Research Publications (Food Safety)

Aeromonas spp. are ubiquitous bacteria that cause diseases in fish and other aquatic animals. They are the natural inhabitants of different aquatic environments, such as freshwater, brackishwater and marinewater. Extrinsic stressors, such as crowding, unhygienic handling, poor water quality, polluted feeding and inadequate nutrition, can predispose fish to Aeromonas infection. In ornamental fish, motile Aeromonas spp.

Listeria monocytogenes, a well‐known foodborne pathogen and the causative agent of listeriosis, has the ability to persist in food processing environments due to its high adhesion ability in different surfaces, playing an important role in the food industry. The aim of this study was to assess how the main stressing conditions, usually observed in meat processing facilities (sanitizers, NaCl, curing salts), interfere in L. monocytogenes adhesion and biofilm formation.

Widespread of heavy metals contamination has led to several environmental problems. Some biological methods to remove heavy metals from contaminated wastewater are being widely explored. In the present study, the efficiency of a white‐rot fungus, Phlebia brevispora to remove different metals (Pb, Cd and Ni) has been evaluated. Atomic absorption spectroscopy of treated and untreated metal containing water revealed that all the metals were efficiently removed by the fungus.

Significance and Impact of the Study: The occurrence and severity of fungal infections have increased in recent decades due to resistance to available antifungal drugs and the appearance of new emerging pathogens. Thus, the search for new antifungal agents is mandatory. From a series of 23 cinnamyl Schiff bases, two compounds (1 and 23) were interrogated as new anticryptococcal agents without significant cytotoxicity against human lung, kidney or red blood cells.

This study investigated the effects of dietary Bifidobacterium bifidum (BFD) and mannan‐oligosaccharide (MOS), as a synbiotic, on the production performance, gut microbiology, serum biochemistry, antioxidant profile, and health indices of broiler chicken.

Staphylococci from Sheedal of Northeast India was isolated, identified and characterized. All the isolated Staphylococci were found to be coagulase‐negative. Based on the rpoB gene sequences followed by analysis using NCBI‐BLAST software, seven species of Staphylococcus namely, S. piscifermentans, S. condimenti, S. arlettae, S. sciuri, S. warneri, S. nepalensis and S. hominis were recognized. Phylogenetic analyses revealed three major cluster groups.

In a 2018 survey, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) identified microbial contamination in 42 (49%) of 85 unopened tattoo and permanent makeup (PMU) inks purchased from 13 manufacturers in the US between November 2015 and April 2016.

Phage therapy is considered an alternative modality in the treatment of different bacterial diseases. However, their therapeutic and preventive roles against infections caused by S.Kentucky and E.coli O119 were of little attention. In this study, two phages were isolated, characterized, and assessed for their potential therapeutic and preventive roles against S.Kentucky and E.coli O119 infections in broilers.

The present work intended to evaluate the applicability of photodynamic inactivation (PDI) of Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri with toluidine blue O (TBO), a commercial photosensitizer, as a strategy to control citrus canker. Assays were conducted with cell suspensions and biofilms, constructed either on polypropylene microtubes (in vitro assays) or on the surface of orange leaves (ex vivo assays), in the presence of TBO and under irradiation with artificial white light or natural sunlight.

The aims of the present study were to examine the occurrence of Staphylococcus spp. in the tonsils of slaughtered pigs in a regional slaughterhouse in Greece, the antibiotic resistance of the Staphylococcus spp. isolates, and the enteroxigenicity of the S. aureus isolates. Staphylococcus spp. were isolated in 70 (48.61%) out of the total 144 tonsil samples. The predominant species was S.

Significance and Impact of the Study: This study shows the prevalence of pathogenic Vibrio cholerae, Vibrio mimicus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus isolated from shrimp that is commercialized in Reynosa city. This could represent a risk to consumers' health, since outbreaks related to shrimp contaminated with Vibrio have been previously reported. Additionally, shrimp fishing has a major role in Mexico's economy.

ABSTRACT The deferred antagonism technique has been utilized for several decades for detecting antibiosis activity. Most protocols require the elimination of antibiotic‐producing cells by exposing them to chloroform vapor, UV radiation, or filter‐sterilizing the filtrate; steps that require additional time and expense to complete.

The objective was to screen 10 snake venoms for their efficacy to control growth and mycotoxin production by important mycotoxigenic fungi including Aspergillus flavus, A. westerdijkiae, Penicillium verrucosum, Fusarium graminearum and F. langsethiae. The Bioscreen C rapid assay system was used. The venoms from the Viperidae snake family delayed growth of some of the test fungi, especially F. graminearum and F. langsethiae and sometimes A. flavus.

