Research Publications (Food Safety)

Individual-cell heterogeneity is a major source of variability in biological systems affecting importantly, among others, microbial behavior. Characterization of cell populations of pathogenic bacterial strains in their entirety, ignoring the phenotypic variability of single cells, may result in erroneous safety risk estimates.

Salmonella contamination of poultry remains a food safety challenge for broiler processors. The objectives of this study were to measure the efficacy of antimicrobial interventions in commercial broiler processing plants to reduce Salmonella and to assess changes in the Salmonella serovars before and after the chilling process.

Salmonella enterica is a ubiquitous and multi-host pathogen that causes significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Outbreaks of foodborne salmonellosis continue to occur, highlighting the need for additional interventions.

Sprouts have been involved in many outbreaks of salmonellosis where seeds were identified as the likely source of contamination. This study aimed to develop an effective heat treatment that could achieve a >5-log reduction of Salmonella inoculated on alfalfa seeds while maintaining seed viability and vigor. Effects of seeds' water activity (aw) and heat treatment temperature on Salmonella inactivation and seed viability were determined.

Several individuals reported gastrointestinal symptoms following meals consumed in late January 2021 at a restaurant in western Finland. We conducted a retrospective cohort study and defined a case as a person who ate at the lunch restaurant between 27 and 29 January 2021 and had stomach pain, vomiting or diarrhoea and/or a laboratory-confirmed Salmonella Typhimurium infection within 2 weeks after the exposure.

Salmonella enterica serovar Indiana (S. Indiana) has aroused widespread concern as an important zoonotic pathogen. The molecular mechanism of multidrug resistance (MDR) in S. Indiana is not known and should be assessed. We aim to investigate the molecular mechanism of MDR and the importance of large plasmids carried class 1 integrons in the MDR of foodborne S. Indiana. Class 1 integrons in 48 S.

Journal of Food Safety, EarlyView. Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis (SE) is a primary pathogen that causes foodborne diseases in humans. Although whole-genome sequencing (WGS) -based typing analyses have been increasingly used to investigate food-poisoning outbreaks, they are rarely applied to the epidemiology of multiple Salmonella outbreaks in Sichuan, China.

Active investment in research time in the development and study of novel unconventional antimicrobials is trending for several reasons. First, it is one of the ways which might help to fight antimicrobial resistance and bacterial contamination due to uncontrolled biofilm growth. Second, minimizing harmful environmental outcomes due to the overuse of toxic chemicals is one of the highest priorities nowadays.

Background Preventing Salmonella infection and colonization in young birds is key to improving poultry gut health and reducing Salmonella contamination of poultry products and decreasing salmonellosis for human consumption (poultry meat and eggs). Probiotics can improve poultry health. The present study was conducted to investigate the impact of a probiotics, Enterococcus faecium NCIMB 11181 (E.

Microbiology Resource Announcements, Ahead of Print. A recent outbreak of salmonellosis in wild birds sickened 29 individuals in 12 states, leading to 14 hospitalizations. Here, we report the draft genome sequence of a multidrug-resistant strain of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium that was isolated from a bird experiencing symptoms of salmonellosis.

Acute non-typhoidal salmonellosis (NTS) caused by a Gram-negative bacterium Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Tm) is one of the most common bacterial foodborne diseases worldwide. Bacteriophages (phages) can specifically target and lyse their host bacteria, including the multidrug-resistant strains, without collateral damage to other bacteria in the community. However, the therapeutic use of Salmonella phages in vivo is still poorly investigated.

International Journal of Food Science &Technology, Accepted Article. Developing rapid detection tools and methods for foodborne pathogens has always been a research hotspot, which is undoubtedly very important for food safety. In this study, the preparation of functional magnetic nanoprobes and their application to detect target pathogens in a complex matrix by low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR) is demonstrated.

Polyethylenimines (PEIs), a group of polycationic molecules, are known to impair the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria and exhibit antimicrobial activity. The outer membrane of Gram-negative strains hinders the uptake of photosensitizer chlorophyllin. In this study, we report chlorophyllin and branched PEI combinations’ activity against Escherichia coli strains DH5α and RB791, Salmonella enterica sv. Typhimurium LT2, and Bacillus subtilis 168.

Foodborne infections caused by Salmonella have been linked to a variety of poultry products. The aim of this study was to compare the molecular profile of virulence genes considering different serotypes of Salmonella, isolates were from chicken breast sampled during the last two decades (1999 to 2010 and 2011 to 2018).

Salmonella enterica is a widespread foodborne pathogen with concerning antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Waterfowl are a major source of Salmonella transmission, but there are few systematic studies on Salmonella prevalence in waterfowl species. In this study, 126 Salmonella isolates (65 collected in 2018–2020 and 61 collected in 2002–2005) were obtained from waterfowl samples in Sichuan, China.

Colistin is classified as a high-priority critical antimicrobial by the World Health Organization (WHO). A better understanding of the biological cost imposed by mcr-plasmids is paramount to comprehending their spread and may facilitate the decision about the ban of colistin in livestock.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Ahead of Print. Thermal pasteurization of shell eggs, at various time-temperature combinations, has been proposed previously and implemented industrially. This study was conducted to determine if shell egg heating rate, which varies with different pasteurization implementations, alters the Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis response to different stresses or expression of virulence.

Transboundary and Emerging Diseases, Volume 69, Issue 5, Page 2544-2558, September 2022. Poultry and poultry-derived products such as meat and eggs are among the main sources of non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) transmission to humans.

Plant essential oils (EOs), which are acknowledged as generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), have the potential to be used as a flavoring agent. However, there are limitations to some EOs, such as low water solubility and high volatility, which limit their application in food technology.

Salmonellosis is a frontrunner in food-borne diseases with emerging public health concerns. This study aimed to characterise the virulence and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) of Salmonella enterica recovered from poultry meat within Benin City, Nigeria. Of the 250 poultry meat samples, 103/250(41.2%) were positive for Salmonella species.

Tellurite [Te(IV)] is a high-toxicity metalloid. In this study, a fungus with high Te(IV) resistance was isolated. Strain AB1 could efficiently reduce highly toxic Te(IV) to less toxic Te(0). The reduced products formed rod-shaped biogenetic Te(0) nanoparticles (Bio-TeNPs) intracellularly. Further TEM-element mapping, FTIR, and XPS analysis showed that the extracted Bio-TeNPs ranged from 100 to 500 nm and consisted of Te(0), proteins, lipids, aromatic compounds, and carbohydrates.

Microbiology Resource Announcements, Ahead of Print. Salmonella has been reported as a high-priority pathogen by the World Health Organization. Here, we report the draft genome sequence of 2 Salmonella enterica serovar Minnesota strains isolated from chicken meat in Saudi Arabia (named SA49317 and SA49319) belonging to sequence type (ST) 548, revealing mobile colistin resistance (mcr)-1.1 gene for colistin resistance.

Salmonella Entertidis (SE) often causes persistent infections and egg contamination in laying ducks. Hcp, the core structural and effector proteins of the Type VI Secretion System (T6SS) in SE, contributes to bacterial invasion, adhesion and virulence. However, little is known about the effect of Hcp on the host’s infection responses and egg contamination incidences in duck.

The antimicrobial activity of endophytic fungi isolated from Euphorbia milii was evaluated against Gram-positive, Gram-negative bacteria, unicellular yeast, and filamentous fungi. Chaetomium ovatoascomatis NRC was identified morphologically and genetically as the most active strain. The total ethyl acetate extract of C.

The human gastrointestinal tract (GIT) harbors numerous defensive mechanisms to impede pathogen colonization, including gastric acidity and bile acids in the small intestine.