Research Publications (Food Safety)

Vibrio parahaemolyticus (Vp) and Vibrio vulnificus (Vv) are associated with the consumption of raw oysters and cause illnesses ranging from simple gastroenteritis to life-threatening septicemia. These halophilic bacteria are frequently found in marine and estuarine systems, accumulating within the tissues of a number of aquatic organisms and passing on to humans after consumption, through contaminated water, or via open wounds.

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157 (O157) strains can be classified in clades by single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), but this analysis requires significant laboratory effort. Since the distribution of insertion sequence (IS) 629 insertions has been reported to be biased among different clades, O157 isolates can be putatively classified in clades by comparison with an IS629 distribution database.

This study investigated the impact of composting and lagoon storage on survival and change in diversity of tetracycline-resistant (Tcr) and erythromycin-resistant (Emr) bacteria and the resistance genes they carry in swine manure. Treatments were arranged as a 2 x 2 factorial design: composting vs. lagoon storage and 0 vs. 1% Surround™ WP Crop Protectant (a clay product) in three replicates.

An 8-week feeding trial was conducted to examine effects of wheat naturally contaminated with Fusarium mycotoxins (deoxynivalenol, DON 41 mg·kg−1) on growth performance and selected health indices of red tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus × O. mossambicus; initial weight = 4.3 g/fish).

The mycotoxins deoxynivalenol (DON) and nivalenol (NIV), worldwide cereal contaminants, raise concerns for animal and human gut health, following contaminated food or feed ingestion. The impact of DON and NIV on intestinal mucosa was investigated after acute exposure, in vitro and in vivo. The histological changes induced by DON and NIV were analyzed after four-hour exposure on pig jejunum explants and loops, two alternative models.

The intestinal epithelium is the first barrier against food contaminants. Zearalenone (ZEN) is an estrogenic mycotoxin that was identified as a common contaminant of cereal grains and food and feedstuffs. In the present study, we have investigated the in vitro effects of ZEN and some of its metabolites (α-ZOL, β-ZOL) in concentrations of 10–100 µM on a swine epithelial cell line: Intestinal porcine epithelial cells (IPEC-1).

Ready-to-eat luncheon meats sliced in retail delis have been found to pose the greatest risk of foodborne illness from Listeria monocytogenes among all ready-to-eat foodsSlicers used in delis have many removable parts that are connected with seals and gaskets, with spaces, cracks and crevices that are difficult to clean adequately and may provide a niche for L. monocytogenes survival.

Microbiological contaminations and other food safety hazards are omnipresent within the European Union (EU) and a considerable risk for consumers, particularly in imported meat and meat products. The number of rejections at external EU borders has been increasing in recent years. Official authorities in each member state are therefore obliged to notify border rejections of food and animal feed due to a direct or indirect risk to human or animal health.

Publication date: Available online 28 May 2015

Author(s): Bradley L. Bearson , Brian W. Brunelle

Foodborne Pathogens and Disease

Foodborne Pathogens and Disease , Vol. 0, No. 0.

Publication date: August 2015
Food and Chemical Toxicology, Volume 82
Author(s): Stephen B. Stanfill , André Luiz Oliveira da Silva , Joseph G. Lisko , Tameka S. Lawler , Peter Kuklenyik , Robert E. Tyx , Elizabeth H. Peuchen , Patricia Richter , Clifford H. Watson

In this study, the antibiofilm activity of citric acid treatment on Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from raw milk samples was evaluated. For this purpose, the prevention and removal of biofilm formation of S. aureus strains by citric acid treatments (2% and 10%) for 20 min were investigated for comparison with peracetic acid treatment (0.3%) on both microtitration plate and stainless steel coupons.

Foodborne Pathogens and Disease , Vol. 0, No. 0.

Foodborne Pathogens and Disease , Vol. 0, No. 0.

Staphylococcus aureus is an important foodborne pathogen on global basisThe current study investigated the genetic patterns in S. aureus isolates from leaf vegetables (n = 53). Additional isolates from livestock (n = 31) and humans (n = 27) were compared with the leaf vegetable isolates. Genes associated with toxins, antibiotic resistance, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) patterns were analyzed.

Caoimhe McKerr, Goutam K. Adak, Gordon Nichols, Russell Gorton, Rachel M. Chalmers, George Kafatos, Paul Cosford, Andre Charlett, Mark Reacher, Kevin G. Pollock, Claire L. Alexander, Stephen Morton

Background

This review presents a framework for assessing the efficacy of antimicrobials used to control necrotic enteritis (NE) caused by Clostridium perfringens (CP) in the context of susceptibility testing and clinical efficacy, and their potential interactions with the intestinal microbiota of poultry.

Campylobacter is a natural member of the gut microflora in many commercial broilers and as such can become a contaminant on edible surfaces during processing. Culturing gut contents or feces can be a means to determine flock status prior to live-haul. The wide variety of non-Campylobacter background bacteria in these complex samples contaminates growth media and can make it very difficult to isolate Campylobacter.

This study investigated the effects of necrotic enteritis challenge or a necrotic enteritis challenge with an additional challenge from dietary aflatoxin B1 compared to broilers that were unchallenged. Also tested were products designed to help alleviate those effects. Lesion scores were higher in broilers challenged to induce necrotic enteritis, but this did not increase with added aflatoxin.

In-house litter composting has been reintroduced to the industry and shown to reduce bacteria by as much as 2 orders of magnitude. Other industries have demonstrated that pathogens can recolonize a waste-residual when microbial competition has been reduced or inhibited following composting. Poultry growers, in the process of shifting to in-house composting for pathogen control, should be aware of this potential problem.

An observational study examining prevalence of Campylobacter and Salmonella in environmental samples and biosecurity interventions to mitigate these 2 pathogens was performed for 3 consecutive flocks on a commercial broiler farm in northeast Georgia. Monitoring was performed first on a baseline flock for which no interventions or treatments were undertaken.

During the past two decades, food safety issues in China not only posed serious threats to Chinese consumers but also damaged the image of Chinese products internationally. In China, food safety is not only about scientific discoveries, advanced laboratories, and sanitation equipment; it is more about the role of different players in the food supply chain.

Fowl typhoid and pullorum disease, caused by Salmonella enterica serovars Gallinarum biovars Salmonella Gallinarum (S. Gallinarum) and Salmonella Pullorum (S. Pullorum), remain large threat to the organic poultry industry. These infections are serious threats to poultry health and overall flock viability especially at their early age.

Clostridium perfringens produces diverse virulent toxins that cause necrotic enteritis in poultry, resulting in a great negative impact on the poultry industry. To study the characteristics of C. perfringens in chickens, we isolated 88 strains from chickens (1 strain per flock) with necrotic enteritis. The isolated bacterial strains were screened for toxin type and antimicrobial susceptibility.