Research Publications (Food Safety)

Background Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is a significant cause of foodborne illness causing various gastrointestinal diseases including hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), the most severe form, which can lead to kidney failure or even death. Objective Here, we report the development of recombinase aided amplification (RAA)-exo-probe assays targeting the stx1 and stx2 genes for the rapid detection of STEC in food samples.

Wheat, the raw material for flour milling, can be contaminated with enteric pathogens, leading to outbreaks linked to flour. In previous lab-scale studies, vacuum steam treatment was able to reduce Salmonella Enteritidis PT30 and Shiga-toxin producing E.

This study focuses on the characterization of STEC‐specific bacteriophages isolated from cow manure samples and examines their prevalence with STEC bacterial hosts. The findings indicate that the most common bacteriophages were specific to O26, and the presence of bacteriophages may have contributed to the diversity of their STEC host populations in the natural environment.

Culture-independent metagenomic sequencing of enriched agricultural water could expedite the detection and virulotyping of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC). We previously determined the limits of a complete, closed metagenome-assembled genome (MAG) assembly and of a complete, fragmented MAG assembly for O157:H7 in enriched agricultural water using long reads (Oxford Nanopore Technologies, Oxford), which were 107 and 105 CFU/ml, respectively.

Microgreens, the immature plants harvested after a few weeks of growth, are perceived as a heathy, nutritious food ingredient but may be susceptible to colonisation by human pathogens including Shiga-toxigenic Escherichia coli (STEC). Some microgreen cultivars accumulate anthocyanins or secrete essential oils which, when extracted or purified, have been reported to inhibit bacterial growth.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a phage cocktail in reducing seven Shiga toxigenic Escherichia coli (STEC) serogroups present in mung bean sprouts, lettuce, and seeds. The phage cocktail was effective at reducing O157:H7 when present in low levels, in combination with chlorinated water, and under refrigeration. The effectiveness of some phages was affected by the specific food matrix even if the targeted bacteria were highly sensitive to the phage.

Contamination of wheat flours with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) is a concern for the milling industry. Milling-specific interventions are needed to address this food safety hazard. The objectives for this study were to determine the efficacy of bacteriophage treatment in reducing wheat STEC contamination during tempering and assess its effects on flour milling and baking quality.

Introduction Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is a gastrointestinal pathogen causing foodborne outbreaks. Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) in STEC surveillance holds promise in outbreak prevention and confinement, in broadening STEC epidemiology and in contributing to risk assessment and source attribution.

Introduction By adhering to host cells and colonizing tissues, bacterial pathogens can successfully establish infection. Adhesion is considered the first step of the infection process and bacterial adhesion to anti-adhesive compounds is now seen as a promising strategy to prevent infectious diseases. Among the natural sources of anti-adhesive molecules, the membrane of milk fat globules (MFGs) is of interest because of its compositional diversity of proteins and glycoconjugates.

The aims of this study were (i) to evaluate the performance of the Assurance® GDS method combining immunomagnetic separation and real-time PCR for STEC detection in pooled samples (up to 375g) of vegetables and meat, and (ii) to compare its performances to that of the reference method ISO/TS-13136:2012 (25 g sample size) in artificially contaminated samples.

Traditional kosher meat processing involves the following steps after slaughtering: soaking with water to remove blood, salting to help draw out more blood, and rinsing to remove salt. However, the impact of the salt used on foodborne pathogens and beef quality is not well understood.

The aim of this study was to compare the growth of non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) with E. coli O157:H7 in ground beef and modified Tryptic Soy Broth (TSB). Additionally, the performance of three available models (ComBase, Huang et al. model, and Cepeda et al. model) for predicting STEC growth in ground beef was evaluated. To achieve this, eleven groups of STEC, including E.

Background Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is a zoonotic pathogen, that is transmitted from a variety of animals, especially cattle to humans via contaminated food, water, feaces or contact with infected environment or animals. The ability of STEC strains to cause gastrointestinal complications in human is due to the production of Shiga toxins (sxt).

