Research Publications (Food Safety)

The pathogenic microorganism Listeria monocytogenes is ubiquitous and responsible for listeriosis, a disease with a high mortality rate in susceptible people. It can persist in different habitats, including the farm environment, the food production environments, and in foods. This pathogen can grow under challenging conditions, such as low pH, low temperatures, and high salt concentrations. However, L.

Objectives Bacillus cereus is responsible for food poisoning and rare but severe clinical infections. The pathogenicity of B. cereus strains varies from harmless to lethal strains. The objective of this study was to characterize three B. cereus isolates isolated from the same patient and identify their virulence potentials. Methods Three isolates of B.

ABSTRACT Staphylococcus aureus is an opportunistic human pathogen, which is a leading cause of infections worldwide. The challenge in treating S. aureus infection is linked to the development of multidrug-resistant strains and the mechanisms employed by this pathogen to evade the human immune defenses. In addition, S. aureus can hide asymptomatically in particular ‘protective’ niches of the human body for prolonged periods of time.

Molecular Microbiology, Accepted Article. YscX was discovered as an essential part of the Yersinia type III secretion system about 20 years ago. It is required for substrate secretion and is exported itself. Despite this central role, its precise function and mode of action remains unknown. In order to address this knowledge gap, this present study refocused attention on YscX to build on the recent advances in the understanding of YscX function.

As part of the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) activities, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) collected cecal samples from food animal slaughter facilities throughout the country between 2014 and 2018. Of the 26,780 cecal samples from cattle, swine, chicken and turkey , 6,350 (23.71%) tested positive for Salmonella .

Introduction The objectives of this study were to evaluate the synergistic antimicrobial effect of ultraviolet A (UVA) and malic acid (MA) combination treatment against Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella Typhimurium, and Listeria monocytogenes on spinach and to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the synergistic antimicrobial effects. Methods The cocktail of three pathogens was inoculated on the spinach leaves.

Extended shelf-life of many foods is a modern requirement that has been achieved by means of fossil-based plastic films despite their environmental issues. Recently, starch-based, fully biodegradable thermoplastics are gaining momentum as packaging material; however, if they are in contact with food, aspects such storage, water interaction and spoilage due to microorganisms must be considered.

Essential oils with antimicrobial or antioxidant activities have received extensive attention among customers, manufacturers, and food scientists, especially with rising worries about the safety of synthetic food preservatives. However, like other functional lipid compounds their incorporation into aqueous systems is challenging, due to their less water solubility. Furthermore, their susceptibility to light, moisture, heat, and oxygen origins their less chemical and structural stabilities.

The antibacterial and antibiofilm activity of essential oil of clove against Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella Enteritidis were investigated. The chemical composition of the oil was characterized by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Stock solution of the essential oil of clove was prepared in 95% (v/v) ethanol (EOC). The antibacterial assays were performed by disk diffusion assay and minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC).

Zingiber officinale essential oil (ZEO) was encapsulated in chitosan nanoparticles at different concentrations using the emulsion-ionic gelation technique and its antioxidant and antibacterial effects were investigated. The results indicated that ZEO level had a significant effect on encapsulation efficiency (EE), loading capacity (LC), particle size and zeta potential.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the detrimental effect of ultrasound application, as an alternative to pasteurization, on raw goat milk microorganisms and some food pathogens including Brucella melitensis. For this purpose, six different ultrasound applications with a power of 20 kHz at 100%, 50% and 10% amplitudes with or without pulsation were practiced.

The objective of this study was to develop a quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) model to evaluate potential risk mitigation strategies to reduce the probability of acquiring hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) associated with beef consumption in Argentina. Five scenarios were simulated to evaluate the effect of interventions on the probability of acquiring HUS from Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC)-contaminated ground beef and commercial hamburger consumption.

