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Research Publications (Food Safety)

This page tracks research articles published in national and international peer-reviewed journals. Recent articles are available ahead of print and searchable by Journal, Article Title, and Category. Research publications are tracked across six categories: Bacterial Pathogens, Chemical Contaminants, Natural Toxins, Parasites, Produce Safety, and Viruses. Articles produced by USDA Grant Funding Agencies (requires login) and FDA Grant Funding Agencies (requires login) are also tracked in Scopus.

Displaying 126 - 150 of 600

  1. The first apicoplast tRNA thiouridylase plays a vital role in the growth of Toxoplasma gondii

    • Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology
    • Toxoplasmosis caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii is one of the most common parasitic diseases in humans and almost all warm-blooded animals. Lys, Glu, and Gln-specific tRNAs contain a super-modified 2-thiourea (s2U) derivatives at the position 34, which is essential for all living organisms by maintaining the structural stability and aminoacylation of tRNA, and the precision and efficiency of codon recognition during protein translation.

      • Parasites
      • Toxoplasma gondii
  2. Giardia duodenalis carries out canonical homologous recombination and single-strand annealing

    • Research in Microbiology
    • In the past decades, the ability of Giardia duodenalis to perform homologous recombination has been suggested, supported by the observations of genomic integration of foreign plasmids and the disruption of genes using CRISPR technology. Unfortunately, the direct study of a HR mechanism has not been addressed, which would be pertinent in a minimalist organism lacking fundamental DNA-repair elements and even complete pathways.

      • Parasites
      • Giardia lamblia
  3. Biogenic silver nanoparticles (AgNp-Bio) restore testosterone levels and increase TNF-α and IL-6 in Leydig cells infected with Toxoplasma gondii

  4. Evaluation of anti-parasitic activities of new quinolones containing nitrofuran moiety against Toxoplasma gondii

    • Experimental Parasitology
    • Toxoplasmosis is a disease with a worldwide prevalence that is caused by Toxoplasma gondii. Pyrimethamine and sulfadiazine are two pharmacological agents commonly used to treat of this infection. However, they are accompanied by some side effects. Therefore, the identifying of new drugs with low toxocytosis seems to be a matter of vital importance.

      • Parasites
      • Toxoplasma gondii
  5. Survey of U.S. based veterinarians' knowledge, perceptions and practices about canine giardiasis

    • Veterinary Parasitology: Regional Studies and Reports
    • Giardia spp. is a protozoal parasite capable of causing diarrhea in mammals. Certain Giardia assemblages are potentially zoonotic. As part of a public health study, a questionnaire-based cross-sectional web survey was distributed among U.S. small and mixed animal veterinarians to assess perceived prevalence, preferred testing and treatment methods, recommended control measures, and information communicated about the zoonotic potential of canine giardiasis.

      • Parasites
      • Giardia lamblia
  6. A Role for Basigin in Toxoplasma gondii Infection

    • Infection and Immunity
    • Infection and Immunity, Ahead of Print. The role of specific host cell surface receptors during Toxoplasma gondii invasion of host cells is poorly defined. Here, we interrogated the role of the well-known malarial invasion receptor, basigin, in T. gondii infection of astrocytes. We found that primary astrocytes express two members of the BASIGIN (BSG) immunoglobulin family, basigin and embigin, but did not express neuroplastin.

      • Parasites
      • Toxoplasma gondii
  7. Molecular occurrence and risk factors for Toxoplasma gondii infection in equids in Jilin, China

    • Scientific Reports
    • Toxoplasma gondii, one of the important zoonotic parasites, has been detected in lots of hosts including humans, with a widespread prevalence. The products of equids, such as meat and milk, have been closely related to humans’ life. As the intermediate hosts, little is known about equids toxoplasmosis in Jilin province.

      • Parasites
      • Toxoplasma gondii
  8. Risk factors for Cryptosporidium infection in small ruminants in northern Greece

    • Veterinary Parasitology
    • The knowledge of risk factors for Cryptosporidium spp. infection in small ruminants is based on limited data. Therefore, the current research aimed to describe the prevalence and risk factors associated with the occurrence of Cryptosporidium infection in sheep and goat herds in northern Greece.

