Research Publications (Food Safety)

ABSTRACT The bacterial cell wall is composed primarily of peptidoglycan (PG), a poly-aminosugar that is essential to sustain cell shape, growth, and structural integrity. PG is synthesized by class A/B penicillin-binding proteins (a/bPBPs) and shape, elongation, division, and sporulation (SEDS) proteins like RodA (as part of the Rod system cell elongation machinery) and degraded by "autolytic" enzymes to accommodate growth processes.

ABSTRACT At the intestinal host-microbe interface, the transmembrane mucin MUC1 can function as a physical barrier as well as a receptor for bacteria. MUC1 also influences epithelial cell morphology and receptor function. Various bacterial pathogens can exploit integrins to infect eukaryotic cells. It is yet unclear whether MUC1 influences the interaction of bacteria with integrins.

ABSTRACT Aspirin is a chemopreventive agent for colorectal adenoma and cancer (CRC) that, like many drugs inclusive of chemotherapeutics, has been investigated for its effects on bacterial growth and virulence gene expression. Given the evolving recognition of the roles for bacteria in CRC, in this work, we investigate the effects of aspirin with a focus on one oncomicrobe—Fusobacterium nucleatum.

ABSTRACT

ABSTRACT

ABSTRACT

ABSTRACT

ABSTRACT

Cattle are a reservoir for Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), zoonotic pathogens that cause serious clinical disease. Scotland has a higher incidence of STEC infection in the human population than the European average. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and epidemiology of non-O157 serogroups O26, O103, O111, and O145 and Shiga toxin gene carriage in Scottish cattle.

Listeria monocytogenes is a ubiquitous foodborne pathogen that results in a high rate of mortality in sensitive and immunocompromised people. Contamination of food with L. monocytogenes is thought to occur during food processing, most often as a result of the pathogen producing a biofilm that persists in the environment and acting as the source for subsequent dispersal of cells onto food.

We investigated the prevalence and transmission of NDM-producing Enterobacteriaceae in fecal samples of geese and environmental samples from a goose farm in southern China. The samples were cultivated on MacConkey agar plates supplemented with meropenem. Individual colonies were examined for blaNDM, and blaNDM-positive bacteria were characterized based on whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data from the Illumina and Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) platforms.

Vibrio cholerae causes the gastrointestinal illness cholera, which spreads throughout the globe in large pandemics. The current pandemic is caused by O1 El Tor biotype strains, whereas previous pandemics were caused by O1 classical biotype strains. El Tor V. cholerae is noted for its ability to acquire exogenous DNA through chitin-induced natural transformation, which has been exploited for genetic manipulation of El Tor strains in the laboratory.

by Annette Fagerlund, Sileshi Gizachew Wubshet, Trond Møretrø, Gesine Schmidt, Grethe Iren Borge, Solveig Langsrud

by Diana Luise, Mathilde Le Sciellour, Arnaud Buchet, Rémi Resmond, Charlène Clement, Marie-Noelle Rossignol, Deborah Jardet, Olivier Zemb, Catherine Belloc, Elodie Merlot

In this study, we investigated the prevalence, serovar distribution, and antimicrobial resistance pattern of Salmonella isolates from vegetable, fruit, and water samples in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Salmonella was detected in 75% (30/40), 57.1% (12/21), 17.5% (28/160), and 2.5% (1/40) of river water, irrigation water, vegetable, and ice water samples, respectively. However, no Salmonella was isolated from 160 fruit and 40 tap water samples examined.

In July 2019, we investigated a cluster of Yersinia enterocolitica cases affecting a youth summer camp and nearby community in northeastern Pennsylvania. After initial telephone interviews with camp owners and community members, we identified pasteurized milk from a small dairy conducting on-site pasteurization, Dairy A, as a shared exposure. We conducted site visits at the camp and Dairy A where we collected milk and other samples. Samples were cultured for Y. enterocolitica.

Author(s): Duanduan Chen, Leifeng Guo, Cao Yi, Shouquan Wang, Yuanyuan Ru, Hui Wang

Author(s): Necla Ozdemir, Ali Bayrak, Tuba Tat, Zühre Nur Yanık, Filiz Altay, A. Kadir Halkman

Author(s): Md. Ashrafudoulla, Md. Furkanur Rahaman Mizan, Si Hong Park, Sang-Do Ha

In this study, zein/polylactic acid (PLA)/hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) nanofibers (NFs) were fabricated to the incorporation of Zenian (Carum copticum) essential oil (ZO) using the electrospinning method for employing in food packaging for the first time. The SEM images of optimal zein/PLA/HPMC/ZO NFs displayed homogeneous morphology. The average diameter of NFs ranged between 718 ± 186 nm and 335 ± 112 nm. Antioxidant activity of ZO-loaded NFs was 68.83 ± 0.1%.

Reducing the use of critically important antimicrobials in veterinary medicine is increasingly important to avoid the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance. The aim of this study was to analyse ten-year trends of colistin consumption in Estonia and to ascertain the possible association between Escherichia (E.) coli vaccination and colistin consumption in pig production.

Campylobacter jejuni is among the most prevalent foodborne zoonotic pathogens leading to diarrheal diseases. In this study, we developed a CRISPR-Cas12b-based system to rapidly and accurately detect C. jejuni contamination. Identification of C. jejuni-specific and -conserved genomic signatures is a fundamental step in development of the detection system. By comparing C.

Adhesion to host cells is a key step for successful infection of many bacterial pathogens and may define tropism to different host tissues. To do so, bacteria display adhesins on their surfaces. Brucella is an intracellular pathogen capable of proliferating in a wide variety of cell types.

Background As drug development has globalized, trials have increasingly enrolled participants from all parts of the world rather than just the United States and Western Europe. For antibacterial drug trials, understanding enrollment trends and regional differences is important for generalizability considerations.

The prevalence of Listeria monocytogenes in raw beef and in slaughterhouse environments was investigated from April 2019 to February 2020. Three hundred raw beef samples were purchased from 50 retailers and 10 restaurants (5 samples per source). One hundred and thirty-four samples from slaughterhouse environments were collected by swabbing (10 × 10 cm) the surfaces, gloves, splitting saw, and drains. L.