Wheat filter flour is a by-product derived from the modern wheat milling process. In this study, the influence of plasticizer type (glycerol (G) and sorbitol (S)) and content (25, 35, and 45 g/100 g polymer) on the wheat filter flour-based film was evaluated. Regardless of plasticizer type, increasing the plasticizer content enhanced moisture content, water solubility, and water vapor permeability of film samples.

The aim of this work was to reinforce actions tending to reduce Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in beef products from an Argentinean commercial abattoir implementing Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) practices. An environmental stx map was built with 421 environmental samples from the slaughter, quartering, cool chamber and deboning sectors (February-May 2013). For stx determination, 125 carcass and 572 anatomical cut samples were used.

Journal of Food Science, EarlyView. Hummus is a popular dip in the Middle East region prepared by mixing the boiled chickpeas with tahini and other ingredients, and because its consumption has increased world-wide some notoriety has developed following an increase in the incidence of hummus-related illness outbreaks and recalls.

Infective endocarditis (IE) involving mitral annular calcification (MAC) is a rare disease, but is potentially lethal due to frequent serious periannular complications, and therefore requires early diagnosis and prompt treatment. However, either reaching the correct diagnosis or the detection of periannular complications, even with conventional transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), remains challenging because calcium deposition obscures clear visualization of the area around the MAC.

The antibiotic susceptibility patterns were correlated with particular spa types, and this correlation would help physicians select appropriate antibiotics for treatment of invasive MRSA infections. The aim of this research was to investigate invasive methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) through delineatingthe molecular typing results and correlating them with antibiotic susceptibility.

Listeria monocytogenes causes listeriosis with a high mortality rate. This study systematically reviewed the antibiotic susceptibility of L. monocytogenes in the world. A literature search was done and the data of 33 studies that matched with the inclusion criteria, were used for meta-analysis. The random-effect model meta-analysis was applied to determine the frequency of overall L. monocytogenes and its antibiotic non-sensitive isolates.

Coastal zones are exposed to various anthropogenic impacts, such as different types of wastewater pollution, e.g., treated wastewater discharges, leakage from sewage systems, and agricultural and urban runoff. These various inputs can introduce allochthonous organic matter and microbes, including pathogens, into the coastal marine environment.

Advancements in contemporary medicine have led to an increasing life expectancy which has broadened the application of biomaterial implants. As each implant procedure has an innate risk of infection, the number of biomaterial-associated infections keeps rising. Staphylococcus aureus causes 34% of such infections and is known as a potent biofilm producer. By secreting micrococcal nuclease S. aureus is able to escape neutrophil extracellular traps by cleaving their DNA-backbone.

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, with a broad-host range, is a predominant cause of non-typhoidal Salmonella infection in humans, and the infectious source is highly associated with food animals, especially poultry. Considering the horizontal transmission of S. Typhimurium from farm animals to humans, vaccination has been strongly recommended in industrial animals.

The in vitro antimicrobial activity of sophorolipids (SLs) against Eimeria maxima and Clostridium perfringens, and the in vivo effects of SLs on growth performance and gut health in necrotic enteritis (NE)-afflicted broiler chickens were studied.

Clostridium perfringens-induced necrotic enteritis (NE) is an economically important disease of broiler chickens. The present study evaluated the effect of C. perfringens on the intestinal histomorphometry, enteric microbial colonization, and host immune responses using 3 experimental NE reproduction methods.

Currently, no specific therapeutics are available for foodborne Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) infections that cause severe gastroenteritis and life-threatening complications of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). As STEC attachment to intestinal epithelium might increase the host absorption of Shiga toxins and severity of the disease, we were inspired to develop a bispecific neutralizer capable of blocking its Shiga toxin and adhesin intimin simultaneously.

by Woyinshet Worku, Moges Desta, Tadesse Menjetta Background Food-borne diseases related to the consumption of meat and its products had public health importance worldwide. The problem became worst in Ethiopia as the result of the tradition of eating raw cattle meat. Salmonella species and Escherichia coli are important food-borne pathogens associated with meat contamination.