Research Publications (Food Safety)

Author(s): Mohammad Hosein Sinkakarimi, Eisa Solgi, Abasalt Hosseinzadeh Colagar

Author(s): Woxiu Zhong, Chengcheng Xie, Dan Hu, Siyi Pu, Xi Xiong, Jun Ma, Lingxia Sun, Zhuo Huang, Mingyan Jiang, Xi Li

Author(s): M. Kashif Saleemi, Kamran Ashraf, S. Tehseen Gul, M. Noman Naseem, M. Sohail Sajid, Mashkoor Mohsin, Cheng He, Muhammad Zubair, Ahrar Khan

Author(s): Murat Kara, Eda Gürçay, Gülümser Aydın, Bayram Kaymak, Merve Sekizkardeş, Ayşen Akıncı, Derya Uludüz, Levent Özçakar

Transgenic tobacco (N. tabacum cv. Xanthi nc) expressing Capsicum chinense CchGLP gene that encodes an Mn-SOD, constitutively produces hydrogen peroxide that increase endogenous ROS levels. Previous studies using these plants against geminivirus infections as well as drought stress confirmed that CchGLP expression conferred resistance against biotic and abiotic stresses.

Streptococcus suis (S. suis) is one of the most common swine pathogens in the swine industry and leads to great harm to the normal progress of the swine industry. S. suis can also infect humans and cause a variety of fatal diseases, such as meningitis and streptococcal toxic shock syndrome, that pose a major threat to the safety of life and health of both humans and animals.

Lead is toxic to humans and wildlife. Most studies of lead exposure of raptors focus on the winter, non-breeding season when they scavenge heavily. We evaluated blood lead concentrations (BLCs) of red-shouldered hawks (Buteo lineatus) during the non-scavenging season in the eastern United States.

In this study, a rapid and sensitive real-time loop-mediated isothermal amplification (Rti-LAMP) assay was developed for quantitative and evaluation of viable but non-culturable (VBNC) Salmonella. Four micrograms per milliliter of ethidium bromide monoazide (EMA) could significantly inhibit DNA amplification derived from dead cells in Rti-LAMP assays.

Campylobacteriosis is one of the most common foodborne diseases worldwide. Two Campylobacter species – C. jejuni and C. coli in poultry and poultry products are considered to be the main source of human campylobacteriosis. Therefore, studying Campylobacter status in poultry flocks is needed to prevent transmission of disease and reduce human risk, health cost, and economic losses.

Phosphate metabolism was studied to determine whether polyphosphate (polyP) pools play a role in the enhanced resistance against Cd2+ and metal-removal capacity of Cd2+-preadapted (CdPA) Methanosarcina acetivorans. Polyphosphate kinase (PPK), exopolyphosphatase (PPX) and phosphate transporter transcript levels and their activities increased in CdPA cells compared to control (Cnt) cells. K+ inhibited recombinant Ma-PPK and activated Ma-PPX, whereas divalent cations activated both enzymes.

The investigation of foodborne outbreaks (FBOs) from genomic data typically relies on inspecting the relatedness of samples through a phylogenomic tree computed on either SNPs, genes, kmers, or alleles (i.e., cgMLST and wgMLST). The phylogenomic reconstruction is often time-consuming, computation-intensive and depends on hidden assumptions, pipelines implementation and their parameterization.

Viral hepatitis is a substantial public health problem with an annual mortality rate of 1·34 million deaths, which is similar to mortality from HIV (1·1 million) and tuberculosis (1·4 million).1 The most common causes of viral hepatitis are the five distinct hepatotropic viruses: hepatitis A to E. Hepatitis B and C have been shown to attack the liver and cause both acute and chronic diseases.

On June 13, 2019, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)1 issued a safety alert concerning the risk of serious adverse reactions due to transmission of multidrug-resistant organisms through faecal microbiota transplantations (FMTs). This alert was in response to transmission of an extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli strain from a faeces donor to two immunocompromised recipients.

This study aimed to evaluate the possible inhibitory effect of natural lactic acid bacteria on the growth of 2 Bacillus cereus strains. First, we evaluated the behavior of spores of B. cereus GPe2 and D43 when inoculated before cheesemaking using pasteurized or raw milk; no statistical differences were observed between cheese produced with the 2 types of milk.

Consumers should have confidence that dairy foods are safe to eat.

by Stefan M. Ivanov, Ivan Dimitrov, Irini A. Doytchinova

There are sparse data to indicate the extent that macrolide-resistant Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MRMp) occurs in the United States or its clinical significance. Between 2015 and 2018, hospitals in 8 states collected and stored respiratory specimens that tested positive for M. pneumoniae and sent them to the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where real-time PCR was performed for detection of 23S rRNA mutations known to confer macrolide resistance.

Mycoplasma genitalium causes a common sexually transmitted infection with a marked propensity to develop antimicrobial resistance. As few treatment options exist, this poses significant challenges to clinicians. Recent diagnostic advances have resulted in tests that report the simultaneous detection of M. genitalium and any resistance to macrolides, the first-line treatment. This allows for therapy to be tailored to the individual, thereby optimizing treatment outcomes.

Author(s): Han Chen, Valeria Martínez, Yaohua Feng

Author(s): Elina Säde, Per Johansson, Tytti Heinonen, Jenni Hultman, Johanna Björkroth

BACKGROUND The application of chemical fungicides is currently the main method to control postharvest decay of fruits and vegetables. However, public concern has been growing towards the effect of fungicides on food safety, human health, and environmental pollution. Thus, interest in microbial biocontrol agent development has grown, which is considered both safe and environmentally friendly.

The objective of this study was to describe changes in the gene expression in the Chilean catfish, Trichomycterus areolatus, based on their geographic location within the Choapa River. Genes of choice included those that are biomarkers of exposure to metals, oxidative stress, and endocrine disruption. Male and female T. areolatus were sampled from four sites in January 2015 differently impacted by human activities.

Strengthening governance is an essential strategy to tackling antimicrobial resistance (AMR) at all levels: global, national, regional, and local. To date, no systematic approach to governance of national action plans on AMR exists. To address this issue, we aimed to develop the first governance framework to offer guidance for both the development and assessment of national action plans on AMR.

by Kasin Yadunandam Anandam, Subrata Sabui, Morgan M. Thompson, Sreya Subramanian, Hamid M. Said

Horizontal transfer of plasmids encoding antimicrobial resistance and virulence determinants has been instrumental in Staphylococcus aureus evolution, including the emergence of community-associated methicillin-resistant S. aureus (CA-MRSA). In the early 1990s, the first CA-MRSA strain isolated in Western Australia (WA), WA-5, encoded cadmium, tetracycline, and penicillin resistance genes on plasmid pWBG753 (~30 kb).