Research Publications (Food Safety)

Hookworm is one type of soil-transmitted helminth, which could exert an anti-inflammatory effect in human or animal host, which provides a beneficial possibility for the discovery of inflammatory-related disease interventions. The identification of hookworm-derived anti-inflammatory molecules is urgently needed for future translational research. The emergence of metabolomics has become a powerful approach to comprehensively characterize metabolic alterations in recent times.

Genome-wide DNA polymorphism analysis and molecular marker development are important for forward genetics research and DNA marker-assisted breeding. As an ideal model system for Panicoideae grasses and an important minor crop in East Asia, foxtail millet (Setaria italica) has a high-quality reference genome as well as large mutant libraries based on the “Yugu1” variety. However, there is still a lack of genetic and mutation mapping tools available for forward genetics research on S. italica.

The use of traditional chemical insecticides for pest control often leads to environmental pollution and a decrease in biodiversity. Recently, insect sex pheromones were applied for sustainable biocontrol of pests in fields, due to their limited adverse impacts on biodiversity and food safety compared to that of other conventional insecticides. However, the structures of insect pheromones are complex, and their chemical synthesis is not commercially feasible.

The rise of Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) represents an increasing threat to patient safety and healthcare systems worldwide. Citrobacter spp., long considered not to be a classical nosocomial pathogen, in contrast to Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli, is fast gaining importance as a clinical multidrug-resistant pathogen. We analyzed the genomes of 512 isolates of 21 CRE species obtained from 61 hospitals within a three-year-period and found that Citrobacter spp. (C.

Listeria monocytogenes is a gram-positive facultative anaerobic bacterium that causes the foodborne illness listeriosis. The pathogenesis of this bacterium depends on its survival in anaerobic, acidic, and bile conditions encountered throughout the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. This transcriptomics study was conducted to analyze the differences in transcript levels produced under conditions mimicking the GI tract. Changes in transcript levels were analyzed using RNA isolated from L.

While most bacterial species taken up by macrophages are degraded through processing of the bacteria-containing vacuole through the endosomal-lysosomal degradation pathway, intravacuolar pathogens have evolved to evade degradation through the endosomal-lysosomal pathway.

Author(s): Xian-Lei Fu, Hao-Liang Wu, Run Zhang, Zhe-Yuan Jiang, Krishna R. Reddy, Yan-Jun Du

Author(s): Nooshin Nikmaram, Kevin M. Keener

Cinnamaldehyde is a natural antimicrobial food preservative. Previous studies have suggested that cinnamaldehyde interacts with the cell membrane, but the molecular targets of cinnamaldehyde action on foodborne pathogens are still unclear. In this study, the structural changes of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli cells were observed after cinnamaldehyde treatment.

A Gram-negative, rod-shaped, motile and strictly aerobic bacterium, designated NBU1469T, was isolated from marine sediment sampled on Meishan Island located in the East China Sea. Strain NBU1469T grew optimally at temperature of 40 °C, NaCl concentration of 2.0% (w/v) and pH 7.5. Catalase and oxidase activities, H2S production, nitrate reduction and hydrolysis of Tween 20 were positive.

Fluoxetine (FLX) is a blockbuster drug with annual sales in the billions of dollars. Its widespread use has resulted in its detection in water courses, where it impacts aquatic life. Investigations on the biodegradation of FLX by microorganisms are important, since augmentation of secondary wastewater treatment by an effective degrader may be one method of improving the drug’s removal.

Glycine max (L.) Merr. (soybean) has been mentioned as a potential accumulator of hazardous metals, such as Pb. The main route of human exposure to heavy metals is consumption. This study evaluates Pb accumulation in soybean at different growth stages. The aim was to determine the period of the crop development when absorption and distribution mostly occur. Soybean plants were grown in control and Pb-polluted soils in a greenhouse experiment.

Abstract

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. enterica ser. Typhimurium) is one of the main causes of human bacterial gastroenteritis. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a highly specific and accurate method for S. enterica ser. Typhimurium detection in food. In the study, we constructed a ratiometric electrochemical biosensor based on saltatory rolling circle amplification (SRCA) and dual-signal electrochemical readout.

