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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 1 - 25 of 34

  1. Development of a targeted amplicon sequencing method for genotyping Cyclospora cayetanensis from fresh produce and clinical samples with enhanced genomic resolution and sensitivity

    • Frontiers in Microbiology
    • Outbreaks of cyclosporiasis, an enteric illness caused by the parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis, have been associated with consumption of various types of fresh produce. Although a method is in use for genotyping C. cayetanensis from clinical specimens, the very low abundance of C. cayetanensis in food and environmental samples presents a greater challenge.

      • Parasites
      • Cyclospora cayetanensis
  2. Molecular identification of Eimeria species in liver and feces of naturally infected rabbits in Japan

    • Parasitology Research
    • Among the 11 species of Eimeria in rabbits, some of which are known to be pathogenic and cause enteritis, E. stiedae induces severe liver lesions resulting in elevated mortality. Unlike in other countries, the incidence and prevalence of the parasites in rabbits have not been reported in Japan.

      • Parasites
      • Cyclospora cayetanensis
  3. 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
  4. Genotyping Cyclospora cayetanensis From Multiple Outbreak Clusters With An Emphasis on a Cluster Linked to Bagged Salad Mix—United States, 2020

    • The Journal of Infectious Diseases
    • Cyclosporiasis is a diarrheal illness caused by the foodborne parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis. Annually reported cases have been increasing in the United States prompting development of genotyping tools to aid cluster detection. A recently developed Cyclospora genotyping system based on 8 genetic markers was applied to clinical samples collected during the cyclosporiasis peak period of 2020, facilitating assessment of its epidemiologic utility.

      • Parasites
      • Cyclospora cayetanensis
  5. The prevalence of Cyclospora cayetanensis in water: a systematic review and meta-analysis

    • Epidemiology & Infection
    • Cyclospora cayetanensis is an emerging food- and waterborne pathogen that causes cyclosporiasis, a gastrointestinal disease in humans. The parasite is endemic in tropical and subtropical regions; however, its prevalence is largely dependent on environmental factors, such as climate and rainfall patterns. The objective of this paper was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the prevalence of C.

      • Parasites
      • Cyclospora cayetanensis
  6. Molecular detection of Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia duodenalis, and Enterocytozoon bieneusi in school children at the Thai-Myanmar border

    • Parasitology Research
    • Few data are available on the genetic identity of enteric protists Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia duodenalis, and Enterocytozoon bieneusi in humans in Thailand. In this study, 254 stool samples were collected from primary school children from Ratchaburi Province at the Thai-Myanmar border and examined for Cryptosporidium spp., G. duodenalis, E. bieneusi and Cyclospora cayetanensis using PCR techniques.

      • Giardia lamblia
      • Cryptosporidium parvum
      • Cyclospora cayetanensis
      • Parasites
  7. A review of Cyclospora cayetanensis in animals

    • Zoonoses and Public Health
    • Zoonoses and Public Health, EarlyView. Cyclosporiasis is a global, emerging disease in humans caused by Cyclospora cayetanensis. The role of animals in the epidemiology of cyclosporiasis is not fully understood. We conducted a narrative review of the published literature on C. cayetanensis in animals. MEDLINE® (Web of Science™), Agricola (ProQuest), CABI Global Health (1979 to December 2020) and Food Science and Technology Abstracts (EBSCOhost) (1979 to February 2020) were searched.

      • Cyclospora cayetanensis
      • Parasites
  8. Detection of Cyclospora cayetanensis on bagged pre-cut salad mixes within their shelf-life and after sell by date by the U.S. food and drug administration validated method

    • Food Microbiology
    • Author(s): Sonia Almeria, Alicia Shipley

      • Cyclospora cayetanensis
      • Parasites
  9. Contamination of fresh produce sold on the Italian market with Cyclospora cayetanensis and Echinococcus multilocularis

    • Food Microbiology
    • Author(s): Alessandra Barlaam, Tamirat T. Temesgen, Kristoffer R. Tysnes, Laura Rinaldi, Nicola Ferrari, Anna R. Sannella, Giovanni Normanno

