Research Publications (Food Safety)

Environmental pH is a critical parameter for maintenance of the gut microbiota. Here, the impact of pH on the gut microbiota luminal and mucosal community structure and short chain fatty acid (SCFA) production was evaluated in vitro, and data compiled to reveal a donor-independent response to an increase or decrease in environmental pH. The results found that raising environmental pH significantly increased luminal community richness and decreased mucosal community evenness.

To evaluate in vitro antibacterial activity of MRX-8 against gram-negative bacteria recently isolated from China, 765 clinical isolates were collected randomly from 2017 to 2020, including Enterobacterales and P. aeruginosa and A. baumannii, S. maltophilia, B. cepacia, Alcaligenes app. and Haemophilus spp. isolates. All strains were performed with antimicrobial susceptibility testing by broth microdilution method according to the CLSI 2021.

Dengue fever virus (DENV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus that poses a serious risk to human health. Aedes albopictus is a widely distributed vector of dengue fever in China. Based on the impact of physiological activity, the microbiome in A. albopictus will provide a novel environment-friendly approach to control DENV transmission. We performed metagenomic sequencing on A. albopictus before and after exposure to DENV blood meal to detect microbiome variation of A.

In the recent years, a growing number of studies have shown that the occurrence of myocardial ischemia (MI) is closely related to the gut microbiota (GM). The Danshen-Honghua herb pair (DHHP), a classic combination in traditional Chinese herbal formulas, has been widely applied throughout history to cure cardiovascular disease, exhibiting remarkable clinical efficacy to treat ischemic heart disease (IHD). However, the intrinsic regulation mechanism of DHHP in treating MI remains unclear.

Shigellosis is one of the most important gastric infections caused by different species of Shigella, and has been regarded as a serious threat to public health. Lineage/sublineage profile of Shigella sonnei is strongly associated with the antibiotic resistance and population structure of this pathogen. In this study, we determined the phylogeny and antibiotic resistance profiles of S.

New O-antigen-based vaccines against Shigella are in clinical development. Historical efficacy studies identify serum O-antigen immunoglobulin G as a correlate of protection, leading to the suggestion that accelerated licensure could be achieved using the Shigella-controlled human infection model (CHIM).

Enterobacteriales have evolved a specialized outer membrane polysaccharide [Enterobacterial Common Antigen (ECA)] which allows them to persist in various environmental niches. Biosynthesis of ECA initiates on the cytoplasmic leaflet of the inner membrane (IM) where glycosyltransferases assemble ECA repeat units (RUs). Complete RUs are then translocated across the IM and assembled into polymers by ECA-specific homologues of the Wzy-dependent pathway.

In recent years, a number of bacterial detection methods have been developed to replace time-consuming culture methods. One interesting approach is to mobilize the ability of phage tail proteins to recognize and bind to bacterial hosts. In this paper, the authors provide an overview of the current methodologies in which phage proteins play major roles in detecting pathogenic bacteria.

Shigella flexneri, a common Gram-negative foodborne pathogen, is widely distributed in fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, unpasteurized milk, and food processing environments. The aims of this study were to evaluate the antibacterial effects of 405-nm light-emitting diode (LED) treatment on S. flexneri and to investigate the possible mechanism. The results showed that LED irradiation (360 min) reduced the number of S.

In this study, a novel bacteriocin Lactocin C-M2 produced by Lactobacillus panis C-M2, combined with dielectric barrier discharged cold plasma (DBD-CP), was used to evaluate the antibacterial effect on aquatic foods.

Vermicompost (VC) harbours diverse microbes, including plant growth-promoting microorganisms (PGPM) that are beneficial for sustainable crop production. Hence, this study aimed to analyse bacterial diversity of VC samples as a first high-throughput screening step towards subsequent targeted isolation of potential bacterial inoculum candidates.

Shigella flexneri serotype 2a2 (II:9;10) is the most prevalent strain in causing bacillary dysentery in developing countries. Chemical modifications such as glucosylation, O-acetylation, and phosphoethanolamine modifications of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) O antigen (Oag) contribute to the emergence of various serotypes. Sf6 is a Shigella-specific bacteriophage that infects only a limited range of S. flexneri serotypes [X, Y].

