Research Publications (Food Safety)

Although, historically, Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was restricted to humans, since 2005 these strains emerged in livestock and wildlife. Therefore, a One Health approach was applied to analyze the diversity and characteristics of S. aureus strains isolated from the invasive species of mongoose (Urva auropunctata) in St. Kitts. Fecal samples collected from these animals (n = 81) were cultured on selective agar. The isolated S.

Background Heavy metal cadmium (Cd) is a widespread environmental contaminant with a potential toxicity that might negatively affect female reproduction and fertility. It has been reported that Cd exposure impaired the quality of oocytes and led to a defective maturation and fertilization, through oxidative stress induction.

The effect of water activity (aW; 0.87, 0.90, 0.92, 0.94, 0.96, 0.98 and 0.99), temperature (15, 25, and 30 °C), incubation time (5, 10, 14, and 21 days), and their interactions on mycelial growth and aflatoxin production in a chickpea-based medium by three Aspergillus flavus strains isolated from chickpea grains in Argentina was evaluated.

Cadmium (Cd) is the main environmental pollutant causing endocrine and nervous system dysfunction in animals. High doses of Cd cause cytotoxicity, including programmed necrosis and apoptosis, which has aroused widespread concern. Mitochondrial dynamics plays a key role in programmed necrosis and apoptosis of endocrine organs.

Seaweeds are non-vascular, photosynthetic that inhabit the coastal regions commonly within rocky intertidal or submerged reef-like habitats and have been one of the richest and most promising sources of bioactive primary and secondary metabolites with antimicrobial properties. They selectively absorb elements like Na, K, Ca, Mg, I, and Br from the seawater and accumulate them in their thalli.

Clostridium perfringens is the causative agent of many enterotoxic diseases in humans and animals, and it is present in diverse environments (soil, food, sewage, and water). Multilocus Sequence Typing (MLST) and Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) have provided a general approach about genetic diversity of C. perfringens; however, those studies are limited to specific locations and often include a reduced number of genomes. In this study, 372 C.

The formation of persister cells is associated with recalcitrance and infections. In this study, we examined the antimicrobial property of alpha mangostin, a natural xanthone molecule, against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) persisters and biofilm. The MIC of alpha mangostin against MRSA persisters was 2 µg/ml, and activity was mediated by causing membrane permeabilization within 30 min of exposure.

The gastrointestinal microbial community plays a crucial role in host health, immunity, protection, development and provides nutrients to the host. The rising human-induced pollution and heavy metal contamination in all aquatic systems globally has led us to explore the gut microbial diversity of two exotic invasive fish Cyprinus carpio (Linnaeus, 1858) and Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus,1857) from river Yamuna, India.

Mandarin peel is a by-product from mandarin canning industry containing multiple functional substances with useful properties such as antibacterial and antioxidant activities. To evaluate the effect of bioprocessing, fresh mandarin peels were fermented by Rhizopus stolonifer JP13 for 4 days and then the peels’ antioxidant and antimicrobial activities were tested. The flavonoiuds, hesperidin and VC contents in dry peels were also determined.

Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) are an important cause of foodborne illness in humans with infections ranging from mild non-bloody diarrhea to bloody diarrhea (BD) and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). This study aimed to investigate the distribution of STEC in shellfish from coastal shores of Lake Timsah in Ismailia Governorate, Egypt and its probable hazard to seafood consumers.

Water is a vital resource to every living thing on the earth. Once the water is contaminated (physically, chemically, biologically, or radiologically), it brought negative impacts to the living thing. This paper provides a brief review of the characterization of biological pollutants in drinking water and their effects on human health.

mSystems, Ahead of Print. The genetic features of foodborne Salmonella have changed in recent years as multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains have become prevalent among various serovars.

Cell adhesion plays a crucial role in candidiasis through invasion of the human body and obtaining resistance to drugs by forming biofilms. Cell adhesion thus is a critical target for combating candidiasis by preventing the entry of fungal hyphae into the epithelium.

Deoxynivalenol (DON) remains one of the most concerning mycotoxins produced by the Fusarium genus due to the wide occurrence in highly consumed cereal-based food and its associated toxicological effects. Previous studies conducted in Spain and other European countries suggested that some vulnerable groups such as children could be exceeding the tolerable daily intakes.

The spread of extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus has caused a reduction in antibiotic effectiveness and an increase in mortality rates. Essential oils (EOs), known for their therapeutic efficacy, can be configured as novel broad-spectrum biocides.

Escherichia coli O157:H7-contaminated beef has been implicated in numerous foodborne outbreaks. Contamination occurs despite the use of antimicrobial interventions such as lactic acid (LA). In addition, resistance to antibiotics such as ampicillin and streptomycin among isolates has been frequently reported. The influence of antibiotic resistance (ABR) on growth rates and cross-tolerance of lettuce isolate E. coli O157:H7 H1730 to LA was evaluated.

Enterococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus aureus are frequently co-isolated from biofilm-associated infections. A new study by Ch’ng et al. revealed that S. aureus-released heme feeds E. faecalis respiration, augmenting E. faecalis growth and overall biofilm biomass. Their finding further supports the theory that metabolite cross-feeding is a critical aspect shaping polymicrobial biofilm interactions.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Ahead of Print. Shigella invasion plasmid antigen B (IpaB) plays an important role in causing shigellosis. While IpaB’s protein structure, contribution to disease mechanism, and protective immunity against Shigella infection have been well studied, the significance of individual antigenic domains, especially at the N terminus, has not been systematically characterized.

Journal of Food Science, EarlyView. Cronobacter spp. is an important foodborne pathogen that can cause life-threatening diseases in infants and immunocompromised adults. The present study was carried out to understand the prevalence and characterization of Cronobacter spp.

Journal of Food Science, EarlyView. The antimicrobial potential of switchgrass extractives (SE) was evaluated on cut lettuce leaves and romaine lettuce in planta, using rifampicin-resistant Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella Typhimurium strain LT2 as model pathogens. Cut lettuce leaves were swabbed with E. coli O157:H7 or S.

Journal of Applied Microbiology, Accepted Article. Aims to characterize a collection of Cronobacter sakazakii isolates collected from various origins in Jordan. Methods and Results the isolates were characterized using 16S rRNA sequencing, DNA microarray, multi-locus sequence typing (MLST), O-serotyping, virulence gene identification, and antibiotic susceptibility testing. The identities and phylogenetic relatedness revealed that C.

Probiotic lactic acid bacteria exhibit metal ion binding properties, which can be employed as metal bio-adsorbents in the human system. Lead is a prevalent dietary contaminant that causes lead toxicity in humans, especially children. In the present investigation, we evaluated the indigenous lactobacilli for their lead bioadsorption potential that can offer a pre-emptive approach for bioremediating lead toxicity.

Due to various characteristics properties lead(II) metal is utilized in many applications like lead ion batteries, water pipes, ammunition and paints. For this reason, concentration of lead(II) ions in water is increasing days by days which is alarming for water pollution.

Between 2016 and 2021, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) collected 4218 samples of fresh and frozen berries (blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and mixed berries) and pomegranate arils at retail across 11 major cities in Canada and tested these samples for the presence of norovirus GI, norovirus GII and hepatitis A virus RNA.

Cadmium (Cd) is one of toxic metal in environment and is thought to affect nervous system. There were an increasing number of studies on selenium (Se)-enriched probiotics which were believed to produce bioactive nanoselenium. The antagonism of Se on heavy metals can significantly affect biological toxicity of heavy metals.