Research Publications (Food Safety)

In the present study, changes in the quality characteristics of the albumin and yolk parts of the eggs obtained from different poultry systems for four seasons were investigated. The highest egg weight, shell thickness, dry shell weight, shell deformation, shell fracture and vitellin membrane strength values were determined to be in cage systems with 70.92g, 0.45 mm, 9.46g, 0.79 mm, 71.80 N and 0.13 N, respectively.

Background

Campylobacter jejuni is among the leading causes of bacterial foodborne illness. Poultry is the major reservoir and source of human campylobacteriosis. Currently, there is no effective and practical method to decrease C. jejuni colonization in chickens or to reduce human infections. Additionally, antibiotic-resistant infections pose a serious public health concern; therefore, antibiotic-alternative approaches are needed to reduce transmission of C.

Author(s): Masaru Usui, Sho Tateno, Masanobu Onozaki, Naoaki Misawa, Yasuhiko Suzuki, Yutaka Tamura, Chie Nakajima

Poultry has been one of the major contributors of Campylobacter related human foodborne illness. Numerous interventions have been applied to limit Campylobacter colonization in poultry at the farm level, but other strategies are under investigation to achieve more efficient control. Probiotics are viable microbial cultures that can establish in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of the host animal and elicit health and nutrition benefits.

Current approaches used for dose-response modeling of low-dose exposures of pathogens rely on assumptions and extrapolations. These models are important for quantitative microbial risk assessment of food. A mechanistic framework has been advocated as an alternative approach for evaluating dose-response relationships.

Tetracyclines are widely used in veterinary medicine and food animal production. Campylobacter members are major foodborne pathogens, and their resistance to tetracycline has been widely reported in different countries. To date, Tet(O), a ribosomal protection protein, is the only confirmed Tet resistance determinant in Campylobacter spp. Here, we reported the detection and characterization of a novel Tet resistance element in Campylobacter spp. of chicken origin.

Campylobacter jejuni is a zoonotic pathogen and is one of the leading causes of human gastroenteritis worldwide. C. jejuni IA3902 (representative of the sheep abortion clone) is genetically similar to C. jejuni W7 (representative of strain type NCTC 11168); however, there are significant differences in the ability of luxS mutants of these strains to colonize chickens. LuxS is essential for the activated methyl cycle and generates homocysteine for conversion to l-methionine.

Mononuclear molybdoenzymes are highly versatile catalysts that occur in organisms in all domains of life, where they mediate essential cellular functions such as energy generation and detoxification reactions. Molybdoenzymes are particularly abundant in bacteria, where over 50 distinct types of enzymes have been identified to date.

Author(s): Zolzaya Byambajav, Erdenebat Bulgan, Yuji Hirai, Momoko Nakayama, Misaki Tanaka, Nitta Yurika, Akio Suzuki, Takashi Umemura, Bold Altankhuu, Alimaa Tsagaan, Batbaatar Vanaabaatar, Erdenebaatar Janchivdorj, Nyam-Osor Purevdorj, Narantuya Ayushjav, Takeshi Yamasaki, Motohiro Horiuchi

Author(s): Jimyeong Ha, Yeongeun Seo, Yujin Kim, Jeeyeon Lee, Heeyoung Lee, Sejeong Kim, Yukyung Choi, Hyemin Oh, Yewon Lee, Eunyoung Park, Joohyun Kang, Yohan Yoon

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.

Author(s): Shaimaa F. Mouftah, José F. Cobo-Díaz, Avelino Álvarez-Ordóñez, Ahmed Mousa, Jessica K. Calland, Ben Pascoe, Samuel K. Sheppard, Mohamed Elhadidy

Antimicrobial resistance is a worldwide public health threat; hence, current trends tend to reduce antimicrobial use in food‐producing animals and to monitor resistance in primary production.

Author(s): Yizhi Tang, Yan Lai, Xingyuan Wang, Changwei Lei, Chao Li, Linghan Kong, Yulong Wang, Hongning Wang

ABSTRACT

Campylobacter is among the most common causes of gastroenteritis worldwide. Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli are the most common species causing human disease. DNA sequence-based methods for strain characterization have focused largely on C. jejuni, responsible for 80 to 90% of infections, meaning that C. coli epidemiology has lagged behind. Here, we have analyzed the genome of 450 C.

Numerous outbreak investigations and case-control studies of campylobacteriosis have provided evidence that handling Campylobacter -contaminated chicken products is a high risk factor for infection and illness. In this study, the cross-contamination and transfer rates of Campylobacter jejuni from chicken to ready-to-eat foods were determined in various food-handling scenarios.

The ability of bacterial pathogens to form biofilms is an important virulence mechanism in relation to their pathogenesis and transmission. Biofilms play a crucial role in survival in unfavorable environmental conditions, acting as reservoirs of microbial contamination and antibiotic resistance. For intestinal pathogen Campylobacter jejuni, biofilms are considered to be a contributing factor in transmission through the food chain and currently, there are no known methods for intervention.

Campylobacter is a leading cause of foodborne illness in humans worldwide. Sources of infection are often difficult to identify, and are, generally, poorly understood. Recent work suggests that wildlife may represent a source of Campylobacter for human infections. Using a repeated cross‐sectional study design, raccoons were trapped on five swine farms and five conservation areas in southern Ontario from 2011 to 2013.

Author(s): Maria João Cardoso, Vânia Ferreira, Mónica Truninger, Rui Maia, Paula Teixeira

Antibiotic resistance is an important issue affecting humans and livestock. Antimicrobial peptides are promising alternatives to antibiotics. In this study, the antimicrobial peptide Css54, isolated from the venom of C. suffuses, was found to exhibit antimicrobial activity against bacteria such as Listeria monocytogenes, Streptococcus suis, Campylobacter jejuni, and Salmonella typhimurium that cause zoonotic diseases.

Author(s): K. Hertogs, M. Heyndrickx, P. Gelaude, L. De Zutter, J. Dewulf J, G. Rasschaert

Campylobacter is the leading cause of the human bacterial foodborne infections in the developed countries. The perception cues from biotic or abiotic environments by the bacteria are often related to bacterial surface and membrane proteins that mediate the cellular response for the adaptation of Campylobacter jejuni to the environment. These proteins function rarely as a unique entity, they are often organized in functional complexes. In C.

The microaerophilic pathogen Campylobacter jejuni is a leading bacterial cause of human gastroenteritis in developed countries. Even though it has a reputation as a fastidious organism, C. jejuni is widespread and can be easily isolated from various animals, food, and environmental sources. It is suggested that an ability to form biofilms is probably necessary for the survival of C. jejuni under harsh environmental conditions.