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Research Publications (Food Safety)

This page tracks research articles published in national and international peer-reviewed journals. Recent articles are available ahead of print and searchable by Journal, Article Title, and Category. Research publications are tracked across six categories: Bacterial Pathogens, Chemical Contaminants, Natural Toxins, Parasites, Produce Safety, and Viruses. Articles produced by USDA Grant Funding Agencies (requires login) and FDA Grant Funding Agencies (requires login) are also tracked in Scopus.

Displaying 1 - 25 of 41

  1. Genetic characteristics, antimicrobial susceptibility, and virulence genes distribution of Campylobacter isolated from local dual-purpose chickens in central China

    • Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology
    • Food-borne antibiotic-resistant Campylobacter poses a serious threat to public health. To understand the prevalence and genetic characteristics of Campylobacter in Chinese local dual-purpose (meat and eggs) chickens, the genomes of 30 Campylobacter isolates, including 13 C. jejuni and 17 C. coli from Jianghan-chickens in central China, were sequenced and tested for antibiotic susceptibility. The results showed that CC-354 and CC-828 were the dominant clonal complexes of C.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Campylobacter
  2. Whole-genome sequencing reveals changes in genomic diversity and distinctive repertoires of T3SS and T6SS effector candidates in Chilean clinical Campylobacter strains

    • Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology
    • Campylobacter is the leading cause of bacterial gastroenteritis worldwide and an emerging and neglected pathogen in South America. This zoonotic pathogen colonizes the gastrointestinal tract of a wide range of mammals and birds, with poultry as the most important reservoir for human infections. Apart from its high morbidity rates, the emergence of resistant strains is of global concern.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Campylobacter
  3. Roles of viable but non-culturable state in the survival of Campylobacter jejuni

    • Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology
    • Despite being considered fragile and fastidious, Campylobacter jejuni is the most prevalent cause of foodborne bacterial gastroenteritis, and chicken meat is considered the main vehicle of transmission to humans. This agent can survive adverse conditions in the form of biofilms, but extreme stress (nutritional, oxidative and thermal) promotes the acquisition of a state called viable but not culturable (VBNC).

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Campylobacter
  4. Molecular characterization of Arcobacter butzleri isolates from poultry in rural Ghana

    • Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology
    • In recent years, Arcobacter butzleri has gained clinical significance as an emerging diarrheagenic pathogen associated with poultry and water reservoirs. The full clinical significance of Arcobacter remains rather speculative due to variable virulence and antibiotic susceptibility of individual strains. The aims of the present study were (i) to identify antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the genome sequences of two multidrug-resistant A.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Campylobacter
  5. Genetic relatedness, virulence, and drug susceptibility of Campylobacter isolated from water and wild birds

    • Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology
    • Introduction

      This study aimed to identify the characteristics of Campylobacter isolated from wild birds (Black-headed gulls Chroicocephalus ridibundus and Great tits Parus major) and collect surface water samples (from rivers, ponds, ornamental lakes, freshwater beaches). Research material included 33 Campylobacter isolates. All the strains were isolated by different monitoring and surveillance plans.

      Methods

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Campylobacter
  6. Two-component regulatory systems in Helicobacter pylori and Campylobacter jejuni: Attractive targets for novel antibacterial drugs

    • Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology
    • Two-component regulatory systems (TCRS) are ubiquitous signal transduction mechanisms evolved by bacteria for sensing and adapting to the constant changes that occur in their environment.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Campylobacter
  7. Comprehensive Analysis of Gut Microbiota and Fecal Bile Acid Profiles in Children With Biliary Atresia

    • Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology
    • Background

      Biliary atresia (BA) is the most common cholestatic liver disease in neonates. Herein, we aimed at characterizing the gut microbiota and fecal bile acid profiles of BA patients, defining the correlations between them, and evaluating the relationship between the clinical pathogenesis and changes in the gut microbiota and bile acid profiles.

