Research Publications (Food Safety)

Author(s): KaWang Li, Xiaoli Etienne, Yu-Chun Chiu, Lisa Jones, Hanna Khouryieh, Wentao Jiang, Cangliang Shen

Agricultural water is an important source of foodborne pathogens on produce farms. Managing water-associated risks does not lend itself to one-size-fits-all approaches due to the heterogeneous nature of freshwater environments.

by Franziska Nienhaus, Diana Meemken, Clara Schoneberg, Maria Hartmann, Thomas Kornhoff, Thomas May, Sabrina Heß, Lothar Kreienbrock, Anna Wendt

The objective of this study was to determine whether seeds of Brassica oleracea var. italica (i.e. broccoli, an edible plant) produce defensins that inhibit phytopathogenic fungi and pathogenic bacteria of clinical significance. Crude extracts obtained from broccoli seeds were fractioned by molecular exclusion techniques and analyzed by liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry.

Fresh foods are vulnerable to foodborne pathogens which cause foodborne illness and endanger people’s life and safety. The rapid detection of foodborne pathogens is crucial for food safety surveillance. An in situ-synthesized gene chip for the detection of foodborne pathogens on fresh-cut fruits and vegetables was developed.

: Bacterial genotoxins (BTGX) induce DNA damage, which results in senescence or apoptosis of the target cells if not properly repaired. Three BTGXs have been identified: the cytolethal distending toxin (CDT) family produced by several Gram-negative bacteria, the typhoid toxin produced by several Salmonella enterica serovars, and colibactin, a peptide-polyketide, produced mainly by the phylogenetic group B2 Escherichia coli.

Author(s): Tatiane Milkievicz, Vinicius Badia, Vanessa Barreira Souza, Daniel Angelo Longhi, Alessandro Cazonatto Galvão, Weber da Silva Robazza

The polymyxin antibiotic colistin has been used in decades for treatment and prevention of infectious diseases in livestock. Nowadays, it is even considered as last-line treatment option for severe human infections caused by multidrug- and carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. Therefore, the discovery of plasmid-mediated mobile colistin resistance (mcr) genes raised major public health concern.

Author(s): Alonzo A. Gabriel, Cecile Leah T. Bayaga, Eiric A. Magallanes, Richard Paolo M. Aba, Karen May N. Tanguilig

To the Editor—Salmonella spp. and Shigella spp. are major gastrointestinal pathogens. Although extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)–mediated resistance to cephalosporins is common in Escherichia coli [1], it remains rare in infections with enteric pathogens. Consequently, current recommendations for treating these infections include cephalosporins [2]. Here we report 3 cases of ESBL emergence within 6–49 days after cephalosporin therapy.

Author(s): Stefani Machado Lopes, Eduardo César Tondo

Salmonella, a highly virulent food-borne pathogen transmitted through food, can cause severe infectious diseases in a large number of people through a single outbreak, due to its low infective doses. In this study, a flow cytometry (FCM)-based method was developed for the rapid detection of single viable Salmonella cells with dual staining of fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-labeled anti-Salmonella antibody and propidium iodide (PI) dyes.

Sixty-six Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium isolates carrying incompatibility group FIB (IncFIB) plasmids were sequenced to further characterize the IncFIB plasmid-encoded factors associated with virulence and antimicrobial resistance genes. In addition to the IncFIB plasmid, many of these isolates harbored additional plasmids encoding virulence and antimicrobial resistance genes.

Salmonella enterica, Listeria monocytogenes, Shigella flexneri, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Staphylococcus aureus, Vibrio cholerae, Clostridium botulinum type A, Bacillus cereus, Clostridium perfringens Alpha toxin, and Yersinia enterocolitica are 11 common foodborne pathogens. Traditional bacterial culture methods for detecting pathogens are time‐consuming and labor‐intensive.

ABSTRACT

Pathogenic microorganisms use various mechanisms to conserve energy in host tissues and environmental reservoirs. One widespread but often overlooked means of energy conservation is through the consumption or production of molecular hydrogen (H2). Here, we comprehensively review the distribution, biochemistry, and physiology of H2 metabolism in pathogens. Over 200 pathogens and pathobionts carry genes for hydrogenases, the enzymes responsible for H2 oxidation and/or production.

Many laboratories sampling foods for Salmonella are interested only in presence or absence of Salmonella, so only one colony may be selected. The objectives of this study were to use two selective enrichment broths and two selective agar plating media for Salmonella recovery from naturally contaminated broiler carcass rinsates and evaluate these media combinations on Salmonella serotypes recovered from each carcass.

Seaweed is a source of protein that can help overcome the anticipated challenges of a growing world population and the current challenges for finding alternatives for animal proteins in the Western diet. Thus far, data on the safety of seaweed for feed and food purposes in the Western world are scattered.

General hygienic parameters and selected foodborne pathogens in raw milk cheeses at the retail level were evaluated. A total of 245 raw milk cheese samples were analysed for total bacterial count, Enterobacteriaceae, E. coli, Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, coagulase-positive Staphylococci, and staphylococcal enterotoxin.

Author(s): Alonzo A. Gabriel, Israel N. Nepomuceno

Loranthus europaeus is a well-known and important medicinal plant, with a long history of traditional medicine use. Several studies showed that it contains many bioactive compounds with a wide range of pharmacological effects. In light of these past researches, L. europaeus were chosen to consider its potential antimicrobial action. To this aim, different protocols were performed to selectively extract protein compounds, from L.

We identified fosA3 at a rate of 2.6% in 310 Salmonella isolates from food animals in Guangdong province, China. The fosA3 gene was genetically linked to diverse antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), including mcr-1, blaCTX-M-14/55, oqxAB, and rmtB. These gene combinations were embedded in heterogeneous fosA3-containing multidrug resistance regions on the transferable ST3-IncHI2 and F33:A–:B– plasmids and the chromosome.

Author(s): David Buckley, Bassam A. Annous, Bryan Vinyard

Industrial aerobic fermentation of natural black olives. Summary The fermentation of natural black olives is currently carried out under anaerobic conditions. This work investigates the aerobic fermentation of this product in tanks containing 16 000 kg of Empeltre olives during two seasons. The microorganisms in brines were yeasts in all cases, whereas lactic acid bacteria growth was only observed in some tanks.