      • Parasites
      • Cryptosporidium parvum
  9. Survey of the occurrence of Giardia duodenalis cysts and Cryptosporidium spp. oocysts in green leafy vegetables marketed in the city of Valencia (Spain)

    • International Journal of Food Microbiology
    • The role of vegetables usually consumed without prior culinary treatment is known to contribute to the prevalence of foodborne diseases. Cysts and oocysts can contaminate food, which can then be the source of infection in humans. The aim of the study was to assess the occurrence of Giardia duodenalis and Cryptosporidium spp.

      • Parasites
      • Cryptosporidium parvum
      • Giardia lamblia
  10. Hypothetical bromodomain-containing protein 5 is required for the growth of Toxoplasma gondii

    • Veterinary Parasitology
    • Bromodomain (BRD) is a highly conserved structural module domain, found in various proteins, including chromatin-related proteins, nucleus acetyltransferases, and transcription-associated proteins. Toxoplasma gondii, a zoonotic 

      • Parasites
      • Toxoplasma gondii
  11. Microbiological Contaminants in Drinking Water: Current Status and Challenges

    • Water, Air, & Soil Pollution
    • Water is a vital resource to every living thing on the earth. Once the water is contaminated (physically, chemically, biologically, or radiologically), it brought negative impacts to the living thing. This paper provides a brief review of the characterization of biological pollutants in drinking water and their effects on human health.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Salmonella
      • Vibrio
      • Parasites
      • Cyclospora cayetanensis
      • Giardia lamblia
      • Viruses
      • Hepatitis
  12. Oxygen-dependent regulation of permeability in low resistance intestinal epithelial cells infected with Giardia lamblia

    • Experimental Parasitology
    • Intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) reside in a highly anaerobic environment that is subject to daily fluctuations in partial oxygen pressure (pO2), depending on intestinal tissue perfusion.

      • Parasites
      • Giardia lamblia
  13. Molecular characterization of Giardia duodenalis and evidence for cross‐species transmission in Northern Argentina

    • Transboundary and Emerging Diseases
    • Transboundary and Emerging Diseases, Volume 69, Issue 4, Page 2209-2218, July 2022. Anthropogenic activities, such as human population expansion and land-use change, create ecological overlap between humans, domesticated animals, and wildlife and can exacerbate the zoonotic transmission of parasites.

      • Parasites
      • Giardia lamblia
  14. Molecular and serological detection of Toxoplasma gondii infection in mammals in the Taipei Zoo

    • Zoonoses and Public Health
    • Zoonoses and Public Health, EarlyView. Toxoplasmosis caused by Toxoplasma gondii affects both conservation and public health efforts. In the Taipei Zoo, toxoplasmosis was diagnosed in ring-tailed lemurs and a meerkat in 2019 while a freeze–thaw meat strategy had been applied to carnivores before the event.

      • Parasites
      • Toxoplasma gondii
  15. Comparison of a commercial ELISA and indirect hemagglutination assay with the modified agglutination test for detection of Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)

    • International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife
    • Toxoplasma gondii is a worldwide-distributed zoonotic protozoan parasite which causes toxoplasmosis and has a significant effect on public health. In the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), toxoplasmosis can cause asymptomatic infections, reproductive disorder and even death, which poses a serious threat to the conservation of this rare protected species. Therefore, serological investigation of T.

      • Parasites
      • Toxoplasma gondii
  16. Metabolomics study of cat small intestine during the early stage of Toxoplasma gondii oocyst formation identifies potential biomarkers

    • Veterinary Parasitology
    • Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is a zoonotic intracellular protozoan parasite that can invade, replicate and survive in almost all cells of warm-blooded animals. T. gondii infection threatens the life of the fetus or can cause morbidity in the infant. As the only definitive host of T.

      • Parasites
      • Toxoplasma gondii
  17. Molecular detection and genetic characterization of Cryptosporidium in kindergarten children in Southern Xinjiang, China

    • Infection, Genetics and Evolution
    • Cryptosporidium is a common cause of diarrhea in children globally. However, there is limited information on the prevalence and genetic characteristics of Cryptosporidium in children in Xinjiang, China.

