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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 922

  1. Exploring associations between the teat apex metagenome and Staphylococcus aureus intramammary infections in primiparous cows under organic directives

    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology
    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Ahead of Print. The primary objective of this study was to identify associations between the prepartum teat apex microbiome and the presence of Staphylococcus aureus intramammary infections (IMI) in primiparous cows during the first 5 weeks after calving.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Staphylococcus aureus
  2. Antagonistic activity of Phaeobacter piscinae against the emerging fish pathogen Vibrio crassostreae in aquaculture feed algae

    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology
    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Ahead of Print. Aquaculture provides a rich resource of high-quality protein; however, the production is challenged by emerging pathogens such as Vibrio crassostreae. While probiotic bacteria have been proposed as a sustainable solution to reduce pathogen load in aquaculture, their application requires a comprehensive assessment across the aquaculture food chain.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Vibrio
  3. Poultry production as the main reservoir of ciprofloxacin- and tigecycline-resistant extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Salmonella enterica serovar Kentucky ST198.2-2 causing human infections in China

    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology
    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Ahead of Print. Salmonella enterica serovar Kentucky (S. Kentucky) has been regarded as a common serotype causing human nontyphoidal salmonellosis, frequently associated with the consumption of contaminated poultry products. Recently, multidrug-resistant (MDR) S.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Salmonella
  4. Dominant Salmonella Serovars in Australian Broiler Breeder Flocks and Hatcheries: a Longitudinal Study

    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology
    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Ahead of Print. A longitudinal study was conducted to determine the dominance and prevalence of Salmonella enterica subsp in Australian broiler breeder flocks and hatcheries. Twenty-two flocks (n = 3339 samples) were sampled over 6 time points beginning at placement until week 40. Hatcheries (n = 274 samples) were sampled following removal of chicks hatched from eggs originating from the 22 donor parent flocks.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Salmonella
  5. Amplicon-Based High-Throughput Sequencing Method for Genotypic Characterization of Norovirus in Oysters

    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology
    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Ahead of Print. Norovirus is a highly diverse RNA virus often implicated in foodborne outbreaks, particularly those associated with shellfish. Shellfish are filter feeders, and when harvested in bays exposed to wastewater overflow or storm overflows, they can harbor various pathogens, including human-pathogenic viruses.

      • Viruses
      • Norovirus
  6. A Longitudinal Study on the Dynamics of Salmonella enterica Prevalence and Serovar Composition in Beef Cattle Feces and Lymph Nodes and Potential Contributing Sources from the Feedlot Environment

    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology
    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Ahead of Print. Salmonella can persist in the feedlot pen environment, acting as a source of transmission among beef cattle. Concurrently, cattle that are colonized with Salmonella can perpetuate contamination of the pen environment through fecal shedding.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Salmonella
  7. Microbiome and Physicochemical Features Associated with Differential Listeria monocytogenes Growth in Soft, Surface-Ripened Cheeses

    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology
    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Ahead of Print. Soft-ripened cheeses (SRCs) are at a higher risk for the growth of the foodborne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes due to favorable moisture content and pH compared to other cheeses. L. monocytogenes growth is not consistent across SRCs, however, and may be affected by physicochemical and/or microbiome characteristics of the cheeses.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Listeria monocytogenes
  8. Combined Quantification and Deep Serotyping for Salmonella Risk Profiling in Broiler Flocks

    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology
    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Ahead of Print. Despite a reduction of Salmonella contamination on final poultry products, the level of human salmonellosis cases attributed to poultry has remained unchanged over the last few years. There needs to be improved effort to target serovars which may survive antimicrobial interventions and cause illness, as well as to focus on lessening the amount of contamination entering the processing plant.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Salmonella
  9. Application of a CRISPR Sequence-Based Method for a Large-Scale Assessment of Salmonella Serovars in Ontario Poultry Production Environments

