Research Publications (Food Safety)

Poultry and poultry meat are important contributors to the global antimicrobial burden. Unregulated and illegal use of extended-spectrum cephalosporins (ESC) in this sector has long been identified as a major cause of massive spread of ESC-resistant Escherichia coli, and colistin usage is considered a main driver of plasmid-mediated mcr genes dissemination. In Lebanon, the first mcr-1-positive E. coli found in poultry dates back to 2015, followed by a few reports of mcr-1-positive E.

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a major foodborne pathogen responsible for significant economic losses in aquaculture and a threat to human health. Here, we explored the incidence, virulence potential, and diversity of V. parahaemolyticus isolates from aquaculture farms in Bangladesh. We examined a total of 216 water, sediment, Oreochromis niloticus (tilapia), Labeo rohita (rui), and Penaeus monodon (shrimp) samples from the aquaculture system where 60.2% (130/216) samples were positive for V.

Cocoa roasting produces and enhances distinct flavor of chocolate and acts as a critical control point for inactivation of foodborne pathogens in chocolate production. In this study, the inactivation kinetics of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serotype Oranienburg strain was assessed on whole cocoa beans using roasting protocols relevant to the fine chocolate industry. Beans were inoculated with 107–108 log10 CFU/bean of Salmonella Oranienburg and roasted at 100–150°C for 2–100 min.

Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) has been reported to protect against Gram-negative bacteria by acting as a pathogen recognition receptor that senses mainly lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Gram-negative bacteria. However, the role of TLR4 in Gram-positive bacterial infection is less well understood. Clostridium perfringens type A is a Gram-positive bacterium that causes gas gangrene characterized by severe myonecrosis. It was previously demonstrated that C.

Author(s): Jiai Yan, Ruijin Yang, Shuhuai Yu, Wei Zhao (Source: Food Bioscience) Staphylococcus aureus is a notorious foodborne pathogen capable of producing various toxins including heat-stable enterotoxin, forming biofilm, evolving to multidrug-resistant strains including methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) against antibiotics, and threatening public health, of which the biocontrol garners increasing interest from both researchers and food industry.

Author(s): A.Arun Prince Milton, Kasanchi.M. Momin, G.Bhuvana Priya, Samir Das, M. Angappan, Arnab Sen, D.K. Sinha, Sandeep Ghatak

Author(s): Wei Li, Yanfei Yan, Jia Chen, Ruiwen Sun, Yuxuan Wang, Tingfen Wang, Zitian Feng, Kai Peng, Juan Wang, Sheng Chen, Yanping Luo, Ruichao Li, Baowei Yang

Author(s): B. Kramer, C. Mignard, D. Warschat, S. Gürbüz, P. Aiglstorfer, P. Muranyi

Author(s): Yan Gao, Yingwang Ye, Jianguo Xu, Qian Wu, Bangben Yao, Wei Chen

Author(s): Chandan Prakash, Bablu Kumar, Rabindra Prasad Singh, Praveen Singh, Garima Shrinet, Aparajita Das, Marcia Ashmi, Abhishek, Karam Pal Singh, Mithilesh Kumar Singh, Vivek Kumar Gupta

Implementation of guidelines to reduce the amount of biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) sent to landfill has created a need in the waste-management industry to investigate possible methods of accelerating biostabilisation of residual BMW. The effect of commercially feasible manipulations (lime and green waste (GW)) on the rate of biostabilisation of the fine (<20 mm) fraction of residual BMW was investigated.

The objective of this prospective cohort study was to explore associations between intramammary infection (IMI) in late-lactation cows and postcalving udder health and productivity. Cows (n = 2,763) from 74 US dairy herds were recruited as part of a previously published cross-sectional study of bedding management and IMI in late-lactation cows. Each herd was visited twice for sampling.

This study aimed to determine the occurrence of methicillin-resistant (MR) non-aureus staphylococci (NAS) on 20 preselected German dairy farms. Farms were selected based on the detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) during previous diagnostic investigations. Bacterial culture of presumptive MR-NAS was based on a 2-step enrichment method that has been recommended for MRSA detection.

