Research Publications (Food Safety)

Intestinal pathogens must combat host and microbiota-associated resistance to establish an infection. A new study (Shelton et al.) highlights how Salmonella manipulates the mammalian host to produce anaerobic respiratory electron acceptors, allowing catabolism of propionate and providing a competitive edge to Salmonella residing in the gut.

Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (S. pseudintermedius) was identified among the most relevant antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) bacteria in the EU for dogs and cats in a previous scientific opinion.

This study aimed at, and developed, a climate-driven model for predicting the abundance of V. parahaemolyticus in oysters based on the local climatological and environmental conditions in Taiwan. The predictive model was constructed using the elastic net machine learning method, and the most influential predictors were evaluated using a permutation-based approach. The abundance of V.

Background Non-typhoidal salmonella can cause serious, life-threatening invasive infections involving the bloodstream and other normally sterile sites.

Chlorine sources and heavy metal catalysts play an important role in the formation of dioxins during the incineration of mineralized refuse in landfills. Through the use of different external chlorine sources and pretreatment methods, their effects on the formation of dioxins in flue gas from mineralized refuse incineration were studied.

A three-step bipolar membrane electrodialysis (BMED) system was used to remove arsenic and cation metals from copper slag (CS) generated during the copper ore 

Patulin is a widespread mycotoxin which constitutes serious threats to human health. Biological strategies that utilize microbial enzymes have shown to be promising in the control of patulin contamination. In this study, a lipase (RL12) from the isolated strain Ralstonia sp. SL312 was successfully purified and studied for the degradation of patulin. Degradation assays for patulin by RL12 were systematically performed both in aqueous solution and apple juice.

Dry-aging of beef comprises the storage of carcasses and (sub)primal cuts at a low temperature and relative humidity for a prolonged period, aiming to increase the sensory quality of meat. Limited data are available on the survival and potential growth of pathogens on the surface of beef during dry-aging.

In this study, a ligninolytic enzyme-producing strain F5 was isolated and identified as Bacillus thuringiensis, which can efficiently degrade methylene blue (MB) dye. The optimal pH, temperature, rotation speed, NaCl concentration, and inoculum of strain F5 for MB degradation were pH 6.0, 30 °C, 140 rpm, 10 g/L NaCl, 4% inoculum (v/v), and the strain F5 had salt tolerance, the MB decolorization rate reached 95% after 12 h.

Aspergillus nomiae is the most important contaminant in Brazil nut due to its high incidence in these nuts and its strong production of carcinogenic metabolites: aflatoxins (AF). Aflatoxin biosynthesis pathway in A. nomiae is poorly studied. Thus, in present investigation, aflatoxin production and gene cluster (aflC, aflQ, aflU, and aflX) expression profile were evaluated on two strains of A.

Trichothecenes (TCNs) are the mycotoxins produced by many fungal species such as Fusarium, 

The serious challenge posed by multidrug-resistant bacterial infections with concomitant treatment failure and high mortality rates presents an urgent threat to the global health. We herein report the discovery of a new class of potent antimicrobial compounds that are highly effective against Gram-positive bacteria, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

Salmonella infection is a major public health concern worldwide, has contributed to an increased economic burden on the health systems. Non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) is a common cause of bacterial enteritis in humans, causing 93.8 million cases of gastroenteritis globally each year, with 155,000 deaths. Guangzhou city is situated in the south of China and has a sub-tropical climate, the heat and heavy rainfall helps the spread of NTS.

The purpose of this study was to test the potential role of the aquatic snake Helicops pastazae as an indicator of water pollution caused by heavy metals.

One of the limitations of the use of corn in the food chain is its contamination with mycotoxins. Reduction in their levels can be achieved by processing the grain, which in the case of corn can be achieved by wet or dry milling. The aim of this study was to compare the distribution of aflatoxins B1 and B2, and fumonisin B1 in corn fractions obtained by dry and wet milling, aiming to identify conditions to mitigate the risk of exposure to these contaminants.

Oysters are major transmission vectors of noroviruses (NoVs) in the environment. Outbreaks of NoVs are often associated with the consumption of NoV-contaminated oysters. Laboratory confirmation of suspected oyster samples is a critical step in the surveillance and control of NoVs. Because of non-specific amplification, false-positive results are frequently obtained by semi-nested RT-PCR with the presently widely used primer set (G2SKF/G2SKR).

Letters in Applied Microbiology, Accepted Article. Artocarpin-rich extract (ARE) was prepared using a green technology and standardized to contain 49.6% w/w artocarpin, while lawsone methyl ether was prepared using a green semi-synthesis. ARE, LME and ampicillin exhibited weak anti-MRSA activity with the MICs of 31.2-62.5 µg/mL.

Letters in Applied Microbiology, Accepted Article. Staphylococcus aureus is a biofilm-producing organism that is frequently isolated from various environments worldwide. Because of the natural resistance of S. aureus biofilm to antibiotics, bacteriophages are considered as a promising alternative for its removal. The bacteriophage vB_SauS_JS02 was isolated from livestock wastewater and showed activity against multidrug-resistant (MDR) S.

by Xuke Yang, Xiaoyan Yin, Jiaojiao Liu, Zhipeng Niu, Jichao Yang, Bang Shen Many biosynthetic pathways produce pyrophosphate (PPi) as a by-product, which is cytotoxic if accumulated at high levels. Pyrophosphatases play pivotal roles in PPi detoxification by converting PPi to inorganic phosphate.

Cadmium (Cd) is a heavy metal used as raw material for several fertilizers and pesticides. The increase of Cd concentration in soils has been observed in cultivated areas, affecting animals, plants, and microorganisms. Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus is a plant growth-promoting bacterium able to survive under adverse environmental conditions. Here, we investigated key mechanisms involved with the resistance of G. diazotrophicus to Cd.

Listeria monocytogenes is an important foodborne pathogen worldwide, with 20–30% fatality rate in vulnerable persons. The hypervirulent L. monocytogenes clonal complex (CC) 87 strains have emerging both in food production environments and clinic cases. The objective of this study was to develop a multiplex PCR to simultaneously detect L. monocytogenes CC87 and CC88 strains based on pan-genome analysis.

Ultraviolet Light-Emitting Diode (UV-LED) is a potential decontamination technology for reducing bacterial loads on meat. This study investigated the efficacy of UV-LED technology to reduce Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella Typhimurium, total viable counts (mesophiles (TVCm) and psychrophiles (TVCp)) and total Enterobacteriaceae counts (TEC) when suspended in beef broth and after inoculation onto diced beef.

This study determined the desiccation resistance of 37 Salmonella strains belonging to 16 serotypes isolated from the soybean meal production chain. Besides, the survival of strains from three Salmonella enterica serovars (S. Typhimurium, S. Schwarzengrund, and S. Havana) on dry- and wet-inoculated soybean meal through storage at 25 °C and 37 °C was evaluated.

Yersinia adhesin A (YadA) is a key virulence factor of Yersinia enterocolitica and Yersinia pseudotuberculosis. YadA is a trimeric autotransporter adhesin, a class of adhesins that have been shown to enable many Gram-negative pathogens to adhere to/interact with the host extracellular matrix proteins such as collagen, vitronectin, and fibronectin.

Early life exposure to environmental lead (Pb) has been linked to decreased IQ, behavior problems, lower lifetime earnings, and increased criminal activity. Beginning in the 1970s, limits on Pb in paint, gasoline, food cans, and regulated water utilities sharply curtailed US environmental Pb exposure. Nonetheless, hundreds of thousands of US...