • Letters in Applied Microbiology
    • Escherichia coli is a symbiotic bacterium in humans and animals and an important pathogen of humans and animals. Prevention and suppression of E. coli infection is of great concern. In this study, we isolated a strain of L. agilis 32 from pig manure and evaluated its biological characteristics, and found that its bacterial survival rate was 25% after 4 hours of treatment at pH 2, and under the condition of 0.5% bile concentration, its survival rate exceeds 30%. In addition, L.

      • Bacterial pathogens
  24. Use of critically important antimicrobial classes early in life may adversely impact bacterial resistance profiles during adult years: potential co‐selection for plasmid‐borne fluoroquinolone and macrolide resistance via extended‐spectrum beta‐lactam...

    • Letters in Applied Microbiology
    • The transfer of antimicrobial resistance genes commonly occurs via vertical and horizontal gene transfer, as such genes are often found on the same mobile genetic element. This occurrence can lead to the co‐selection of resistance to antimicrobials without their application.

      • Bacterial pathogens
  25. A mini‐Tn5‐derived transposon with reportable and selectable markers enables rapid generation and screening of insertional mutants in Gram‐negative bacteria

    • Letters in Applied Microbiology
    • We re‐engineered a classic tool for mutagenesis and gene expression studies in Gram‐negative bacteria. Our modified Tn5‐based transposon contains multiple features that allow rapid selection for mutants, direct quantification of gene expression, and straightforward cloning of the inactivated gene. The promoter‐less gfp‐km cassette provides selection and reporter assay depending on the activity of the promoter upstream of the transposon insertion site.

      • Bacterial pathogens