      • Parasites
      • Cyclospora cayetanensis
  10. Modifications of the U.S. food and drug administration validated method for detection of Cyclospora cayetanensis oocysts in prepared dishes: Mexican-style salsas and guacamole

    • Food Microbiology
    • Author(s): S. Almeria, Angela Assurian, Alicia Shipley

      • Parasites
      • Cyclospora cayetanensis
  11. Dead-End Ultrafiltration and DNA-Based Methods for Detection of Cyclospora cayetanensis in Agricultural Water

    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology
    • Cyclospora cayetanensis is a protozoan parasite that causes foodborne and waterborne diarrheal illness outbreaks worldwide. Most of these outbreaks are associated with the consumption of fresh produce. Sensitive and specific methods to detect C. cayetanensis in agricultural water are needed to identify the parasite in agricultural water used to irrigate crops that have been implicated in outbreaks. In this study, a method to detect C.

      • Cyclospora cayetanensis
      • Parasites
  12. Assessment of commercial DNA clean-up kits for elimination of qPCR inhibitors in the detection of Cyclospora cayetanensis in cilantro

    • Journal of Food Protection
    • Inhibited reactions have been occasionally observed when cilantro samples were processed for the detection of Cyclospora cayetanensis using real time PCR (qPCR). Partial or total inhibition of PCR reactions, including qPCR, can occur leading to decreased sensitivity or false negative results. If inhibition occurs, this implies the need for additional purification or clean-up treatments of the extracted DNA to remove inhibitors prior to molecular detection.

      • Cyclospora cayetanensis
      • Parasites
  13. Multiplex qPCR analysis of strawberries from Bogota, Colombia for contamination with three parasites

    • Journal of Food Protection
    • Berries are potential vehicles for the transmission of parasites and have been implicated in illness outbreaks in various countries around the world, particularly in the USA. Although data on contamination of fresh produce with foodborne parasites have been obtained from different global regions, data from Colombia are lacking despite South America being a major producer of fresh produce, which is consumed both nationally and exported.

      • Toxoplasma gondii
      • Cyclospora cayetanensis
      • Parasites
  14. Advances in Cyclosporiasis Diagnosis and Therapeutic Intervention

    • Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology
    • Cyclosporiasis is caused by the coccidian parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis and is associated with large and complex food-borne outbreaks worldwide. Associated symptoms include severe watery diarrhea, particularly in infants, and immune dysfunction. With the globalization of human food supply, the occurrence of cyclosporiasis has been increasing in both food growing and importing countries.

      • Cyclospora cayetanensis
      • Parasites
  15. Comparative evaluation of UNEX-based DNA extraction for molecular detection of Cyclospora cayetanensis, Toxoplasma gondii, and Cryptosporidium parvum as contaminants of berries

    • Food Microbiology
    • Author(s): Tamirat Tefera Temesgen, Alessandra Barlaam, Kristoffer R. Tysnes, Lucy J. Robertson

      • Toxoplasma gondii
      • Cryptosporidium parvum
      • Cyclospora cayetanensis
      • Parasites
  16. Evaluation of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration validated molecular method for detection of Cyclospora cayetanensis oocysts on fresh and frozen berries

    • Food Microbiology
    • Author(s): Angela Assurian, Helen Murphy, Laura Ewing, Hediye Nese Cinar, Alexandre da Silva, Sonia Almeria

      • Parasites
      • Cyclospora cayetanensis
  17. How globalization and climate change could affect foodborne parasites

    • Experimental Parasitology
    • Author(s): Edoardo Pozio

      • Parasites
      • Toxoplasma gondii
      • Cryptosporidium parvum
      • Cyclospora cayetanensis
  18. Food protozoa safety assessment and risk in school restaurants in Armenia, Colombia

    • Journal of Food Safety
    • This work assessed the risk of protozoa in 10 school restaurants in Armenia (Quindío, Colombia) by analyzing the presence of Cryptosporidium spp, Giardia duodenalis, Blastocystis, and Cyclospora cayetanensis DNA in the food, water, and living and inert surfaces of school restaurants and in stools of children who ate at these restaurants. Of the 213 food, water, and surface samples, 6.6% were positive using PCR to test DNA for Blastocystis; 3.8% for Cryptosporidium spp; 0.9% for G.