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) O157:H7 is a major etiologic agent that causes bloody diarrhea, hemorrhagic colitis, and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). Shiga toxin (Stx) is the main virulence factor of EHEC responsible for the progression to HUS. Although many laboratories have made efforts to develop an effective treatment for Stx-mediated HUS, a specific therapy has not been found yet.

A flow cytometry (FCM)-based method was developed for the faster detection of Staphylococcus aureus in milk and milk powder. Viable S. aureus cells were recognized by highly selective, fluorescently labeled antibodies and Propidium Iodide, and then analyzed by FCM. Using a 5-h pre-enrichment period, the method could detect low numbers of S. aureus cells in 6 h, with a limit of detection of 7.50 cells/mL in milk and 8.30 cells/g in milk powder.

Campylobacter is the leading cause of human bacterial diarrhoeal disease worldwide, with poultry meat products accounting for the majority of human cases. Recent surveys by the Food Standards Agency estimate the Campylobacter prevalence in fresh UK retail chicken to be 41.2%.

Characterization of microbial communities is important for understanding the soil biodiversity distribution affected by environmental factors. Here, we combined high-throughput sequencing of 16S rDNA and ITS to investigate the composition of bacterial and fungal communities in interval seawater covering Linchang Island, China. We compared the microbial communities in the soil of three sample points from the southern part to the northern part.

Migratory wild birds acquire antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) bacteria from contaminated habitats and then act as reservoirs and potential spreaders of resistant elements through migration. However, the role of migratory wild birds as antimicrobial disseminators in the Arabian Peninsula desert, which represents a transit point for birds migrating all over Asia, Africa, and Europe not yet clear.

Preslaughter starvation and subacute ruminal acidosis in cattle are known to promote ruminal proliferation of atypical enteropathogenic Escherichia coli strains, thereby increasing the risk of meat and milk contamination. Using bacteriophages (henceforth called phages) to control these strains in the rumen is a potentially novel strategy. Therefore, this study evaluated the viability of phages and their efficacy in reducing E. coli O177 cells in a simulated ruminal fermentation system.

Salmonella Infantis, a common contaminant of poultry products, is known to harbor mobile genetic elements that confer multi-drug resistance (MDR) and have been detected in many continents. Here, we report four MDR S. Infantis strains recovered from poultry house environments in Santa Cruz Island of the Galapagos showing extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) resistance and reduced fluoroquinolone susceptibility.

Transboundary and Emerging Diseases, Accepted Article. Coxiella burnetii causes coxiellosis in animals and Q fever in humans, a potentially debilitating zoonotic disease commonly transmitted through domestic ruminants. To prevent transboundary spread of C. burnetii, animals may be tested prior to export. In alpacas, this process is complicated by the lack of scientific evidence for C.

Zoonoses and Public Health, EarlyView. In the last 10 years, Salmonella Heidelberg has been extensively isolated from poultry in several countries. In this context, molecular characterization is essential to understand whether the strains have entered the farms from a single or several sources. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine the genetic relationship and antimicrobial susceptibility of S.

Zoonoses and Public Health, EarlyView. Reptiles are carriers of Salmonella and can intermittently shed bacteria in their faeces. Contact with snakes and lizards is a source of human salmonellosis. Here, two populations of reptiles, wild and captive were surveyed for Salmonella. One hundred thirty wild‐caught reptiles were sampled for Salmonella including 2 turtle, 9 snake and 31 lizard species.

Zoonoses and Public Health, EarlyView. Shiga toxin‐producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is a zoonotic pathogen that causes severe illness in humans, often associated with foodborne outbreaks. Antimicrobial resistance among foodborne E. coli has increased over the last decades becoming a public health issue.

Environmental Microbiology Reports, EarlyView. The present study reported the antimicrobial susceptibility trends, virulence genes, and drug resistance genes of Vibrio cholerae O1 strains isolated from outbreaks and epidemics over two and half decades (1995–2019) from Odisha, India. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed by disc diffusion method. Virulence and drug resistance genes were detected by multiplex PCR assays. All V.