A Coxiella sp. closely related to the agent of Q‐fever, Coxiella burnetii, has been associated with mortalities in redclaw crayfish, (Cherax quadricarinatus), in farms and experimental facilities for three decades. Limited sequence data including 16S rRNA have placed the rickettsial species as a new species, candidatus Coxiella cheraxi closely related to C. burnetii. MinION sequencing was conducted on the last remaining sample from an outbreak of disease, TO‐98.

Sediment samples were taken from sediment adjacent to an urban river in Sheffield in Northern England that had suffered heavy metal pollution due to previous activity of the steel industry (between the 17th and 19th centuries). The most abundant heavy metals found in the samples were lead, chromium, nickel, arsenic and cobalt, with maximum concentrations of 412.80 mg kg‐1 25.232 mg kg‐1, 25.196 mg kg‐1, 8.123 mg kg‐1 and 7.66 mg kg‐1, respectively.

A strain named as P. aeruginosa 2016NX1, which could produce phenazine and cereusitin, was isolated from the root of Millettia specisoa. Phenazines were extracted, isolated and purified by chloroform, thin‐layer chromatography, column chromatography and high performance liquid chromatography. Then the purified materials were identified by analysis of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The major yellow component is 1‐hydroxyphenazine and the minor blue component is cereusitin A.

Significance and Impact of the Study: In this study, the microbiological quality and safety of minimally processed vegetables sold in the city of Piracicaba, SP, Brazil, were evaluated through the detection of Salmonella spp., generic Escherichia coli and other Enterobacteriaceae. The results obtained point to poor microbiological quality and safety of a few samples, as generic E. coli was detected in 16 out of 100 samples and Salmonella was isolated from one of them.

Significance and Impact of the Study: Vibrio harveyi is a major pathogen of marine animals. The bacterium could enter into a viable but non‐culturable state (VBNC) state when exposed to harsh conditions, and retains its pathogenicity after resuscitation. In this work, we analysed the enzyme activities of a resuscitation‐promoting factor YeaZ and the relationship of protease activities with its promoting effect on the resuscitation of VBNC cells.

Filter feeding is a biotic process that brings waterborne bacteria in close contact with each other and may thus support the horizontal transfer of their antimicrobial resistance genes. This laboratory study investigated whether the freshwater sponge Ephydatia fluviatilis supported the transfer of vancomycin resistance between two Enterococcus faecalis strains that we previously demonstrated to exhibit pheromone responsive plasmid conjugation.

The aim of this study was to examine whether the process of initial colonization and the formation of mature biofilm structure of foodborne bacterial pathogens Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella typhimurium can be impeded by active essential oil components β‐caryophyllene, cinnamaldehyde and eugenol at their individual and combined effects.

Highly concentrated sugar solutions are known to be effective anti‐microbial agents. However, it is unknown whether this effect is solely the result of the collective osmotic effect imparted by a mixture of sugars or whether the type of carbohydrate used also has an individual chemical effect on bacterial responses, i.e., inhibition/growth.

Salmonellosis is a leading bacterial cause of foodborne illness, and numerous Salmonella enterica serovars have been responsible for foodborne outbreaks. In the United States outbreaks are often linked to poultry and poultry‐related products. The prevalence of Salmonella serovar Infantis has been increasing in poultry processing facilities over the past few years and in 2018 was identified as the causative agent for a large multistate outbreak linked to raw chicken.

Surface water is prone to bacterial contamination as it receives wastes and pollutants from human and animal sources, and contaminated water may expose local populations to health risks. This review provides a brief overview on the prevalence and antimicrobial resistance (AR) phenotypes of Salmonella, Escherichia coli, and Enterococcus, found in natural freshwaters.

The effects of soil type and temperature on the survival of a cocktail of five Salmonella enterica serotypes (Enteritidis, Infantis, Montevideo, Typhimurium and Zanzibar) in manure‐amended soils under controlled laboratory conditions was assessed. Containers of clay loam or sandy soil, unaltered or amended with 2% (w/w) poultry manure, were inoculated with S. enterica (~5 log10 CFU g‐1) and held at 5, 21 or 37°C for 6 weeks. Statistical analysis of the persistence of S.

Escherichia coli O157:H7 (E. coli O157:H7) is an important pathogenic Bacterium that threatens human health. A convenient, sensitive and specific method for the E. coli O157:H7 detection is necessary. We developed two pairs of monoclonal antibodies through traditional hybridoma technology, one specifically against E. coli O157 antigen and the other specifically against E. coli H7 antigen. Using these two pairs of antibodies, we developed two rapid test kits to specifically detect E.