Research Publications (Food Safety)

ABSTRACT

Clostridium perfringens Type G strains cause necrotic enteritis (NE) in poultry, an economically important disease that is a major target of in-feed antibiotics. NE is a multifactorial disease, involving not only the critically-important NetB toxin, but also additional virulence and virulence-associated factors. We previously identified a C. perfringens chromosomal locus (VR-10B) associated with disease-causing strains that is predicted to encode a sortase-dependant pilus.

Intestinal mucus is the first line of defense against intestinal pathogens. It acts as a physical barrier between epithelial tissues and the lumen that enteropathogens must overcome to establish a successful infection. We investigated the motile behavior of two V. cholerae strains (El Tor C6706 and Classical O395) in mucus using single cell tracking in unprocessed porcine intestinal mucus. We determined that V.

During passage through the human gastrointestinal tract, enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) is exposed to membrane-damaging bile in the small intestine. We previously reported that EHEC treatment with a physiological bile salt mixture upregulates basRS, encoding a two-component system, and arnBCADTEF, encoding the aminoarabinose lipid A modification pathway (J. V. Kus, A. Gebremedhin, V. Dang, S. L. Tran, A. Serbanescu, and D.

Yersinia pestis is a highly virulent pathogen and the causative agent of bubonic, septicemic, and pneumonic plague. Primary pneumonic plague caused by inhalation of respiratory droplets contaminated with Y. pestis is nearly 100% lethal within 4 to 7 days without antibiotic intervention. Pneumonic plague progresses in two phases, beginning with extensive bacterial replication in the lung with minimal host responsiveness, followed by the abrupt onset of a lethal proinflammatory response.

The stringent response is an essential mechanism of metabolic reprogramming during environmental stress that is mediated by the nucleotide alarmones guanosine tetraphosphate and pentaphosphate [(p)ppGpp]. In addition to physiological adaptations, (p)ppGpp also regulates virulence programs in pathogenic bacteria, including Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. S.

Listeria monocytogenes is a facultative Gram-positive intracellular bacterium that is capable of causing serious invasive infections in pregnant women, resulting in abortion, still-birth, and disseminated fetal infection. Previously, a clinical L. monocytogenes isolate, 07PF0776, was identified as having an enhanced ability to target cardiac tissue.

Author(s): Dandan Luo, Chengsi Li, Qingping Wu, Yu Ding, Meiyan Yang, Yongdan Hu, Haiyan Zeng, Jumei Zhang

Author(s): Andréia Miho Morishita Harada, Maristela S. Nascimento

Author(s): Shijue Gao, Chongzhen Sun, Hanlu Hong, Ravi Gooneratne, Anthony Mutukumira, Xiyang Wu

Author(s): Yuting Shang, Qinghua Ye, Qingping Wu, Rui Pang, Baoqing Zhou, Chufang Wang, Xinran Xiang, Fan Li, Juan Wang, Yinzhi Zhang, Jiasheng Wang, Xiulan Sun, Jumei Zhang

Wine and alcoholic apple cider are commonly back-sweetened with unpasteurized juice to produce fresh, natural, and palatable sweetened alcoholic beverages. Foodborne pathogens may be introduced from unpasteurized juice into alcoholic beverages through this back-sweetening process. Although pathogens generally do not survive under low pH conditions or high alcohol environment, the die-off of these pathogens has not been established to ensure the safety of the products.

Flies are a vector for spreading foodborne pathogens pertinent to fresh produce, such as Shiga-toxigenic Escherichia coli and Salmonella; however, most studies focus on concentrated animal feeding operations, which do not reflect low-density animal farming practices that often adjoin fruit and vegetable acreage.  In this study, we determined the prevalence of Salmonella in flies collected biweekly on an integrated animal and produce operation over two growin

Food manufacturers often use squeegees as a tool to remove condensation from overhead surfaces. This practice is done to reduce the likelihood of environmental pathogen contamination by eliminating condensed water droplets that could fall from overhead surfaces during production. However, this practice may actually spread environmental pathogens across these surfaces, defeating its purpose and further increasing the risk for contamination in the processing area.

Among the various pharmaceutical pollutants, diclofenac sodium (DFS), a widely prescribed non-steroid anti-inflammatory drug is detected in the aquatic environment at concentrations which can be harmful to living organisms. Present study illustrates the isolation and characterization of strain Klebsiella pneumoniae WAH1 from activated sludge and its ability to degrade DFS as sole source of carbon and energy. The growth and degradation capacity of K.

Shiga toxin (Stx)-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is an important foodborne pathogen with the ability to cause bloody diarrhea (BD) and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). Little is known about enterohemolysin-encoded by ehxA. Here we investigated the prevalence and diversity of ehxA in 239 STEC isolates from human clinical samples.

The article describes activities of an antibiotic center at a university hospital in the Czech Republic and presents the results of antibiotic stewardship program implementation over a period of 10 years. It provides data on the development of resistance of Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus to selected antibiotic agents as well as consumption data for various antibiotic classes.

Author(s): Muhammad Akmal Raheem, Hu Jiangang, Dongdong Yin, Mei Xue, Kashif ur Rehman, Muhammad Ajwad Rahim, Yi Gu, Dandan Fu, Xiangjun Song, Jian Tu, Ibrar Muhammad Khan, M.Y. Tipu, Kezong Qi

Nowadays, films with antibacterial activity and applied for freshness monitoring by colorimetric response have been drawing growing attention in food packaging. However, the development of versatile antibacterial and colorimetric agents is still highly desirable. Herein, WO3 nanorods are incorporated in a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) matrix to develop a novel composite film with photothermal antibacterial activity and freshness monitoring faculty.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the combined effect of chitosan dip (1% w/v) and vacuum packaging on the shelf life of fresh chicken burgers packaged in LDPE/PA/LDPE bags and stored at 4 ± 1 °C for up to 12 days. Furthermore, the possible correlation among microbiological, physico-chemical and sensory indices was investigated.

Multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria are increasing due to the abuse and misuse of antibiotics, and nosocomial infections by MDR bacteria are also increasing. The aim of this study was to identify new substances that can target MDR bacteria among 12 plant extracts that are known to have antibacterial effects.

Schematic representation of test system for transfer of L. monocytogenes associated with soil particles to spinach leaves in the presence of antimicrobial agents. Abstract Sporadic contamination of produce with Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) is a recurrent problem. Ways for contamination to occur include transfer of the pathogen to produce from processing surfaces or soil particles to which it has become attached.

A total of ciprofloxacin‐resistant Escherichia coli isolates were obtained from 41.7% of bulk tank milk samples in Turkey. Furthermore, all isolates were characterized by PFGE, phenotypic and genotypic antimicrobial resistance profile and virulence gene content. Majority of isolates displayed different banding pattern and resistance to non‐quinolone antibiotics was commonly observed.

Tuberculosis is a highly prevalent infectious disease with more than 1.5 million fatalities each year. Antibiotic treatment is available, but intolerable side effects and an increasing rate of drug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) may hamper successful outcomes. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) offer an alternative strategy for treatment of infectious diseases in which conventional antibiotic treatment fails. Human serum is a rich resource for endogenous AMPs.

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) causes foodborne outbreaks that can lead to complications such as hemolytic uremic syndrome. Their main reservoir is cattle, and ground beef has been frequently associated with disease and outbreaks. In this study, we attempted to understand the genetic relationship among STEC isolated in Chile from different sources, their relationship to STEC from the rest of the world, and to identify molecular markers of Chilean STEC.