Research Publications (Food Safety)

Cronobacter turicensis is a food-borne pathogen found in dairy products. It has been reported to cause bacteremia and enteritis in immunocompromised people, especially infants. Cronobacter turicensis has been isolated from various food sources, and contaminated powdered infant formula was found to be the most common source of infection among infants. Although some gene targets are used for the identification of C. turicensis, they are not specific at the species level.

A longitudinal study was conducted to assess to what extent intramammary infection (IMI) with non-aureus staphylococci (NAS) within the first 4 d after calving in dairy heifers affects quarter milk yield (qMY) and quarter milk somatic cell count (qSCC) during the first 4 mo of lactation. In total, 324 quarters from 82 Holstein Friesian heifers from 3 commercial dairy herds equipped with an automatic milking system were included and followed from calving up to 4 mo in lactation.

The objective was to evaluate the efficacy of 2 dietary mycotoxin sequestrants, Toxy-Nil (TN) or Unike Plus (UP), in reducing aflatoxin (AF) M1 concentrations in milk of dairy cows challenged with dietary AF.

Coxiella burnetii is a gram-negative and polymorphic rod bacterium that causes Q fever, a common zoonotic disease distributed worldwide. Widespread occurrences of the disease outbreaks indicate the importance of coordinated animal and human health efforts to control these outbreaks. Different tests are available to determine the C.

Reproducibility is an essential element of the scientific process, and it requires clear and complete reporting of study design, conduct, and analysis. In the human and animal health literature, incomplete reporting is associated with biased effect estimates. Moreover, incomplete reporting precludes knowledge synthesis and undervalues the resources allocated to the primary research.

The objective of this negatively controlled, randomized clinical trial was to examine clinical outcomes of 2-d or 8-d treatment using an approved intramammary (IMM) product containing ceftiofur hydrochloride compared with no antimicrobial treatment of nonsevere, gram-negative cases of clinical mastitis (CM). Additionally, we contrasted clinical outcomes of cases caused by Escherichia coli (n = 56) or Klebsiella pneumoniae (n = 54).

Staphylococcus aureus is an important mastitis pathogen, causing both clinical mastitis (CM) and subclinical mastitis (SCM) in small ruminants. In general, CM has a low incidence in sheep and goats but can be very severe and costly. In contrast, subclinical mastitis (SCM) is common but is associated with less cost. For both sheep and goats, S. aureus is the main cause of CM and is associated with SCM cases with a high SCC. Recently, specific lineages of S.

In the present study, 33 brands of mozzarella cheese (pasteurized cow milk mozzarella obtained by direct acidification through the addition of food-grade citric acid or obtained by natural acidification through the addition of thermophilic starter cultures, mozzarella for pizza mainly obtained by addition of citric acid, and pasteurized buffalo milk mozzarella obtained by adding microbial rennet) were characterized for the factors potentially influencing the growth of Listeria monocytogenes (

A fluorescence assay combined with PCR, catalytic hairpin assembly (CHA), and graphene oxide (GO) was established to detect emetic Bacillus cereus in milk samples. The processes of the assay are not new, but components of the processes make the assay useful. Two partially complementary hairpin probes (H1 and FAM-H2) were designed according to the target single-strand DNA (ssDNA).

Herein, we reported a novel direct competitive fluorescence-linked immunosorbent assay (dcFLISA) for the ultrasensitive detection of aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) in pasteurized milk, yogurt, and milk powder using 150-nm quantum dot beads (QB) as the carrier of competing antigen. Large QB were applied to decrease the binding affinity of the competing antigen to antibody and enhance the fluorescent signal intensity.

This study was conducted to analyze the antibacterial effect of olive oil polyphenol extract (OOPE) against vegetative cells of Bacillus cereus isolated from raw milk and reveal the possible antibacterial mechanism. The diameter of inhibition zone, minimum inhibitory concentration, minimum bactericidal concentration, and survival counts of bacterial cells in sterile normal saline and pasteurized milk were used to evaluate the antibacterial activity of OOPE against B. cereus vegetative cells.

Intoxication by staphylococcal enterotoxins (SE) is among the most common causes of food-poisoning outbreaks resulting from the consumption of raw milk or products made thereof. The aim of our study was to analyze the thermal stability of SE and evaluate the inactivation of SE types A, B, and C (SEA, SEB, SEC) by autoclaving at 100°C, 110°C, and 121°C.

Bovine mastitis is the most frequently reported disease among dairy cows worldwide. Treatment of udder disease often involves the use of antimicrobial substances, which is difficult to justify with respect to their possible effect on the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance. Prevention of udder disease is therefore always preferable to treatment.

