Research Publications (Food Safety)

The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major hepatotropic virus that affects humans with increased risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma. The bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) causes abortion, calf mortality and poor reproductive performance in cattle. Due the difficulties of in vitro cultivation for HCV, BVDV has been used as surrogate for in vitro assessment of the efficacy of antivirals. Essential oils (EOs) display antiviral and virucidal activity on several viral pathogens.

Border disease virus (BDV), a member of the Pestivirus genus within the Flaviviridae family, is known to inflict significant economic losses on livestock farms due to its association with reproductive disorders and persistent infections in sheep and goats. However, comprehensive epidemiological investigations of BDV in China are scarce.

The continued worldwide increase in pet ownership has significantly boosted the growth of the pet food industry accompanied by new food safety risks and challenges. This study was designed to determine the occurrence and molecularly characterize multidrug‐resistant (MDR) Enterobacterales in pet food. Eighty‐six (86) packages of dry and wet pet food purchased in different retail stores were screened for carbapenem‐resistant Enterobacterales (CRE).

In December 2021, a wildlife conservation base in Hunan, China, reported illness and death among its captive Myocastor coypus population. A gram‐positive pathogen was isolated from the affected animals. The 16S rDNA sequence of the isolated strain was approximately 1,500 bp long and exhibited 98.4% homogeneity with Staphylococcus cohnii found in sea cucumbers. Interestingly, the biochemical reactions of the isolated strain were consistent with the characteristics of S. cohnii.

Atlantic menhaden are a highly migratory marine species in the Eastern United States that suffer from seasonal chronic mortality. Affected fish show neurologic signs referred to as spinning disease, including circling at the surface and erratic corkscrew swimming before death. We investigated three similar menhaden mortality events consistent with spinning disease in coastal New Jersey and New York between 2020 and 2021 to understand the cause.

Salmonellosis is one of the important bacterial infectious diseases affecting the health of pigeons. Heretofore, the epidemiological characteristics of Salmonella in pigeon populations in China remain largely unclear. The present study investigated the antimicrobial resistance and genomic characteristics of Salmonella isolates in pigeons in different regions of China from 2022 to 2023.

Calcium (Ca2+) can regulate the swarming motility and virulence of Vibrio parahaemolyticus BB22. However, the effects of Ca2+ on the physiology of V. parahaemolyticus RIMD2210633, whose genomic composition is quite different with that of BB22, have not been investigated. In this study, the results of phenotypic assays showed that the biofilm formation, c-di-GMP production, swimming motility, zebrafish survival rate, cytoxicity against HeLa cells, and adherence activity to HeLa cells of V.

Giardia duodenalis is a zoonotic protozoan parasite that causes gastrointestinal illness in humans and livestock. We studied the genetic diversity of G. duodenalis in children and calves from Bangladesh to determine its zoonotic potential. Fecal samples collected from children (299) and calves (699) were screened with nested PCR with primers targeting the ssu rRNA gene for G. duodenalis.

Livestock‐Associated Methicillin‐ResistantStaphylococcus aureus (LA‐MRSA) strains of clonal complex (CC) 398 are widely disseminated in pigs and are considered emerging pathogens in human medicine. To investigate the prevalence, genetic characteristics, and zoonotic potential of the pathogen in pig production settings, dust samples were collected from 40 pig operations in Hungary, along with nasal swabs of attending veterinarians and other swine professionals (n = 27) in 2019.

Outbreaks of hepatitis‐hydropericardium syndrome (HHS) caused by fowl adenovirus serotype 4 (FAdV‐4) and inclusion body hepatitis (IBH) related to FAdV‐8b and FAdV‐11 have been increased in chickens in China since 2015. Clinical concurrent infections of FAdV‐4, FAdV‐8b, and FAdV‐11 are quite common, yet there are no commercially available trivalent vaccines against infection by these three serotypes.

Bushpigs (Potamochoerus larvatus) play a major role in the socio‐ecosystem of Madagascar, particularly in rural areas. They are largely hunted by rural populations as a major source of income and protein. They can also represent a potential source of pathogens for domestic animals and people. For example, it is hypothesized that bushpigs might compromise African swine fever (ASF) eradication programs by sporadically transmitting the virus to domestic pigs.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is an emerging zoonotic pathogen in Europe. Even though swine species are considered the main host of the zoonotic HEV‐3 genotype, rabbits are recognized as the main reservoir of the divergent HEV‐3ra subtype. However, the role of wild lagomorphs in the epidemiology of this virus in Mediterranean ecosystems is under debate.

