Research Publications (Food Safety)

Introduction. Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi (S. Typhi) is the etiological agent of typhoid fever. To establish an infection in the human host, this pathogen must survive the presence of bile salts in the gut and gallbladder.

Members of Shewanella are ubiquitous in aquatic environments, some of which have been implicated in human infections. The progenitors of antibiotic resistance genes with clinical relevance, such as qnrA genes, have been identified in Shewanella.

Maintaining membrane integrity is of paramount importance to the survival of bacteria as the membrane is the site of multiple crucial cellular processes including energy generation, nutrient uptake and antimicrobial efflux. The DedA family of integral membrane proteins are widespread in bacteria and are associated with maintaining the integrity of the membrane. In addition, DedA proteins have been linked to resistance to multiple classes of antimicrobials in various microorganisms.

Escherichia coli ST131 is a globally dispersed extraintestinal pathogenic E.

Prophages affect bacterial fitness on multiple levels. These include bacterial infectivity, toxin secretion, virulence regulation, surface modification, immune stimulation and evasion and microbiome competition. Lysogenic conversion arms bacteria with novel accessory functions thereby increasing bacterial fitness, host adaptation and persistence, and antibiotic resistance.

Non-typhoidal   Salmonella   (NTS) is the second most common cause of foodborne bacterial gastroenteritis in Australia with antimicrobial resistance (AMR) increasing in recent years. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) provides opportunities for in silico detection of AMR determinants.

Shigella flexneri serotype 6 is an understudied cause of diarrhoeal diseases in developing countries, and has been proposed as one of the major targets for vaccine development against shigellosis.

Group B   Streptococcus   (GBS;   Streptococcus agalactiae  ) is the most common cause of neonatal meningitis and a rising cause of s

Coxiella burnetii , the causative agent of Q fever, is known to cause acute and persistent infection, but reactivation of infection is rarely reported.

Shigella and enteroinvasive Escherichia coli (EIEC) cause human bacillary dysentery with similar invasion mechanisms and share similar physiological, biochemical an

Livestock, particularly pigs, have increasingly been recognized as important reservoirs for zoonotic transmission of pathogenic bacteria, including staphylococci. Livestock production systems in developing countries of sub-Saharan Africa, including Nigeria, are characterized by high misuse/abuse of antimicrobials and a close association between humans and these animals, which promotes the emergence and transmission of resistant and potentially virulent bacteria.

Ingestion of food- or waterborne antibiotic-resistant bacteria may lead to dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the gut microbiota. The gut microbiota often suffers from various disturbances. It is not clear whether and how disturbed microbiota may affect ARG mobility under antibiotic treatments.

Shiga toxin (Stx)-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) are foodborne pathogens causing serious diseases, such as haemorrhagic colitis and haemolytic uraemic syndrome. Although O157:H7 STEC strains have been the most prevalent, incidences of STEC infections by several other serotypes have recently increased.

Homoplasic SNPs are considered important signatures of strong (positive) selective pressure, and hence of adaptive evolution for clinically relevant traits such as antibiotic resistance and virulence. Here we present a new tool, SNPPar, for efficient detection and analysis of homoplasic SNPs from large whole genome sequencing datasets (>1000 isolates and/or >100 000 SNPs).

Introduction. Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) can cause severe to fatal disease in humans. Antimicrobial treatment is sometimes necessary, but contraindicated due to undesirable clinical outcome. However, recent studies have shown promising outcomes following antimicrobial treatment.

Escherichia coli is a priority foodborne pathogen of public health concern and phenotypic serotyping provides critical information for surveillance and outbreak detection activities.

Rare invasive fungal infections are increasingly emerging in hosts with predisposing factors such as immunodeficiency. Their timely diagnosis remains difficult, as their clinical picture may initially mimic infections with more common fungal species and species identification may be difficult with routine methods or may require time-consuming subcultures. This often results in ineffective drug administration and fatal outcomes.

Introduction. The Philippines, comprising three island groups, namely, Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, experienced an increase in cholera outbreaks in 2016.

Introduction. Chlamydia psittaci is an important cause of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP).

Introduction. Klebsiella pneumoniae , a gram-negative bacterium, is a common pathogen causing nosocomial infection. The drug-resistance rate of K.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) plays an important role in the pathogenesis and spread of   Clostridioides difficile   infection (CDI), the leading healthcare-related gastrointestinal infection in the world.

Improved understanding of the genomic variants that allow   Mycobacterium tuberculosis   (Mtb) to acquire drug resistance, or tolerance, and increase its virulence are important factors in controlling the current tuberculosis epidemic.

Introduction. A significant cause of mortality in the intensive care unit (ICU) is multidrug-resistant (MDR) Gram-negative bacteria, such as Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC).

Introduction. Antimicrobial resistance associated with animal hosts is easily transmitted to humans either by direct contact with resistant organisms or by transferring resistance genes into human pathogens.

Microbial genomes are highly adaptable, with mobile genetic elements (MGEs) such as integrative conjugative elements (ICEs) mediating the dissemination of new genetic information throughout bacterial populations. This is countered by defence mechanisms such as CRISPR-Cas systems, which limit invading MGEs by sequence-specific targeting.