    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology
    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Ahead of Print. Accurate detection of all Salmonella serovars present in a sample is important in surveillance programs. Current detection protocols are limited to detection of a predominant serovar, missing identification of less abundant serovars in a sample.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Salmonella
  10. Tryptanthrin Reduces Campylobacter jejuni Colonization in the Chicken Gut by a Bactericidal Mechanism

    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology
    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Ahead of Print. Campylobacter jejuni is a leading cause of foodborne bacterial gastroenteritis worldwide, and raw or undercooked chicken meat is considered the major source of human campylobacteriosis. In this study, we identified 36 compounds that showed inhibitory effects on C. jejuni growth at low concentrations by screening a chemical compound library.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Campylobacter
  11. Characterization of Multiple Alginate Lyases in a Highly Efficient Alginate-Degrading Vibrio Strain and Its Degradation Strategy

    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology
    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Ahead of Print. Alginate is an important polysaccharide in the ocean that supports the growth of marine microorganisms. Many widespread Vibrio species possess alginate lyases and can utilize alginate as a carbon source, but the detailed alginate degradation mechanism in Vibrio remains to be further explored.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Vibrio
  12. Structural Equation Models Suggest That On-Farm Noncrop Vegetation Removal Is Not Associated with Improved Food Safety Outcomes but Is Linked to Impaired Water Quality

    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology
    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Ahead of Print. While growers have reported pressures to minimize wildlife intrusion into produce fields through noncrop vegetation (NCV) removal, NCV provides key ecosystem services. To model food safety and environmental tradeoffs associated with NCV removal, published and publicly available food safety and water quality data from the Northeastern United States were obtained.

      • Produce Safety
      • Post Harvest
      • Pre Harvest
  13. Synergy of the Two Alginate Lyase Domains of a Novel Alginate Lyase from Vibrio sp. NC2 in Alginate Degradation

    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology
    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Ahead of Print. Alginate lyases play a vital role in the degradation of alginate, an important marine carbon source. Alginate is a complex macromolecular substrate, and the synergy of alginate lyases is important for the alginate utilization by microbes and the application of alginate lyases in biotechnology.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Vibrio
  14. Genomic Diversity of Campylobacter lari Group Isolates from Europe and Australia in a One Health Context

    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology
    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Ahead of Print. Members of the Campylobacter lari group are causative agents of human gastroenteritis and are frequently found in shellfish, marine waters, shorebirds, and marine mammals.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Campylobacter
  15. Fine-Scale Structuring of Planktonic Vibrio spp. in the Chinese Marginal Seas

    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology
    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Ahead of Print. Shigella flexneri uses a type 3 secretion system (T3SS) apparatus to inject virulence effector proteins into the host cell cytosol. Upon host cell contact, MxiE, an S. flexneri AraC-like transcriptional regulator, is required for the expression of a subset of T3SS effector genes encoded on the large virulence plasmid. Here, we defined the MxiE regulon using RNA-seq.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Vibrio
  16. Vibrio fischeri Possesses Xds and Dns Nucleases That Differentially Influence Phosphate Scavenging, Aggregation, Competence, and Symbiotic Colonization of Squid

    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology
    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Ahead of Print. Cells of Vibrio fischeri colonize the light organ of Euprymna scolopes, providing the squid bioluminescence in exchange for nutrients and protection. The bacteria encounter DNA-rich mucus throughout their transition to a symbiotic lifestyle, leading us to hypothesize a role for nuclease activity in the colonization process.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Vibrio
  17. Community Dynamics of Free-Living and Particle-Attached Bacteria over Sequential Blooms of Heterotrophic Dinoflagellate Noctiluca scintillans and Mixotrophic Ciliate Mesodinium rubrum

    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology
    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Ahead of Print. During a series of blooms of Noctiluca scintillans and Mesodinium rubrum, we applied high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene to investigate the population dynamics of free-living (FL) and particle-attached (PA) bacteria in an attempt to evaluate the influence of protozoan bloom-induced disturbances on the structuring of these two communities.

