Research Publications (Food Safety)

Multiplex polymerase chain reaction (mPCR) is increasingly being used to diagnose infections caused by respiratory pathogens in pediatric inpatient facilities. mPCR assays detect a broader array of viruses, with higher specificity and sensitivity and faster turnaround than previous assays. We adapted the FilmArray Respiratory Panel (FA-RP) for diagnosing respiratory infections.

Rapid antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) could play a major role in fighting multidrug-resistant bacteria. Recently, it was discovered that all living organisms oscillate in the range of nanometers and that these oscillations, referred to as nanomotion, stop as soon the organism dies. This finding led to the development of rapid AST techniques based on the monitoring of these oscillations upon exposure to antibiotics.

Arcobacter spp. are emerging waterborne and foodborne zoonotic pathogens responsible for gastroenteritis in humans. In this work, we evaluated the occurrence and the antimicrobial resistance profile of Arcobacter isolates recovered from different aquatic sources. Besides, we searched for Arcobacter spp. in seaweeds and the corresponding seawater samples. Bacteriological and molecular methods applied to 100 samples led to the isolation of 28 Arcobacter isolates from 27 samples.

Bacterial infections are an important cause of mortality and morbidity in newborns. The main risk factors include low birth weight and prematurity. The study identified the most common bacterial pathogens causing neonatal infections including their resistance to antibiotics in the Neonatal Department of the University Hospital Olomouc. Additionally, the cut-off for distinguishing early- from late-onset neonatal infections was assessed.

The use of xenobiotics in food production and how food intake is carried out in different cultures, along with different eating habits (omnivorism (ON), ovolactovegetarianism (VT), and strict vegetarianism (VG)) seem to have implications for antimicrobial resistance, especially in the human gut microbiota. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate aspects of the clinical resistome of the human gut microbiota among healthy individuals with different eating habits.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has risen as a global threat for human health. One of the leading factors for this emergence has been the massive use of antibiotics growth-promoter (AGPs) in livestock, enhancing the spread of AMR among human pathogenic bacteria. Thus, several alternatives such as probiotics, prebiotics, or phytobiotics have been proposed for using in animal feeding to maintain or improve productive levels while diminishing the negative effects of AGPs.

Migratory wild birds acquire antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) bacteria from contaminated habitats and then act as reservoirs and potential spreaders of resistant elements through migration. However, the role of migratory wild birds as antimicrobial disseminators in the Arabian Peninsula desert, which represents a transit point for birds migrating all over Asia, Africa, and Europe not yet clear.

Preslaughter starvation and subacute ruminal acidosis in cattle are known to promote ruminal proliferation of atypical enteropathogenic Escherichia coli strains, thereby increasing the risk of meat and milk contamination. Using bacteriophages (henceforth called phages) to control these strains in the rumen is a potentially novel strategy. Therefore, this study evaluated the viability of phages and their efficacy in reducing E. coli O177 cells in a simulated ruminal fermentation system.

Salmonella Infantis, a common contaminant of poultry products, is known to harbor mobile genetic elements that confer multi-drug resistance (MDR) and have been detected in many continents. Here, we report four MDR S. Infantis strains recovered from poultry house environments in Santa Cruz Island of the Galapagos showing extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) resistance and reduced fluoroquinolone susceptibility.

Macrolide–lincosamide–streptogramin B antibiotic resistance occurs through the action of erythromycin ribosome methylation (Erm) family proteins, causing problems due to their prevalence and high minimal inhibitory concentration, and feasibilities have been sought to develop inhibitors. Erms exhibit high conservation next to the N-terminal end region (NTER) as in ErmS, 64SQNF67.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and non-aureus staphylococci (MRNAS) cause different infections in animals, including mastitis, in livestock and humans. This study aimed to identify and compare the staphylococcal chromosome cassette mec (SCCmec) types of MRSA or MRNAS isolated from several animal species and humans in different countries. Of 1462 S.

In order to estimate the prevalence of plasmid borne colistin resistance and to characterize in detail the mcr-positive isolates, we carried out a sentinel testing survey on the intestinal carriage of plasmid-mediated colistin-resistant Enterobacteriaceae in hospitalized patients.