      • Giardia lamblia
      • Cryptosporidium parvum
      • Cyclospora cayetanensis
      • Parasites
  19. Silver nanoparticles as a therapeutic agent in experimental cyclosporiasis

    • Experimental Parasitology
    • Author(s): M.R. Gaafar, L.A. El-Zawawy, M.M. El-Temsahy, Th.I. Shalaby, A.Y. Hassan

      • Cyclospora cayetanensis
      • Parasites
  20. A novel multiplex real-time PCR for the detection of Echinococcus multilocularis, Toxoplasma gondii, and Cyclospora cayetanensis on berries

    • Food Research International
    • Author(s): Tamirat Tefera Temesgen, Lucy Jane Robertson, Kristoffer Relling Tysnes

      • Cyclospora cayetanensis
      • Toxoplasma gondii
      • Parasites
  21. Reproducibility of positive results for rare pathogens on the FilmArray GI Panel

    • Diagnostic Microbiology and Infectious Disease
    • Author(s): Matthew M. Hitchcock, Catherine A. Hogan, Indre Budvytiene, Niaz Banaei

      • Cryptosporidium parvum
      • Cyclospora cayetanensis
      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Giardia lamblia
      • Vibrio
      • Parasites
      • Yersinia
  22. A New Protocol for Molecular Detection of Cyclospora cayetanensis as Contaminants of Berry Fruits

    • Frontiers in Microbiology
    • Cyclospora cayetanensis is a coccidian parasite that has been associated with foodborne outbreaks of gastrointestinal illnesses. Raspberries have been implicated as vehicle of infection in some of these outbreaks. Most of the molecular techniques used for the detection of parasites commonly use the 18s rRNA as a target gene, which is highly conserved.

      • Toxoplasma gondii
      • Cryptosporidium parvum
      • Cyclospora cayetanensis
      • Cyclospora cayetanensis
      • Parasites
  23. Simultaneous detection of four protozoan parasites on leafy greens using a novel multiplex PCR assay

    • Food Microbiology
    • Author(s): Karen Shapiro, Minji Kim, Veronica B. Rajal, Michael J. Arrowood, Andrea Packham, Beatriz Aguilar, Stefan Wuertz

      • Cyclospora cayetanensis
      • Toxoplasma gondii
      • Giardia lamblia
      • Cryptosporidium parvum
      • Cyclospora cayetanensis
      • Parasites
  24. Identification of human pathogenic Enterocytozoon bieneusi, Cyclospora cayetanensis, and Cryptosporidium parvum on the surfaces of vegetables and fruits in Henan, China

    • International Journal of Food Microbiology
    • Author(s): Junqiang Li, Ke Shi, Fangfang Sun, Tingwen Li, Rongjun Wang, Sumei Zhang, Fuchun Jian, Changshen Ning, Longxian Zhang

      • Cyclospora cayetanensis
      • Giardia lamblia
      • Cryptosporidium parvum
      • Cyclospora cayetanensis
      • Parasites
  25. Mitochondrial Junction Region as Genotyping Marker for Cyclospora cayetanensis

    • Emerging Infectious Diseases
    • Cyclosporiasis is an infection caused by Cyclospora cayetanensis, which is acquired by consumption of contaminated fresh food or water. In the United States, cases of cyclosporiasis are often associated with foodborne outbreaks linked to imported fresh produce or travel to disease-endemic countries. Epidemiologic investigation has been the primary method for linking outbreak cases. A molecular typing marker that can identify genetically related samples would be helpful in tracking outbreaks.

      • Cyclospora cayetanensis
      • Parasites