      • Parasites
      • Cryptosporidium parvum
  18. Comparative Transcriptomics and Gene Knockout Reveal Virulence Factors of Neofusicoccum parvum in Walnut

    • Frontiers in Microbiology
    • Neofusicoccum parvum can cause stem and branch blight of walnut (Juglans spp.), resulting in great economic losses and ecological damage. A total of two strains of N. parvum were subjected to RNA-sequencing after being fed on different substrates, sterile water (K1/K2), and walnut (T1/T2), and the function of ABC1 was verified by gene knockout. There were 1,834, 338, and 878 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the K1 vs. K2, T1 vs. K1, and T2 vs. K2 comparison groups, respectively.

      • Parasites
      • Cryptosporidium parvum
  19. Activity of isoflavone biochanin A in chronic experimental toxoplasmosis: impact on inflammation

    • Parasitology Research
    • Toxoplasma gondii is a worldwide prevalent parasite. The infection has been linked to variable inflammatory effects including neuroinflammation. Biochanin A (BCA) is an isoflavone, known for its anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative properties. In this study, we examined the effect of BCA on the brain and liver inflammatory lesions in a murine model with chronic toxoplasmosis.

      • Parasites
      • Toxoplasma gondii
  20. First Characterization and Zoonotic Potential of Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia duodenalis in Pigs in Hubei Province of China

    • Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology
    • The zoonotic protozoa parasites Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia duodenalis infect a wide range of hosts, including humans. Pigs are reservoir hosts for Cryptosporidium spp. and G. duodenalis, which can transmit cryptosporidiosis and giardiasis to humans and other animals. The current study sought to investigate the infection rates and species/genotypes of Cryptosporidium spp. and G. duodenalis in pigs in Hubei of China.

      • Parasites
      • Cryptosporidium parvum
      • Giardia lamblia
  21. A new adenine nucleotide transporter located in the ER is essential for maintaining the growth of Toxoplasma gondii

    • PLOS Pathogens
    • by Senyang Li, Jiahui Qian, Ming Xu, Jing Yang, Zhengming He, Tongjie Zhao, Junlong Zhao, Rui Fang The lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is the subcellular site where secretory protein folding, glycosylation and sulfation of membrane-bound proteins, proteoglycans, and lipids occur. The protein folding and degradation in the lumen of the ER require high levels of energy in the form of ATP.

      • Parasites
      • Toxoplasma gondii
  22. Microfluidic model for in vitro acute Toxoplasma gondii infection and transendothelial migration

    • Scientific Reports
    • The protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) causes one of the most common human zoonotic diseases and infects approximately one-third of the global population. T. gondii infects nearly every cell type and causes severe symptoms in susceptible populations. In previous laboratory animal studies, T. gondii movement and transmission were not analyzed in real time.

      • Parasites
      • Toxoplasma gondii
  23. Decline in Cryptosporidium Infection in Free-Ranging Rhesus Monkeys in a Park After Public Health Interventions

    • Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology
    • Nonhuman primates (NHPs) are considered an important source of parasitic zoonoses. A study in 2010 revealed high prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. in free-ranging rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) in a public park in Guiyang, southwestern China, which called for the control of disease in animals and long-term epidemiological tracking of Cryptosporidium spp.

      • Parasites
      • Cryptosporidium parvum
  24. Abortion outbreak in a sheep flock caused by Toxoplasma gondii clonal type III

    • Parasitology Research
    • Toxoplasma gondii is a major cause of reproductive losses in small ruminants in several countries. We describe here an outbreak of T. gondii-associated abortion in sheep in Southern Brazil. The flock was comprised of 55 adult sheep, and late-term abortions and stillbirths were detected in 15/36 (41.66%) gestating ewes. Serum samples collected from 45 sheep were tested for T.

      • Parasites
      • Toxoplasma gondii
  25. Metagenomic Investigation of Ticks From Kenyan Wildlife Reveals Diverse Microbial Pathogens and New Country Pathogen Records

    • Frontiers in Microbiology
    • Focusing on the utility of ticks as xenosurveillance sentinels to expose circulating pathogens in Kenyan drylands, host-feeding ticks collected from wild ungulates [buffaloes, elephants, giraffes, hartebeest, impala, rhinoceros (black and white), zebras (Grévy’s and plains)], carnivores (leopards, lions, spotted hyenas, wild dogs), as well as regular domestic and Boran cattle were screened for pathogens using metagenomics.

      • Parasites
      • Toxoplasma gondii