Campylobacter jejuni is an important foodborne pathogen causing campylobacteriosis. It can infect humans through the consumption of contaminated chicken products or via the direct handling of animals. Diallyl trisulfide (DATS) is a trisulfide compound from garlic extracts that has a potential antimicrobial effect on foodborne pathogens. This study investigated the antimicrobial activity of DATS on C. jejuni by evaluating the minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of C.

The incidence of Extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-encoding genes (blaCTX-M and blaTEM) among Gram-negative multidrug-resistant pathogens collected from three different countries was investigated. Two hundred and ninety-two clinical isolates were collected from Egypt (n = 90), Saudi Arabia (n = 162), and Sudan (n = 40).

Clostridium perfringens is an often-harmful intestinal bacterium that causes various diseases ranging from food poisoning to life-threatening fulminant disease. Potential treatments include phage-derived endolysins, a promising family of alternative antimicrobial agents. We surveyed the genome of the C. perfringens st13 strain and identified an endolysin gene, psa, in the phage remnant region.

Cefiderocol is a new siderophore cephalosporin approved for the treatment of multidrug resistant bacteria including activity against carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. As cephalosporins are known for their high pharmacokinetic variability in critically ill patients, cefiderocol therapeutic drug monitoring might become a valuable tool.

The definition of a high risk clone for antibiotic resistance dissemination was initially established for human medicine. We propose a revised definition of a high risk clone adapted to the One Health context. Then, we applied our criteria to a cluster of enrofloxacin non susceptible ETEC:F4 isolates which emerged in 2013 in diseased pigs in Quebec. The whole genomes of 183 ETEC:F4 strains isolated in Quebec from 1990 to 2018 were sequenced.

A cross-sectional study was used to identify and assess prevalence and phenotypic antimicrobial resistance (AMR) profiles of Escherichia coli and other enterobacteria isolated from healthy wildlife and livestock cohabiting at a 10,000 acres game ranch near Lusaka, Zambia. Purposive sampling was used to select wildlife and livestock based on similarities in behavior, grazing habits and close interactions with humans.

The main objective of this study was to characterize using whole-genome sequencing analysis, a new variant of the qnrB gene (qnrB89) carried by a fluoroquinolone-susceptible bacterium isolated from mucus of farmed Salmo salar fingerling in Chile. Citrobacter gillenii FP75 was identified by using biochemical tests and 16S ribosomal gene analysis. Nucleotide and amino acid sequences of the qnrB89 gene exhibited an identity to qnrB of 81.24% and 91.59%, respectively.

Antibiotic resistance (AR) phenotypes and acquired resistance determinants (ARDs) detected by in silico analysis of genome sequences were examined in 55 Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) isolates representing diverse serotypes recovered from surfaces waters and sediments in a mixed use urban/agricultural landscape in British Columbia, Canada.

Antibiotic resistance has become a global public health concern. To determine the distribution characteristics of mcr and blaNDM in China, gene screening was conducted directly from gut specimens sourced from livestock and poultry, poultry environments, human diarrhea patients, and wild animals from 10 regions, between 2010–2020.

The vegetal world constitutes the main factory of chemical products, in particular secondary metabolites like phenols, phenolic acids, terpenoids, and alkaloids. Many of these compounds are small molecules with antibacterial activity, although very few are actually in the market as antibiotics for clinical practice or as food preservers.

(1) Colistin is a last-resort antibiotic used in treating multidrug-resistant Gram-negative infections. The growing emergence of colistin resistance in Escherichia coli (E. coli) represents a serious health threat, particularly to intensive care unit (ICU) patients. (2) Methods: In this work, we investigated the emergence of colistin resistance in 140 nosocomial E. coli isolated from patients with pneumonia and admitted to the chest ICU over 36 months.

Cefotaxime (CTX)-resistant Enterobacteriaceae are still an ongoing challenge in human and veterinary health. High prevalence of these resistant bacteria is detected in broiler chickens and the prevention of their dissemination along the production pyramid is of major concern. The impact of certain on-farm interventions on the external bacterial contamination of broiler chickens, as well as their influence on single processing steps and (cross-) contamination, have not yet been evaluated.

Essential oils (EO) are a great antimicrobial resource against bacterial resistance in public health. Math models are useful in describing the growth, survival, and inactivation of microorganisms against antimicrobials. We evaluated the antimicrobial activity of Melaleuca armillaris EO obtained from plants placed in the province of Buenos Aires (Argentina) against Staphylococcus aureus.