Thermal-death-time characteristics, D- and z-values of shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), Salmonella, and Enterococcus faecium NRRL B-2354 were investigated in peanut butter, oatmeal, and chocolate chip cookie formulations at three moisture levels. E. faecium was shown to be more resistant than Salmonella, followed by E. coli at all water activity levels. E.

Introduction The objective of this study was to develop, using a genome wide machine learning approach, an unambiguous model to predict the presence of highly pathogenic STEC in E. coli reads assemblies derived from complex samples containing potentially multiple E. coli strains. Our approach has taken into account the high genomic plasticity of E. coli and utilized the stratification of STEC and E.

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) are foodborne pathogens causing severe diseases. The ability of STEC to produce disease is associated with Shiga toxin (Stx) production. We investigated the occurrence of STEC on bovine and pork carcasses and walls of trucks where they were transported, and we characterized virulence genes and serotypes of STEC strains.

Swine pathogenic infection caused by Escherichia coli, known as swine colibacillosis, represents an epidemiological challenge not only for animal husbandry but also for health authorities. To note, virulent E. coli strains might be transmitted, and also cause disease, in humans. In the last decades, diverse successful multidrug-resistant strains have been detected, mainly due to the growing selective pressure of antibiotic use, in which animal practices have played a relevant role.

Introduction

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is a zoonotic pathogen that cause food-borne diseases in humans. Cattle and derived foodstuffs play a known role as reservoir and vehicles, respectively. In Uruguay, information about the characteristics of circulating STEC in meat productive chain is scarce. The aim was to characterize STEC strains recovered from 800 bovine carcasses of different slaughterhouses.

Methods

The aim of the study was to investigate the safe cooking parameters to eliminate E.coli O157:H7 in commonly consumed meatball types, by simulating the meatball formula and the cooking practices of restaurants. Ground meat was inoculated around 7 ± 1 log cfu/g with a cocktail of 5 strains of E.coli O157:H7. The meatballs were prepared with different ingredients and seasonings depending on the type (kasap or İnegöl).

Recent epidemiological evidence suggests that pork products may be vehicles for the transmission of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) to humans. The severe morbidity associated with STEC infections highlights the need for research to understand the growth behavior of these bacteria in pork products. Classical predictive models can estimate pathogen growth in sterile meat.

Outbreaks of Salmonella and Shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC) linked to wheat flour led to increased interest in characterizing the fate of Salmonella and STEC on wheat during processing. Tempering is the stage of wheat processing where water is added to toughen the bran prior to milling, which has the potential to influence pathogen behavior on the kernels.

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) are food-borne pathogens that can cause severe symptoms for humans. Raw milk products are often incriminated as vehicule for human STEC infection. However, raw milk naturally contains molecules, such as the milk fat globule membrane and associated proteins, that could inhibit pathogen adhesion by acting as mimetic ligands.

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O121 is among the top six non-O157 serogroups that are most frequently associated with severe disease in humans. While O121:H19 is predominant, other O121 serotypes have been frequently isolated from environmental samples, but their virulence repertoire is poorly characterized.

by Anil K. Persad, Gireesh Rajashekara, Jeffrey T. LeJeune Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is estimated to cause over two million cases of human disease annually. Trinidad and Tobago is one of the largest livestock producer and consumer of sheep and goat meat in the Caribbean, however, the potential role of these animals in the epidemiology of STEC infections has not been previously described.

Antimicrobials have been important medicines used to treat various infections. However, some antibiotics increase the expression of Shiga toxin (Stx). Also, the pervasive use of persistent antibiotics has led to ecotoxicity and antibiotic resistance. In this study, a newly developed broad-spectrum and reversible antibiotic (guanylhydrazone disinfectant) was evaluated for its antibiotic activity and effects on Stx production and global transcription of bacteria.