Research Publications (Food Safety)

Fusarium verticillioides is a fungal pathogen that is responsible for maize ear rot and stalk rot diseases worldwide. The fungus also produces carcinogenic mycotoxins, fumonisins, on infested maize. Unfortunately, we still lack clear understanding of how the pathogen responds to host and environmental stimuli to trigger fumonisin biosynthesis.

A novel Gram-negative, aerobic, motile and rod-shaped bacterium with the potential to biodegrade polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, was isolated from Khazar (Caspian) Sea. Strain TBZ2T grows in the absence of NaCl and tolerates up to 8.5% NaCl. Growth occurred at pH 3.0–10.0 (optimum, pH 6.0–7.0) and 10–45 °C (optimum, 30 °C). The major fatty acids are C18:1ω7C, C16:1ω7C/ C15:0 iso 2-OH, C16:0, C12:0, C10:0 3-OH, C12:0 3-OH.

Serratia marcescens is an opportunistic human pathogen causing nosocomial infections and displays expanded resistance towards the conventional antibiotics. In S. marcescens, quorum sensing (QS) mechanism coordinates the population-dependent behaviors and regulates the virulence factors production. Photodynamic inactivation (PDI) is a promising alternative for the treatment of infections caused by drug resistant bacteria.

Context-specific GEnome-scale metabolic Network REconstructions (GENREs) provide a means to understand cellular metabolism at a deeper level of physiological detail. Here, we use transcriptomics data from chemically-exposed rat hepatocytes to constrain a GENRE of rat hepatocyte metabolism and predict biomarkers of liver toxicity using the Transcriptionally Inferred Metabolic Biomarker Response algorithm.

This study was performed to examine the transgenerational effects of bisphenol (BP) A analogs, BPE, and BPS on male reproductive functions using mice as a model. CD-1 mice (F0) were orally exposed to control treatment (corn oil), BPA, BPE, or BPS (0.5 or 50 µg/kg/day) from gestational day 7 (the presence of vaginal plug = 1) to birth. Mice from F1 and F2 offspring were used to generate F3 males.

Gestational exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) can lead to offspring insulin resistance. However, despite the role that the skeletal muscle plays in glucose homeostasis, it remains unknown whether gestational exposure to BPA, or its analog bisphenol S (BPS), impairs skeletal muscle development. We hypothesized that gestational exposure to BPA or BPS will impair fetal muscle development and lead to muscle-specific insulin resistance.

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) activation has been shown to alter proliferation, apoptosis, or differentiation of adult rat liver progenitors. Here, we investigated the impact of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD)-mediated AhR activation on a human model of bipotent liver progenitors, undifferentiated HepaRG cells.

Listeria monocytogenes is a Gram-positive bacterium that can be found in a broad range of environments, including soil, food, animals, and humans. L. monocytogenes can cause a foodborne disease manifesting as sepsis and meningo-encephalitis. To evaluate signals of selection within the core genome of neuroinvasive L. monocytogenes strains, we sequenced 122 L.

The roles of signaling pathway genes related to the aflatoxin reduction trait in maize were studied for the improvement of maize resistance to the fungal pathogen Aspergillus flavus (A. flavus). In this study, 55 maize genes in plant–pathogen interaction signaling pathways were investigated among 12 maize near-isogenic lines (NILs) that carry maize quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with aflatoxin reduction.

The enteric pathogen, Salmonella enterica is a major cause of human gastroenteritis globally and with increasing bacterial resistance to antibiotics, alternative solutions are urgently needed. Single domain antibodies (sdAbs), the smallest antibody fragments that retain antigen binding specificity and affinity, are derived from variable heavy-chain only fragments (VHH) of camelid heavy-chain-only immunoglobulins.

Conventionally, the delivery of biomolecules into bacteria for the generation of characterized or functional mutants has relied greatly on horizontal gene transfer techniques. However, the low compatibility of these techniques with novel or hard-to-transform bacteria currently serves as a challenge to the bioengineering field.

This study investigated the aflatoxin production potentials of selected fungi using a polyphasic approach. Internally transcribed spacer region of the fungi was amplified using the polymerase chain reaction.

Espinoza-Vergara et al. unveiled a novel transmission mode of Vibrio cholerae based on environmental protozoan predation, which the bacterial pathogen evades via its release in ‘expelled food vacuoles.’ Vacuole-enclosed bacteria are not only fairly protected against environmental stressors, but also show enhanced intestinal colonization fitness upon oral ingestion.

Author(s): Mohamed Mammeri, Lara Cartou, Aurélie Chevillot, Myriam Thomas, Christine Julien, Isabelle Vallée, Bruno Polack, Jérôme Follet, Karim Tarik Adjou

Author(s): Min-Jin Jeon, Jae-Won Ha

Author(s): Yuanyuan Song, Xuetong Fan

Author(s): Irene Dervisi, Chrysanthi Valassakis, Adamantia Agalou, Nikolaos Papandreou, Varvara Podia, Kosmas Haralampidis, Vassiliki A. Iconomidou, Vassili N. Kouvelis, Herman P. Spaink, Andreas Roussis

Author(s): Paschalitsa Tryfinopoulou, Antonia Chourdaki, George-John E. Nychas, Efstathios Z. Panagou

Author(s): Paola Modesto, Maria Grazia Maniaci, Umberto Cavallazzi, Pier Luigi Acutis, Simone Peletto

In the field, foodborne pathogens such as enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) are capable of surviving on produce over time, yet little is known about how these pathogens adapt to this environment. To assess the impact of pre-harvest environmental conditions on EHEC survival, we quantified survival on romaine lettuce under two relative humidity (75% and 45%) and seasonal conditions (March and June).

Apart from causing serious yield losses, various kinds of mycotoxins may be accumulated in plant tissues infected by Fusarium strains. Fusarium mycotoxin contamination is one of the most important concerns in the food safety field nowadays. However, limited information on the causal agents, etiology, and mycotoxin production of this disease is available on pepper in China.

Author(s): Yuanqing Kan, Lu Meng, Lingling Xie, Lixia Liu, Wenyue Dong, Jintao Feng, Yuchen Yan, Chao Zhao, Gang Peng, Decheng Wang, Mingfang Lu, Chen Yang, Chen Niu

Author(s): Satoshi Nishida, Yasuo Ono

Abstract

Background

: Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC)-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae has expanded rapidly and is associated with severe nosocomial infections. Last-line antibiotics such as colistin and tigecycline remain the only treatment option. Here, we describe the genetic background of a novel pan-resistant KPC-producing K. pneumoniae isolate from Tokyo, Japan.

Author(s): Pramod Kumar, Priti Yadav, K.V. Ingole, Rishi Jaiswal, N.S. Khalid, Durgesh G. Deshmukh, A.K. Goel, P.K. Yadava