Research Publications (Food Safety)

Campylobacter is among the most frequent agents of bacterial gastroenteritis in Europe and is primarily linked to the consumption of contaminated food. The aim of this study was to assess genomic diversity and to identify antimicrobial resistance and virulence genes of 155 Campylobacter isolated from broiler carcasses (neck skin samples) in a large-scale Swiss poultry abattoir over a three-year period.

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a gram-negative bacterium capable of causing diseases in humans and aquatic animals. The global relationships among V. parahaemolyticus genomes have been studied using multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Recently, the MLST gene recA has shown difficulties in amplification and/or a larger PCR fragment for some V. parahaemolyticus genomes due to genetic recombination.

Vibrio cholerae O1 El Tor, causative agent of the ongoing seventh cholera pandemic, is native to the aquatic environment of the Ganges Delta, Bay of Bengal (GDBB). Recent studies traced pandemic strains to the GDBB and proposed global spread of cholera had occurred via intercontinental transmission. In the research presented here, NotI-digested genomic DNA extracted from V.

Cryptosporidium is a common cause of diarrhea in children globally. However, there is limited information on the prevalence and genetic characteristics of Cryptosporidium in children in Xinjiang, China.

There has been an increase in the reported number of animals worldwide that carry the hepatitis E virus (HEV). This study aimed to explore potential animal hosts for HEV through codon usage analysis.

Genotyping of T. gondii in human cases is relevant to understand the transmission patterns and epidemiology of this parasitosis.

Shigella flexneri is the main causative agent of the communicable diarrheal disease, shigellosis. It is estimated that about 80–165 million cases and > 1 million deaths occur every year due to this disease. S. flexneri causes dysentery mostly in young children, elderly and immunocompromised patients, all over the globe. Recently, due to the emergence of S.

As preconized by the One Health concept, the intimate relationship between pets and owners is a common source for the trade of microorganisms with zoonotic potential, and with them, antimicrobial resistance genes.

Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia duodenalis are important protozoan parasites which are associated with diarrheal diseases in humans and animals worldwide. Relatively little is known about the molecular epidemiology of Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia duodenalis in the Middle East Countries and North Africa (MENA region).

A novel Norovirus (NoV) was identified by viral metagenomic analysis in fox fecal samples from the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China. The virus exhibited typical genomic characteristics of NoVs. It was closely related to the canine NoV GVII strains with 86.0–86.2% and 91.9% amino acid identities in the capsid protein VP1 and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), respectively.

Toxoplasma gondii is one of the most common zoonotic protozoan parasites. It has three major infectious stages: rapidly multiplying tachyzoites (Tz), slowly replicating bradyzoites (Bz) and a resting/free-living stage, sporozoites (Sz). The regulatory mechanisms governing stage-specific gene expression are not fully understood. Few transcriptional start sites (TSS) are known for Sz. In this study, we obtained TSS of Sz using an oligo-capping method and RNA-seq analysis.

Toxoplasmosis is a disease caused by T. gondii, a protozoa which affects humans and animals and is widely distributed worldwide. In humans, there is great concern due to the serious consequences that can occur in the infection of pregnant women and the newborn. The early diagnosis of gestational toxoplasmosis is important for treatment to be carried out in order to prevent vertical transmission or reduce damage.

The surface protein SasX, has a key role in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) colonization and pathogenesis, and has been associated with the epidemic success of some MRSA clones.

It has been reported that some mutations in the genome of hepatitis B virus (HBV) may predict the outcome of the virus infection. However, evolutionary data derived from long-term longitudinal analysis of entire HBV genomes using next generation sequencing (NGS) remain rare. In this study, serum samples were collected from asymptomatic hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) carriers from a long-term prospective cohort.

Author(s): Zhichuang Ge, Lijun Xu, Xiaomiao Hu, Shanshan Zhu, Ying Zhao, Yang Li, Kaituo Liu, Ruyi Gao, Xiaoquan Wang, Jiao Hu, Xiaowen Liu, Shunlin Hu, Daxin Peng, Min Gu, Xiufan Liu

Author(s): Yucheng Xu, Yuanzhao Zhu, Zhao Lei, Jia Rui, Zeyu Zhao, Shengnan Lin, Yao Wang, Jingwen Xu, Xingchun Liu, Meng Yang, Hongsheng Chen, Xuemei Pan, Wentao Lu, Yuzhong Du, Hui Li, Ling Fang, Meng Zhang, Lina Zhou, Fen Yang, Tianmu Chen

Author(s): AnaCaroline Rodrigues Portela, Juliana Merces Hernandez, Renato Silva Bandeira, Edivaldo Costa Sousa Junior, Taynah Cohen de Melo, Maria Silvia Sousa Lucena, Dielle Monteiro Teixeira, Jones Anderson Monteiro Siqueira, Yvone Benchimol Gabbay, Luciana Damascena Silva

Author(s): Hedayet Ullah, Shahin Mahmud, M.D. Jakir Hossain, Shaid Bin Islam, K.M. Kaderi Kibria Shigella is a bacterial pathogen that causes shigellosis, fatal bacillary dysentery, responsible for a higher level of mortality worldwide. We adopted a number of computational approaches to predict potential epitope-based vaccine candidates of immunogenic proteins of Shigella spp.

Author(s): Xiaojing Hong, Liang Xue, Yingyin Liao, Aiwu Wu, Yueting Jiang, Xiaoxia Kou

Background
Norovirus is a leading cause of viral gastroenteritis outbreaks worldwide. Histo-blood group antigens (HBGAs) are important host attachment factors in susceptibility to norovirus. In this study, the association of FUT2 gene, which participates in the biosynthesis of HBGAs, with norovirus infection has been investigated.

Author(s): Prasenjit Paria, Bijay Kumar Behera, Pradeep Kumar Das Mohapatra, Pranaya Kumar Parida

Author(s): Anuj Rohatgi, Pratima Gupta

Author(s): Zarrin Basharat, Muhammad Jahanzaib, Noor Rahman

Author(s): Amanda Aparecida Seribelli, Patrick da Silva, Miliane Rodrigues Frazão, Jalusa Deon Kich, Marc W. Allard, Juliana Pfrimer Falcão

Author(s): Péter Pankovics, Ákos Boros, Zoltán László, Sándor Szekeres, Gábor Földvári, Eda Altan, Eric Delwart, Gábor Reuter

Author(s): Anamaria M.P. dos Santos, Pedro Panzenhagen, Rafaela G. Ferrari, Grazielle L. Rodrigues, Carlos A. Conte-Junior