In recent years, 16S ribosomal DNA (16S rDNA) sequencing has been widely developed. In the present study, we investigated the changes of fecal flora analyzed by sequencing of 16S rDNA and the alteration of blood biochemical indexes in cats during diarrhea. Seven normal fecal samples and seven fecal samples of British Shorthair cats with bacterial diarrhea about 6 months old were collected. The 16S rDNA V3 region of the bacteria was amplified for high-throughput sequencing.

Growing evidence has demonstrated that hypertension was associated with dysbiosis of intestinal flora. Since intestinal microbes could critically regulate neurofunction via the intestinal–brain axis, the study aimed to reveal the role and prediction value of intestinal flora alteration in hypertension-associated cognitive impairment. A cohort of 97 participants included 63 hypertension patients and 34 healthy controls.

Ragi porridge, commonly consumed in South India is made from finger millet and noiyee (broken rice), and it is one of the excellent sources for probiotic bacteria. In vitro assays provided the proof that the probiotic strains isolated from ragi porridge can survive during the intestinal passage.

Long-term antibiotic use can have consequences on systemic diseases, such as obesity, allergy, and depression, implicating the causal role of gut microbiome imbalance. However, the evaluation of the effect of antibiotics in early infancy on alterations to the gut microbiome remains poorly understood. This study aimed to evaluate the gut microbiome state in infancy following systemic antibiotic treatment.

Salmonella, Escherichia coli O157, and Shigella flexneri are typical foodborne pathogens in ground beef, which can cause severe infection even when present as a single cell. Flow cytometry (FCM) methods are widely applied in the rapid detection of pathogens in food products. In this study, we report an FCM-based method for detecting single cells of Salmonella, E.

In underdeveloped and developing countries, due to poverty, fermentation is one of the most widely used preservation methods. It not only allows extending the shelf life of food, but also brings other benefits, including inhibiting the growth of pathogenic microorganisms, improving the organoleptic properties and product digestibility, and can be a valuable source of functional microorganisms.

To explore the effect of Portulaca oleracea polysaccharides (POP) in regulating intestinal microflora in aged rats in vitro, its intestinal microbial composition was analyzed by 16 S rDNA high-throughput sequencing, and the level of short-chain fatty acids in fermentation broth was determined by LC-MS.

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.

Bioaerosols in commercial livestock barns threaten the health of animals and humans. To better understand microbial dynamics in the layer house, we characterized and compared the size-segregated bacterial community of the manure cleaning process in a typical commercial laying hen house equipped with an H-type manure removal belt and negative pressure tunnel ventilation system in Ningbo, China by using full-length 16S rRNA gene sequences.

This study investigated dietary supplementation with Bacillus subtilis (BS) ATCC19659 on growth performance, biochemical indices, intestinal morphology, and cecum microflora in broiler chicks.

Previously, we demonstrated that rectal swabs provide a legitimate alternative to faecal sampling for the assessment of the intestinal microbiota in young piglets. However, we also reported that mucosa-adhered microbial populations were more represented in rectal swabs compared to faecal samples, albeit to a degree that varied per swab-sample.

We studied the effect of early pathogenic Escherichia coli infection on newborn calves’ intestinal barrier and immune function. A total of 64 newborn Holstein male calves (40–43 kg) were divided into two groups: normal (NG) and test (TG), each with 32 heads. At the beginning of the experiment, the TG calves were orally administered pathogenic E. coli O1 (2.5 × 1011 CFU/mL, 100 mL) to establish a calf diarrhea model. In contrast, the NG calves were given the same amount of normal saline.

Developing new strategies to replace or supplement antibiotics to combat bacterial infection is a pressing task in the field of microbiological research. In this study, we report a lytic enzyme named P9ly deriving from the bacteriophage PSD9 that could infect multidrug-resistant Shigella. This enzyme was identified through whole-genome sequencing of PSD9. The results show that P9ly contains a conserved T4-like_lys domain and belongs to the phage lysozyme family.