Novel duck orthoreovirus can infect various hosts, mainly causing spleen necrosis and hemorrhagic necrotizing hepatitis, leading to immunosuppression and growth impairment. Infectious diseases characterized by swollen hock joints, movement disorders, and impaired growths have recently occurred in significant duck breeding areas in China. Infected ducks from Shandong Province were selected, and N‐DRV‐LY20 was isolated from the swollen joints.

Bovine kobuvirus (BKV) is an infectious agent associated with neonatal calf diarrhoea (NCD), causing important economic losses to dairy and beef cattle herds worldwide. Here, we present the detection rate and characterize the genome of BKV isolated from diarrhoeic calves from a Central Italy herd. From January to December 2021, we collected blood samples and nasal and rectal swabs from 66 calves with severe NCD between 3 and 20 days of age.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is an important human pathogen and, in developed countries, most human infections are due to a zoonotic cycle, mainly maintained by domestic and wild suids. In European countries several genotype 3 strains have been found to circulate in human population and animal reservoirs, with human infections being related mostly to pork or wild boar meat consumption.

Enteric protozoan parasites Giardia duodenalis, Cryptosporidium spp., and, to a lesser extent, the ciliate Balantioides coli are responsible for severe human and animal intestinal disorders globally. However, limited information is available on the occurrence and epidemiology of these parasites in domestic, but especially wild species in Portugal. To fill this gap of knowledge, we have investigated G. duodenalis, Cryptosporidium spp., and B.

The presence of pathogenic bacteria in organic feed and food is a topic of current subject of study due to concerns that certain organic practices may heighten the risk of contamination and contribute to the spread of foodborne pathogens. The primary objective of this research is to analyze the main microbial contaminants exclusively associated with organic products, as reported in the literature.

In high‐income countries, the hepatitis E virus (HEV) is considered an emerging threat causing autochthonous acute hepatitis in humans, with an increased number of reported cases over the last 10 years and related increased burden of chronic hepatitis in immunocompromised and transplant patients. Pigs are the main reservoir of the HEV‐3 genotype, which is the most common in Europe, and can be transmitted to humans through the consumption of raw and undercooked pork products.

Abstract Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a type of mycotoxin commonly found in raw and processed foods. It is essential to be aware of this toxin, as it can harm your health if consumed in high quantities. OTA can induce toxic effects in various cell models. However, a more comprehensive understanding of the harmful effects of OTA on human astrocytes is required.

Peanut-based products have been associated with Salmonella foodborne outbreaks and/or recalls worldwide. The ability of Salmonella to persist for a long time in a low moisture environment can contribute to this kind of contamination. The objective of this study was to analyse the genome of five S.

As a legume crop widely cultured in the world, faba bean (Vicia faba L.) forms root nodules with diverse Rhizobium species in different regions. However, the symbionts associated with this plant in Mexico have not been studied. To investigate the diversity and species/symbiovar affiliations of rhizobia associated with faba bean in Mexico, rhizobia were isolated from this plant grown in two Mexican sites in the present study.

A simple method based on solid–liquid extraction with a low-temperature partition (SLE/LTP) and analysis by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC–MS) was optimized and validated for determining residues of the pesticides triadimenol, flutriafol, λ-cyhalothrin, difenoconazole, and azoxystrobin in oat flour. A factorial design was employed to optimize the technique and establish the best conditions for the simultaneous extraction of the analytes.

Nanostructured lipid carrier (NLC) is a second-generation smart delivery system with a solid matrix at room temperature. This carrier system consists of biocompatible surfactants and lipid materials and is accepted by regulatory authorities for use in various delivery systems. This study is a comparative study between the function of thymol-loaded NLC and thymol-nanoemulsion (NE) in Na-alginate coating to extend the shelf life of fresh chicken meat.

Abstract

Human gastrointestinal infections caused by Campylobacter species is the second most important foodborne illness after salmonellosis worldwide. Poultry represent one of the main sources of Campylobacter organisms.