Rice is a major staple food in China where farmland soil has widespread cadmium (Cd) and arsenic (As) contamination. To provide appropriate rice cultivars to guide rice production in Cd and As co-contaminated paddy soils, the factors affecting Cd and As concentrations in rice require clarification. A pot experiment was conducted to investigate Cd and As translocation and accumulation in different tissues of rice cultivars for understanding the Cd and As variations in rice.

There is an increasing interest in consuming healthy foods motivated by the need of boosting the immune system naturally. In this sense, vegetables rich in bioactive compounds are a clear example of “superfoods” that promotes overall health and strengthen the immune response.

Aflatoxin is a carcinogenic mycotoxin produced by Aspergillus flavus. Non-aflatoxigenic (Non-tox) A. flavus isolates are deployed in corn fields as biocontrol because they substantially reduce aflatoxin contamination via direct replacement and additionally via direct contact or touch with toxigenic (Tox) isolates and secretion of inhibitory/degradative chemicals.

The present study investigated the dietary and urinary OTA occurrence among 44 Lebanese children. Relying on HPLC-FLD analysis, OTA was found in all the urine samples and in 46.5% and 25% of the 24 h duplicate diet and dinner samples, respectively. The means of OTA levels in positive samples were 0.32 ± 0.1 ng/g in 24 h diet, 0.32 ± 0.18 ng/g in dinner and 0.022 ± 0.012 ng/mL in urines.

Resistance to extended-spectrum cephalosporins (ESC) and carbapenems in Escherichia coli (E. coli), increasingly identified in small animals, indicates a crisis of an antimicrobial resistance situation in veterinary medicine and public health. This study aimed to characterise the genetic features of ESC-resistant E. coli isolated from cats and dogs with urinary tract infections in Thailand. Of 72 ESC-resistant E.

Listeria monocytogenes causes severe foodborne illness in pregnant women and immunocompromised individuals. After the intestinal phase of infection, the liver plays a central role in the clearance of this pathogen through its important functions in immunity. However, recent evidence suggests that during long-term infection of hepatocytes, a subpopulation of Listeria may escape eradication by entering a persistence phase in intracellular vacuoles.

by Paulo Vieira, Roxana Y. Myers, Clement Pellegrin, Catherine Wram, Cedar Hesse, Thomas R. Maier, Jonathan Shao, Georgios D. Koutsovoulos, Inga Zasada, Tracie Matsumoto, Etienne G. J. Danchin, Thomas J. Baum, Sebastian Eves-van den Akker, Lev G. Nemchinov

by Nazanin Ahmadkhosravi, Azar Dokht Khosravi, Aram Asareh Zadegan Dezfuli, Mohammad Hashemzadeh, Morteza Saki, Fatemeh Jahangiri Mehr, Farokh Izadpour

Background

Professionals in animal agriculture promote prudent use of antimicrobials to address public and animal health concerns, such as reduction of antimicrobial residues and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in products. Few studies evaluate the effect of selective dry-cow therapy on preservation of the milk microbiome or the profile of AMR genes (the resistome) present at freshening.

Microbiological quality, targeting contamination with Escherichia coli, of ready-to-eat spicy meat product, “Suya” retailed in Ogbete Main Market (Location 1) and Oye Emene Market (Location 2), in Enugu, Nigeria was evaluated. Forty-eight samples of the “suya,” in forms of beef, liver, intestine, and chicken, were homogenized and serially diluted with sterile distilled water and plated into Eosin Methylene Blue agar using Pour Plate Technique.

Urine is a highly suitable biological matrix for metabolomics studies. Total collection for 24-h periods is the gold standard as it ensures the presence of all metabolites excreted throughout the day. However, in animal studies, it presents limitations related to animal welfare and also due to alterations of the metabolome originating from the use of acid for preventing microbial growth or microbial contamination.