This study aimed to evaluate the potential of Weissella cibaria D30 as an adjunct culture in cottage cheese, including an assessment of antioxidant, antilisterial, and compositional parameters. Cottage cheese samples were manufactured using a commercial starter culture and probiotic strains Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (GG) or W. cibaria D30 (W) and without probiotic (control). Samples were stored at 4 ± 1°C for 28 d.

Staphylococcus aureus can be associated with subclinical, acute, chronic, and toxic cases of bovine intramammary infections, leading to considerable financial losses for the dairy industry in Switzerland and worldwide. In addition, milk products are one of the most common food categories implicated in staphylococcal food poisoning in humans. Detailed information on the population structure, as well as the virulence and resistance characteristics of Staph.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the transfer of the most widely used antibiotics in dairy goats from milk to cheese as well as their effect on the cheese-making process and cheese characteristics during ripening. Antibiotic-free milk was spiked individually with 7 veterinary drugs (amoxicillin, benzylpenicillin, cloxacillin, erythromycin, ciprofloxacin, enrofloxacin, and oxytetracycline) at an equivalent concentration of the European Union maximum residue limit.

Escherichia coli O157:H7, Cronobacter spp., and Salmonella spp. are common food-borne pathogens in milk that may cause serious diseases. In the present study, we established a simple, rapid, and specific method to simultaneously detect viable E. coli O157:H7, Cronobacter spp., and Salmonella spp. in milk. Three specific genes, fliC from E. coli O157:H7, cgcA from Cronobacter spp., and invA from Salmonella spp., were selected and used to design primers and probes.

Staphylococcus aureus is a highly contagious mastitis-causing pathogen infecting dairy cattle worldwide. Previous studies have shown the presence of different genotypes (GT) on farms. In Switzerland, Staph. aureus genotype B (GTB) is contagious, whereas GTC and other genotypes cause sporadic, noncontagious mastitis. In this study, we evaluated the epidemiological properties of Staph. aureus, together with its genotypes and spa types, on Swiss dairy farms.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of antibiotic residues in milk on growth, ruminal fermentation, and microbial community of dairy calves in their first 35 d of age. Twenty newborn Holstein bull calves were assigned to 1 of 2 treatments equally: milk replacer without antibiotics (control) and milk replacer plus 4 antibiotics: 0.024 mg/L of penicillin, 0.025 mg/L of streptomycin, 0.1 mg/L of tetracycline, and 0.33 mg/L of ceftiofur (ANT).

Dairy-related food safety outbreaks, such as food-borne pathogen contamination, mycotoxin contamination, and veterinary drug contamination, sometimes happen and have been reported all over the world, affecting human health and, in some cases, leading to death. Thus, rapid yet robust detection methods are needed to monitor milk and milk powder for the presence of hazardous substances.

Cronobacter species are a group of opportunistic food-borne pathogens that cause rare but severe infections in neonates. Tolerance to environmental stress in Cronobacter is known; however, factors involved in oxidative stress are undefined. In this study, Cronobacter sakazakii survival, cellular morphology, and biofilm formation in response to oxidative stress were evaluated between the wild type (WT) and an outer membrane protein W (OmpW) mutant.

The prevalence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is increasing in human and animal pathogens, becoming a concern worldwide. However, prevalence and characteristics of AMR of bovine mastitis pathogens in large Chinese dairy herds are still unclear. Therefore, our objective was to determine the AMR profile of bacteria isolated from clinical mastitis in large (>500 cows) Chinese dairy herds.

We applied urease-induced silver metallization on the surface of gold nanorods (AuNR) to improve colorimetric ELISA for the rapid and sensitive detection of Salmonella enterica Choleraesuis. To this end, we introduced a biotin-streptavidin system as a bridge to determine the correlation between urease and S. enterica Choleraesuis concentrations.

Staphylococcus aureus is a major pathogen causing intramammary infections (IMI) in dairy cattle herds worldwide. Simulation models can be used to investigate the epidemiologic and economic outcomes of different control strategies against IMI. The transmission rate parameter is one of the most influential parameters on the outcomes of these simulation models. Very few studies have estimated the transmission rate parameter and investigated the transmission dynamics of Staph.

Chemical hazards may enter the milk chain during primary production. The study, for the first time, investigated the occurrence of bisphenol A (BPA) levels in cow milk samples collected on the farm following manual or mechanical milking and from the cooling tank. We applied a new monitoring model based on the identification of the hazards at each stage of the milk chain to identify potential pathways for contamination along the milk chain.