      • Natural toxins
      • Shellfish toxins
  18. Xanthomonas Infection Transforms the Apoplast into an Accessible and Habitable Niche for Salmonella enterica

    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology
    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Ahead of Print. The physiology of plant hosts can be dramatically altered by phytopathogens. Xanthomonas hortorum pv. gardneri is one such pathogen that creates an aqueous niche within the leaf apoplast by manipulating the plant via the transcription activator-like effector AvrHah1. Simultaneous immigration of X. hortorum pv.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Salmonella
  19. Dual-Species Biofilms Formed by Escherichia coli and Salmonella Enhance Chlorine Tolerance

    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology
    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Ahead of Print. In this research, mono- and dual-species biofilms of Escherichia coli (O45:H2 and O121:H19) and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium formed on stainless-steel coupons were treated with 100 mg/L NaClO for 1 min.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Salmonella
  20. Whole-Genome Sequencing-Based Characterization of Listeria Isolates from Produce Packinghouses and Fresh-Cut Facilities Suggests Both Persistence and Reintroduction of Fully Virulent L. monocytogenes

    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology
    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Ahead of Print. The contamination of ready-to-eat produce with Listeria monocytogenes (LM) can often be traced back to environmental sources in processing facilities and packinghouses. To provide an improved understanding of Listeria sources and transmission in produce operations, we performed whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of LM (n = 169) and other Listeria spp.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Listeria monocytogenes
      • Produce Safety
      • Fresh Cut
  21. The Influence of Patterned Surface Features on the Accumulation of Bovine Synovial Fluid-Induced Aggregates of Staphylococcus aureus

    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology
    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Ahead of Print. Periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) after joint replacement is a major clinical issue requiring multiple surgeries and antibiotic interventions. Recent in vitro research has shown that PJI staphylococcal strains rapidly form antibiotic-resistant free-floating aggregates in the presence of bovine synovial fluid (BSF). Staphylococcal aggregates are also present in human PJI joint fluid.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Staphylococcus aureus
  22. Integrative Assessment of Reduced Listeria monocytogenes Susceptibility to Benzalkonium Chloride in Produce Processing Environments

    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology
    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Ahead of Print. For decades, quaternary ammonium compounds (QAC)-based sanitizers have been broadly used in food processing environments to control foodborne pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes. Still, there is a lack of consensus on the likelihood and implication of reduced Listeria susceptibility to benzalkonium chloride (BC) that may emerge due to sublethal exposure to the sanitizers in food processing environments.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Listeria monocytogenes
  23. Heating Rate during Shell Egg Thermal Treatment Elicits Stress Responses and Alters Virulence of Salmonella enterica Serovar Enteritidis; Implications for Shell Egg Pasteurization

    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology
    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Ahead of Print. Thermal pasteurization of shell eggs, at various time-temperature combinations, has been proposed previously and implemented industrially. This study was conducted to determine if shell egg heating rate, which varies with different pasteurization implementations, alters the Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis response to different stresses or expression of virulence.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Salmonella
  24. The Efficacy of Commercial Surface Sanitizers against Norovirus on Formica Surfaces with and without Inclusion of a Wiping Step

    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology
    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Ahead of Print. Commonly used surface sanitizers often lack activity against human noroviruses (hNoVs). The impact of inactivation versus removal when these products are applied via wiping is poorly characterized.

      • Viruses
      • Norovirus
  25. Pervasive Listeria monocytogenes Is Common in the Norwegian Food System and Is Associated with Increased Prevalence of Stress Survival and Resistance Determinants

    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology
    • Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Ahead of Print. To investigate the diversity, distribution, persistence, and prevalence of stress survival and resistance genes of Listeria monocytogenes clones dominating in food processing environments in Norway, genome sequences from 769 L.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Listeria monocytogenes