Research Publications (Food Safety)

In March 2014, a Yersinia pseudotuberculosis (YP) outbreak was detected by a municipal authority in southern Finland. We conducted epidemiological, microbiological and traceback investigations to identify the source. We defined a case as a person with YP infection notified to the National Infectious Disease Registry between February and April 2014, or their household member, with abdominal pain and fever???38?°C or erythema nodosum.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of different temperatures on survival of various strains of Yersinia enterocolitica during the storage of ultra-filtered (UF) white cheese. UF pasteurized cow milk was inoculated with 3 log colony-forming unit per gram of two standard strains (DSM 11502 and DSM 9499) and one native strain of Y. enterocolitica. Cheese samples were prepared according to the regular procedure and stored at 14, 8 and 25C.

Publication date: March 2016
, Volume 61
Author(s): Qinghua Ye, Qingping Wu, Huijuan Hu, Jumei Zhang, Huixian Huang

The microcin PDI inhibits a diverse group of pathogenic Escherichia coli strains. Coculture of a single-gene knockout library (BW25113; n = 3,985 mutants) against a microcin PDI-producing strain (E. coli 25) identified six mutants that were not susceptible (atpA, atpF, dsbA, dsbB, ompF, and ompR). Complementation of these genes restored susceptibility in all cases, and the loss of susceptibility was confirmed through independent gene knockouts in E. coli O157:H7 Sakai.

Refrigerated food processing facilities are specific man-made niches likely to harbor cold-tolerant bacteria. To characterize this type of microbiota and study the link between processing plant and product microbiomes, we followed and compared microbiota associated with the raw materials and processing stages of a vacuum-packaged, cooked sausage product affected by a prolonged quality fluctuation with occasional spoilage manifestations during shelf life.

e-First Articles.

Publication date: Available online 3 September 2015

Author(s): Chen Zhang, Peihua Niu, Yanying Hong, Ji Wang, Jingyun Zhang, Xuejun Ma

Abstract

Publication date: Available online 29 August 2015

Author(s): C.F. Magistrali, L. Cucco, G. Pezzotti, S. Farneti, V. Cambiotti, S. Catania, P. Prati, M. Fabbi, S. Lollai, P. Mangili, C. Sebastiani, L. Bano, A.M. Dionisi, I. Luzzi

This study examined the effect of feeding heat-killed Lactobacillus cells on the survival of C. elegans nematodes after Salmonella Typhimurium and Yersinia enterocolitica infection. The feeding of heat-killed L. plantarum 133 (LP133) and L. fermentum 21 (LP21) cells to nematodes was shown to significantly increase the survival rate as well as stimulate the expression of pmk-1 gene that key factor for C.

Publication date: 2 December 2015
, Volume 214
Author(s): Hongwei Zhang, Shaolong Feng, Yulong Zhao, Shuo Wang, Xiaonan Lu

Coordinated regulation of various acid survival systems in response to environmental stimuli is crucial for the adaptation of enteropathogenic bacteria to acidic environments such as the stomach. In this study, we demonstrated that the RovM protein, a central regulator of the CsrABC-RovM-RovA cascade, conversely regulates the expression of two acid survival systems in Yersinia pseudotuberculosis by acting as a dual transcriptional regulator.

Wild animals can serve as hosts, amplifiers, or reservoirs for various zoonotic diseases. Most species of deer in highly fragmented agricultural landscapes, search out maximum cover from intrusive human activity. Hence, the likelihood of zoonosis transmission is likely to increase the more humans and wildlife interact.

The production of cysts, an integral part of the life cycle of many free-living protozoa, allows these organisms to survive adverse environmental conditions. Given the prevalence of free-living protozoa in food-related environments, it is hypothesized that these organisms play an important yet currently underinvestigated role in the epidemiology of foodborne pathogenic bacteria.

In the case of a release of highly pathogenic bacteria (HPB), there is an urgent need for rapid, accurate, and reliable diagnostics. MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry is a rapid, accurate, and relatively inexpensive technique that is becoming increasingly important in microbiological diagnostics to complement classical microbiology, PCR, and genotyping of HPB. In the present study, the results of a joint exercise with 11 partner institutions from nine European countries are presented.

Publication date: 2 April 2015
, Volume 198
Author(s): M. Schneeberger , I. Brodard , G. Overesch

Publication date: 16 March 2015
, Volume 197
Author(s): M.J. Vilar , S. Virtanen , R. Laukkanen-Ninios , H. Korkeala

Aims
To investigate the pathogenic potential and genotypic diversity of Yersinia enterocolitica biotype 2 strains isolated in Brazil and to compare these strains with other Y. enterocolitica biotypes using ERIC-PCR and PFGE.

The genus Yersinia is a large and diverse bacterial genus consisting of human-pathogenic species, a fish-pathogenic species, and a large number of environmental species. Recently, the phylogenetic and population structure of the entire genus was elucidated through the genome sequence data of 241 strains encompassing every known species in the genus.

Yersinia enterocolitica and Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, the two Yersinia species that are enteropathogenic for humans, are distributed worldwide and frequently cause diarrhea in inhabitants of temperate and cold countries. Y. enterocolitica is a major cause of foodborne disease resulting from consumption of contaminated pork meat and is further associated with substantial economic cost.

Publication date: February 2015
, Volume 98, Issue 2
Author(s): Hossein Jamali , Mohammadjavad Paydar , Behrad Radmehr , Salmah Ismail

Bacterial type III secretion systems or injectisomes are multi protein complexes directly transporting bacterial effector proteins into eukaryotic host cells. To investigate the distribution of injectisomes in the bacterium and the influence of activation of the system on that distribution, we combined in vivo fluorescent imaging and high resolution in situ visualization of Yersinia enterocolitica injectisomes by cryo-electron tomography.

Kemal Avican, Anna Fahlgren, Mikael Huss, Ann Kathrin Heroven, Michael Beckstette, Petra Dersch, Maria Fällman

Publication date: Available online 24 December 2014

Author(s): Melanie Mühlenkamp , Philipp Oberhettinger , Jack C. Leo , Dirk Linke , Monika S. Schütz

Aims