Research Publications (Food Safety)

Bacteriophages UAB_Phi20, UAB_Phi78, and UAB_Phi87 were encapsulated in liposomes, and their efficacy in reducing Salmonella in poultry was then studied. The encapsulated phages had a mean diameter of 309 to 326 nm and a positive charge between +31.6 and +35.1 mV (pH 6.1). In simulated gastric fluid (pH 2.8), the titer of nonencapsulated phages decreased by 5.7 to 7.8 log units, whereas encapsulated phages were significantly more stable, with losses of 3.7 to 5.4 log units.

Infection by human pathogens through the consumption of fresh, minimally processed produce and solid plant-derived foods is a major concern of the U.S. and global food industries and of public health services. Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 is a frequent and potent foodborne pathogen that causes severe disease in humans. Biofilms formed by E. coli O157:H7 facilitate cross-contamination by sheltering pathogens and protecting them from cleaning and sanitation operations.

Human norovirus (NoV) is the leading cause of foodborne illness in the United States and Canada. Wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents impacting bivalve mollusk-growing areas are potential sources of NoV contamination.

Campylobacter jejuni is a leading cause of human foodborne gastroenteritis worldwide. The interactions between this pathogen and the intestinal microbiome within a host are of interest as endogenous intestinal microbiota mediates a form of resistance to the pathogen. This resistance, termed colonization resistance, is the ability of commensal microbiota to prevent colonization by exogenous pathogens or opportunistic commensals. Although mice normally demonstrate colonization resistance to C.

Disposal of fecally contaminated poultry litter by land application can deliver pathogens and fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) into receiving waters via runoff. While water quality is regulated by FIB enumeration, FIB testing provides inadequate information about contamination source and health risk. This microbial source tracking (MST) study compared the persistence of the Brevibacterium sp.

Publication date: October 2015
, Volume 108
Author(s): M.K. Omer , B. Prieto , E. Rendueles , A. Alvarez-Ordoñez , K. Lunde , O. Alvseike , M. Prieto

Foodborne nickel content was determined in six strains of oat in a year-on-year analysisResults are depicted by relative standard deviation (RSD) values of 17.94 and 31.41%. Wider range of differential is featured in processed foods, with RSD spanning 10–65%. While most studies are confined to analyses in output data only, in this article we dissect the mechanisms that underlie nickel migration in the progress of industrial processing.

This case report describes a recent botulism outbreak in commercial laying hens with a history of increased mortality and flaccid paralysis. Routine diagnostic gross examination and microscopy from seven hens were inconclusive, but botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) in peripheral blood was neutralized with both type C and type D antitoxins in the mouse bioassay. During a farm visit, 10 additional hens from a 34-wk-old flock on the farm were selected for clinical examination and further sampling.

This study related the replication of an H9N2 avian influenza virus in chickens to the induction of host acute immune response after aerosol or intranasal inoculation with the virus. On 1, 2, 4, and 7 days postinoculation (dpi), oropharyngeal swabs and tissue specimens of trachea, lungs, spleen, and cecal tonsils were collected for quantification of viral RNA. Expression of cytokine genes in lungs, spleen, and cecal tonsils was quantified by reverse transcriptase-PCR.

Livestock-associated meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus belonging to clonal complex 398 (LA-MRSA CC398) is an important cause of zoonotic infections in many countries. Here, we describe the isolation of LA-MRSA CC398 from retail meat samples of United Kingdom (UK) farm origin. Our findings indicate that this lineage is probably established in UK pig farms and demonstrate a potential pathway for the transmission of LA-MRSA CC398 from livestock to humans in the UK.

Publication date: November 2015
Source:LWT - Food Science and Technology, Volume 64, Issue 1
Author(s): Lye Miyague , Renata E.F. Macedo , Giuseppe Meca , Richard A. Holley , Fernando B. Luciano

Rifampicin-resistant (RifR) strains have often been used in studies of Escherichia coli O157:H7 to assure more specific recovery. The present study compared the heat inactivation kinetics of rifampicin-resistant variants of pathogenic and nonpathogenic E. coli O157 strains with those of the wild-type parental strains. Spontaneous RifR derivatives of 11 pathogenic and six nonpathogenic E. coli O157 strains were selected.

Foodborne Pathogens and Disease , Vol. 0, No. 0.

We evaluated culture-negative, community-acquired endocarditis by using indirect immunofluorescent assays and molecular analyses for Bartonella spp. and Coxiella burnetii and found a prevalence of 19.6% and 7.8%, respectively. Our findings reinforce the need to study these organisms in patients with culture-negative, community-acquired endocarditis, especially B. henselae in cat owners.

Publication date: 1 October 2015
, Volume 210
Author(s): Jianmin Zhang , Xiaowei Yang , Dai Kuang , Xianming Shi , Wenjia Xiao , Jing Zhang , Zhen Gu , Xuebin Xu , Jianghong Meng

Christina D. Orrú, Bradley R. Groveman, Lynne D. Raymond, Andrew G. Hughson, Romolo Nonno, Wenquan Zou, Bernardino Ghetti, Pierluigi Gambetti, Byron Caughey

The aim of the current study was to establish the effects of preincubation application of low and high frequency ultrasound on egg weight loss, hatchability, supply organ weights, chick performance, and eggshell microbial activity in Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica). A total of 630 fresh eggs were randomly divided into 3 groups.

Salmonellosis is one of the most prevalent foodborne illnesses. The outbreak of this disease is often associated with eggs. In this study, the prevalence and characteristics of Salmonella was surveyed in layer farms in Korea. In addition, the risk factors affecting the prevalence of Salmonella in these farms were also assessed. Of the 32 farms and 67 flocks examined, 19 farms (59.3%) and 34 flocks (50.7%) were observed to be positive for Salmonella contamination.

Salmonella Enteritidis can be deposited inside eggs laid by infected hens, so the prevalence of this pathogen in commercial egg-producing flocks is an important risk factor for human illness. Opportunities for the introduction, transmission, and persistence of salmonellae in poultry are potentially influenced by flock housing and management systems. Animal welfare concerns have spurred the development of alternatives to traditional cage-based housing.

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of naturally contaminated Fusarium wheat containing deoxynivalenol (DON) on growth and performance of broiler chickens from 0 to 35 d. The BoMill TriQ individual kernel sorting technology uses near infrared transmittance (NIT) spectra to separate Fusarium-damaged kernels (FDK) from healthy kernels based on individual kernel CP.

Responses to the parenteral administration of a live aroA deletion Salmonella serovar Typhimurium vaccine given to three brown egg layer strains and two broiler strains were studied.

Commercial chickens in Jordan suffer from respiratory disease of undetermined etiology. This study was designed to document the involvement of avian influenza virus (AIV) H9 subtype, Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG), and Mycoplasma synoviae (MS) in this respiratory disease. In this study, trachea swabs from 350 commercial broiler chicken flocks that suffered from respiratory disease were tested for AIV H9 subtype by using reverse transcription (RT)-PCR and for MG and MS by using PCR.

Publication date: July 2015
, Volume 98, Issue 7
Author(s): Xin Wang , Qinglong Wu , Kan Deng , Qiang Wei , Ping Hu , Jingjing He , Huan Liu , Yong Zheng , Hua Wei , Nagendra P. Shah , Tingtao Chen

Publication date: July 2015
, Volume 98, Issue 7
Author(s): Melvin de Boer , Cord Heuer , Hassan Hussein , Scott McDougall

Publication date: July 2015
, Volume 98, Issue 7
Author(s): P.L. Ruegg , L. Oliveira , W. Jin , O. Okwumabua