Research Publications (Food Safety)

Aims
We investigated the effect of ozone treatment of apple juice at different pH levels for inactivation of Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella Typhimurium, and Listeria monocytogenes.

Vibrio parahaemolyticus (Vp) and Vibrio vulnificus (Vv) are associated with the consumption of raw oysters and cause illnesses ranging from simple gastroenteritis to life-threatening septicemia. These halophilic bacteria are frequently found in marine and estuarine systems, accumulating within the tissues of a number of aquatic organisms and passing on to humans after consumption, through contaminated water, or via open wounds.

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157 (O157) strains can be classified in clades by single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), but this analysis requires significant laboratory effort. Since the distribution of insertion sequence (IS) 629 insertions has been reported to be biased among different clades, O157 isolates can be putatively classified in clades by comparison with an IS629 distribution database.

This study investigated the impact of composting and lagoon storage on survival and change in diversity of tetracycline-resistant (Tcr) and erythromycin-resistant (Emr) bacteria and the resistance genes they carry in swine manure. Treatments were arranged as a 2 x 2 factorial design: composting vs. lagoon storage and 0 vs. 1% Surround™ WP Crop Protectant (a clay product) in three replicates.

Ready-to-eat luncheon meats sliced in retail delis have been found to pose the greatest risk of foodborne illness from Listeria monocytogenes among all ready-to-eat foodsSlicers used in delis have many removable parts that are connected with seals and gaskets, with spaces, cracks and crevices that are difficult to clean adequately and may provide a niche for L. monocytogenes survival.

Publication date: Available online 28 May 2015

Author(s): Bradley L. Bearson , Brian W. Brunelle

Foodborne Pathogens and Disease

In this study, the antibiofilm activity of citric acid treatment on Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from raw milk samples was evaluated. For this purpose, the prevention and removal of biofilm formation of S. aureus strains by citric acid treatments (2% and 10%) for 20 min were investigated for comparison with peracetic acid treatment (0.3%) on both microtitration plate and stainless steel coupons.

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

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

Staphylococcus aureus is an important foodborne pathogen on global basisThe current study investigated the genetic patterns in S. aureus isolates from leaf vegetables (n = 53). Additional isolates from livestock (n = 31) and humans (n = 27) were compared with the leaf vegetable isolates. Genes associated with toxins, antibiotic resistance, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) patterns were analyzed.

This review presents a framework for assessing the efficacy of antimicrobials used to control necrotic enteritis (NE) caused by Clostridium perfringens (CP) in the context of susceptibility testing and clinical efficacy, and their potential interactions with the intestinal microbiota of poultry.

Campylobacter is a natural member of the gut microflora in many commercial broilers and as such can become a contaminant on edible surfaces during processing. Culturing gut contents or feces can be a means to determine flock status prior to live-haul. The wide variety of non-Campylobacter background bacteria in these complex samples contaminates growth media and can make it very difficult to isolate Campylobacter.

In-house litter composting has been reintroduced to the industry and shown to reduce bacteria by as much as 2 orders of magnitude. Other industries have demonstrated that pathogens can recolonize a waste-residual when microbial competition has been reduced or inhibited following composting. Poultry growers, in the process of shifting to in-house composting for pathogen control, should be aware of this potential problem.

An observational study examining prevalence of Campylobacter and Salmonella in environmental samples and biosecurity interventions to mitigate these 2 pathogens was performed for 3 consecutive flocks on a commercial broiler farm in northeast Georgia. Monitoring was performed first on a baseline flock for which no interventions or treatments were undertaken.

Fowl typhoid and pullorum disease, caused by Salmonella enterica serovars Gallinarum biovars Salmonella Gallinarum (S. Gallinarum) and Salmonella Pullorum (S. Pullorum), remain large threat to the organic poultry industry. These infections are serious threats to poultry health and overall flock viability especially at their early age.

Clostridium perfringens produces diverse virulent toxins that cause necrotic enteritis in poultry, resulting in a great negative impact on the poultry industry. To study the characteristics of C. perfringens in chickens, we isolated 88 strains from chickens (1 strain per flock) with necrotic enteritis. The isolated bacterial strains were screened for toxin type and antimicrobial susceptibility.

A new monophasic variant of Salmonella Typhimurium, Salmonella enterica serotype 4,12:i:-, is rapidly emerging. This serotype is now considered to be among the 10 most common serovars isolated from humans in many countries in Europe and in the United States. The public health risk posed by these emerging monophasic Salmonella Typhimurium strains is considered comparable to that of classical Salmonella Typhimurium strains.

e-First Articles.

Publication date: October 2015
, Volume 51
Author(s): H. Liu , Y.D. Niu , R. Meng , J. Wang , J. Li , R.P. Johnson , T.A. McAllister , K. Stanford

In the present paperthe chemical composition of Helichrysum italicum oil was analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Neryl acetate (32.65%) was the main component. The minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration of H. italicum oil against several bacteria were evaluated. The results showed that H. italicum oil exhibited high antibacterial activity against all of the bacteria tested.

Abstract

Publication date: 2 September 2015
, Volume 208
Author(s): D.C. Aryani , H.M.W. den Besten , W.C. Hazeleger , M.H. Zwietering

Publication date: 2 September 2015
, Volume 208
Author(s): Stefanie Delbeke , Siele Ceuppens , Liesbeth Jacxsens , Mieke Uyttendaele

Publication date: Available online 4 May 2015

Author(s): Valérie Thomas , Anno de Jong , Hilde Moyaert , Shabbir Simjee , Farid El Garch , Ian Morrissey , Hervé Marion , Michel Vallé