Research Publications (Food Safety)

Publication date: 15 November 2015
, Volume 187
Author(s): Lei Zhao , Heyan Zhang , Tianyang Hao , Siran Li

Shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 (STEC) is one of the leading causes of food-poisoning around the world. Some STEC strains produce Shiga toxin 1 (Stx1) and/or Shiga toxin 2 (Stx2) or variants of either toxin, which are critical for the development of hemorrhagic colitis (HC) or hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). Currently, there are no therapeutic treatments for HC or HUS. E.

Publication date: August 2015
, Volume 220
Author(s): Lih-Chiann Wang , Dean Huang , Ming-Chu Cheng , Shu-Hwae Lee , Ching-Ho Wang

Major changes in bacterial physiology including biofilm and spore formation involve signaling by the cyclic dinucleotides c-di-GMP and c-di-AMP. Recently, another second messenger dinucleotide, c-AMP-GMP, was found to control chemotaxis and colonization by Vibrio cholerae. We have identified a superregulon of genes controlled by c-AMP-GMP in numerous Deltaproteobacteria, including Geobacter...

Cyclic dinucleotides are an expanding class of signaling molecules that control many aspects of bacterial physiology. A synthase for cyclic AMP-GMP (cAG, also referenced as 3′-5′, 3′-5′ cGAMP) called DncV is associated with hyperinfectivity of Vibrio cholerae but has not been found in many bacteria, raising questions about the prevalence...

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) is a foodborne pathogen causing hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic uremic syndrome. EHEC colonizes the intestinal tract through a range of virulence factors encoded by the locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE), as well as Shiga toxin. Although the factors involved in colonization and disease are well characterized,...

Avian influenza virus (H5N1) is a rapidly disseminating infection that affects poultry and, potentially, humans. Because the avian virus has already adapted to several mammalian species, decreasing the rate of avian–mammalian contacts is critical to diminish the chances of a total adaptation of H5N1 to humans. To prevent the pandemic such adaptation could facilitate, a biology-specific disease surveillance model is needed, which should also consider geographical and socio-cultural factors.

Outbreaks of Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis infections associated with eggs occurred in French Polynesia during 2008–2013. Molecular analysis of isolates by using clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat polymorphisms and multilocus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis was performed. This subtyping made defining the epidemic strain, finding the source, and decontaminating affected poultry flocks possible.

Scombrotoxin fish poisoning remains the primary cause of seafood poisoning outbreaks despite preventive guidelinesThe purpose of this study was to investigate the use of pH for the control of growth and histamine formation by histamine-producing bacteria in fish muscle. We examined pH effects on growth and histamine formation in tuna fish infusion broth and in inoculated tuna and mahi-mahi fish muscle.

We integrated immunological separation and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopySERS) to detect melamine in milk. Antimelamine was produced by New Zealand white rabbits following the injection with melamine hapten-ovalbumin immunogen. Melamine was separated from milk by binding to the converted protein G-antimelamine complex. After releasing antimelamine and melamine from the complex, the eluents were deposited directly onto the silver dendrite SERS-active substrate for spectral collection.

Listeria monocytogenesLM) is a major safety concern for smoked salmon producers, as it can survive both the brining and smoking process in cold smoked salmon production. Salmine is a cationic antimicrobial peptide derived from the milt of salmon that has been shown to inhibit the growth of LM in vitro. Commercialization of this peptide would add value to a waste product produced when raising salmon.

Neelja Singhal, Abhishikha Srivastava, Manish Kumar, Jugsharan Singh Virdi

Publication date: 15 November 2015
, Volume 187
Author(s): Karim C. Piacentini , Geovana D. Savi , Maria E.V. Pereira , Vildes M. Scussel

Publication date: Available online 24 April 2015

Author(s): Emanuela Marini , Claudio Palmieri , Gloria Magi , Bruna Facinelli

Publication date: Available online 21 April 2015

Author(s): James C. Carlson , Doreene R. Hyatt , Jeremy W. Ellis , David R. Pipkin , Anna M. Mangan , Michael Russell , Denise S. Bolte , Richard M. Engeman , Thomas J. DeLiberto , George M. Linz

Publication date: Available online 23 April 2015

Author(s): Yinbiao Zhu , Da Yang , Qian Ren , Yang Yang , Xin Liu , Xiulong Xu , Wei Liu , Sujuan Chen , Daxin Peng , Xiufan Liu

Publication date: Available online 25 April 2015

Author(s): Charlotta Löfström , Ann-Sofie Hintzmann , Gitte Sørensen , Dorte Lau Baggesen

Lisa Barco, Federica Barrucci, Enzo Cortini, Elena Ramon, John Elmerdahl Olsen, Ida Luzzi, Antonia Anna Lettini and Antonia Ricci The current picture of human salmonellosis shows Salmonella Typhimurium and S. 4,[5],12:i:- as the most common serovars in Italy. The aims of this study were to investigate the genetic relationship between these serovars, as well as to test the possibility of inferring sources of human salmonellosis due to S. Typhimurium and S.

Furana possible carcinogen, is commonly produced by thermal processing in a number of heated foods. The existence of furan levels in foods has attracted considerable attention worldwide. Recent research of furan in food has focused on the possible influences of operating parameters on the furan formation during heat processing.

Ying-Chun Dai, Xu-Fu Zhang, Ming Xia, Ming Tan, Christina Quigley, Wen Lei, Hao Fang, Weiming Zhong, Bonita Lee, Xiaoli Pang, Jun Nie, Xi Jiang

The emergence of new antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli pathotypes associated with human disease has led to an investigation in terms of the origins of these pathogens. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, unspecified agents are responsible for 38.4 million of the 48 million (80%) cases of foodborne illnesses each year in the United States.

Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined for 805 domestic Campylobacter jejuni isolates obtained from broilers (n = 459), bovines (n = 120), human patients (n = 95), natural waters (n = 80), wild birds (n = 35) and zoo animals/enclosures (n = 16) with known multilocus sequence types (MLST) for 450 isolates.

Assessment of risk factors associated with milk production systems is central to ensuring quality and safety of milk and milk products. This study was aimed at identifying possible risk factors in milk contamination in urban and peri-urban areas of the central high lands of Ethiopia.

Teruhisa Takagishi, Masataka Oda, Michiko Kabura, Mie Kurosawa, Kaori Tominaga, Shiori Urano, Yoshibumi Ueda, Keiko Kobayashi, Toshihide Kobayashi, Jun Sakurai, Yutaka Terao, Masahiro Nagahama

Danielle Naville, Emmanuel Labaronne, Nathalie Vega, Claudie Pinteur, Emmanuelle Canet-Soulas, Hubert Vidal, Brigitte Le Magueresse-Battistoni