      Methods

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Campylobacter
  8. Campylobacter jejuni Cytolethal Distending Toxin Induces GSDME-Dependent Pyroptosis in Colonic Epithelial Cells

    • Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology
    • Background Cytolethal distending toxin (CDT) is a critical virulence factor of Campylobacter jejuni, and it induces cell death and regulates inflammation response in human epithelial cells.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Campylobacter
  9. From Mouth to Brain: Distinct Supragingival Plaque Microbiota Composition in Cerebral Palsy Children With Caries

    • Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology
    • Children with cerebral palsy (CP) present a higher prevalence and severity of caries. Although researchers have studied multiple risk factors for caries in CP, the role of microorganisms in caries remains one of the critical factors worth exploring. In order to explore the differences in the supragingival plaque microbiota (SPM), supragingival plaque samples were collected from 55 CP children and 23 non-CP children for 16S rRNA sequencing.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Campylobacter
  10. Recruitment of LC3 by Campylobacter jejuni to Bacterial Invasion Site on Host Cells via the Rac1-Mediated Signaling Pathway

    • Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology
    • Campylobacter jejuni is a leading cause of food-borne disease worldwide. The pathogenicity of C. jejuni is closely associated with the internalization process in host epithelial cells, which is related to a host immune response. Autophagy indicates a key role in the innate immune system of the host to exclude invasive pathogens. Most bacteria are captured by autophagosomes and degraded by autophagosome-lysosome fusion in host cells.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Campylobacter
      • Salmonella
      • Shigella
  11. In-Silico Detection of Oral Prokaryotic Species With Highly Similar 16S rRNA Sequence Segments Using Different Primer Pairs

    • Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology
    • Although clustering by operational taxonomic units (OTUs) is widely used in the oral microbial literature, no research has specifically evaluated the extent of the limitations of this sequence clustering-based method in the oral microbiome.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Campylobacter
  12. Campylobacter jejuni Virulence Factors Identified by Modulating Their Synthesis on Ribosomes With Altered rRNA Methylation

    • Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology
    • Campylobacter jejuni is a major cause of food poisoning worldwide, and remains the main infective agent in gastroenteritis and related intestinal disorders in Europe and the USA. As with all bacterial infections, the stages of adhesion to host tissue, survival in the host and eliciting disease all require the synthesis of proteinaceous virulence factors on the ribosomes of the pathogen. Here, we describe how C.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Campylobacter
  13. Exploring Changes in the Host Gut Microbiota During a Controlled Human Infection Model for Campylobacter jejuni

    • Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology
    • Campylobacter jejuni infection is a leading cause of foodborne disease, common to children, adult travelers, and military populations in low- to middle-income countries. In the absence of a licensed vaccine, efforts to evaluate prophylactic agents are underway.

      • Campylobacter
      • Bacterial pathogens
  14. Antibiotic Resistance in the Alternative Lifestyles of Campylobacter jejuni

    • Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology
    • Campylobacter jejuni is the main pathogen identified in cases of foodborne gastroenteritis worldwide. Its importance in poultry production and public health is highlighted due to the growing antimicrobial resistance. Our study comparatively investigated the effect of five different classes of antimicrobials on the planktonic and biofilm forms of 35 strains of C. jejuni with high phylogenetic distinction in 30 of them.

      • Campylobacter
      • Bacterial pathogens
  15. The Active Subunit of the Cytolethal Distending Toxin, CdtB, Derived From Both Haemophilus ducreyi and Campylobacter jejuni Exhibits Potent Phosphatidylinositol-3,4,5-Triphosphate Phosphatase Activity

    • Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology
    • Human lymphocytes exposed to Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (Aa) cytolethal distending toxin (Cdt) undergo cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. In previous studies, we demonstrated that the active Cdt subunit, CdtB, is a potent phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3,4,5-triphosphate phosphatase. Moreover, AaCdt-treated cells exhibit evidence of PI-3-kinase (PI-3K) signaling blockade characterized by reduced levels of PIP3, pAkt, and pGSK3β.

      • Campylobacter
      • Bacterial pathogens
  16. Genomic Characterization of Campylobacter jejuni Adapted to the Guinea Pig (Cavia porcellus) Host

    • Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology
    • Campylobacter jejuni is the leading bacterial cause of gastroenteritis worldwide with excessive incidence in low-and middle-income countries (LMIC). During a survey for C. jejuni from putative animal hosts in a town in the Peruvian Amazon, we were able to isolate and whole genome sequence two C. jejuni strains from domesticated guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus). The C. jejuni isolated from guinea pigs had a novel multilocus sequence type that shared some alleles with other C.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Campylobacter
  17. Antimicrobial Susceptibility and Genomic Analysis of Aliarcobacter cibarius and Aliarcobacter thereius, Two Rarely Detected Aliarcobacter Species

    • Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology
    • Aliarcobacter cibarius and Aliarcobacter thereius are two rarely detected Aliarcobacter species. In the study, we analyzed the antimicrobial susceptibility and provide detailed insights into the genotype and phylogeny of both species using whole-genome sequencing. Thermophilic Campylobacter species are the most common bacterial foodborne pathogens causing gastroenteritis in humans worldwide.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Campylobacter
  18. Helicobacter hepaticus Induce Colitis in Male IL-10−/− Mice Dependent by Cytolethal Distending Toxin B and via the Activation of Jak/Stat Signaling Pathway

    • Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology
    • It has been well documented that cytolethal distending toxin (CDT) from Helicobacter hepaticus (H. hepaticus), Campylobacter jejuni (C. jejuni) and other Gram-negative intestinal pathogens is linked to the inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, the mechanisms underlying the progression of H. hepaticus induced colitis remains unclear. In this study, male B6.129P2-IL10tm1Cgn/J mice were infected by H. hepaticus and ΔCdtB H. hepaticus for 6, 12, 18, and 24 weeks. Histopathology, H.

      • Campylobacter
      • Bacterial pathogens
  19. Review on Stress Tolerance in Campylobacter jejuni

    • Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology
    • Campylobacter spp. are the leading global cause of bacterial colon infections in humans. Enteropathogens are subjected to several stress conditions in the host colon, food complexes, and the environment. Species of the genus Campylobacter, in collective interactions with certain enteropathogens, can manage and survive such stress conditions. The stress-adaptation mechanisms of Campylobacter spp.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Campylobacter
      • Salmonella
      • Shigella
  20. Revisiting Campylobacter jejuni Virulence and Fitness Factors: Role in Sensing, Adapting, and Competing

    • Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology
    • Campylobacter jejuni is the leading cause of bacterial foodborne gastroenteritis world wide and represents a major public health concern. Over the past two decades, significant progress in functional genomics, proteomics, enzymatic-based virulence profiling (EBVP), and the cellular biology of C. jejuni have improved our basic understanding of this important pathogen. We review key advances in our understanding of the multitude of emerging virulence factors that influence the outcome of C.

      • Campylobacter
      • Bacterial pathogens
  21. Metagenomic Analysis of the Gut Microbiota of Wild Mice, a Newly Identified Reservoir of Campylobacter

    • Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology
    • Campylobacter, the most common etiologic agent of zoonotic gastroenteritis in humans, is present in many reservoirs including livestock animals, wildlife, soil, and water. Previously, we reported a novel Campylobacter jejuni strain SCJK02 (MLST ST-8388) from the gut of wild mice (Micromys minutus) using culture-dependent methods. However, due to fastidious growth conditions and the presence of viable but non-culturable Campylobacter spp., it is unclear whether M.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Campylobacter
  22. Survival and Control of Campylobacter in Poultry Production Environment

    • Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology
    • Campylobacter species are Gram-negative, motile, and non–spore-forming bacteria with a unique helical shape that changes to filamentous or coccoid as an adaptive response to environmental stresses. The relatively small genome (1.6 Mbp) of Campylobacter with unique cellular and molecular physiology is only understood to a limited extent.

      • Bacterial pathogens
      • Campylobacter
  23. Nanocarriers From Natural Lipids With In Vitro Activity Against Campylobacter jejuni

    • Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology
    • Campylobacter jejuni (CJ) is the most prevalent zoonotic pathogen of chicken meat and related products, which may lead to gastroenteritis and autoimmune diseases in humans. Although controlling this bacterium is important, CJ strains resistance against traditional antibiotic therapy has been increased. Vegetable oils and fats are natural biomaterials explored since the Ancient times, due to their therapeutic properties.

      • Campylobacter
      • Bacterial pathogens
  24. Investigating Major Recurring Campylobacter jejuni Lineages in Luxembourg Using Four Core or Whole Genome Sequencing Typing Schemes

    • Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology
    • Campylobacter jejuni is the leading cause of bacterial gastroenteritis, which has motivated the monitoring of genetic profiles circulating in Luxembourg since 13 years. From our integrated surveillance using a genotyping strategy based on an extended MLST scheme including gyrA and porA markers, an unexpected endemic pattern was discovered in the temporal distribution of genotypes.

      • Campylobacter
      • Bacterial pathogens
  25. Campylobacter jejuni Serine Protease HtrA Cleaves the Tight Junction Component Claudin-8

    • Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology
    • Campylobacter jejuni express the high temperature requirement protein A (HtrA), a secreted serine protease, which is implicated in virulence properties of the pathogen. Previous studies have shown that C. jejuni HtrA can cleave the epithelial transmembrane proteins occludin and E-cadherin in the tight and adherens junctions, respectively. In the present report, we studied the interaction of HtrA with another human tight junction protein, claudin-8.

      • Campylobacter
      • Bacterial pathogens