Research Publications (Food Safety)

Background Acute gastroenteritis (AGE) burden, etiology, and severity in adults is not well characterized. We implemented a multisite AGE surveillance platform in 4 Veterans Affairs Medical Centers (Atlanta, Georgia; Bronx, New York; Houston, Texas; and Los Angeles, California), collectively serving >320 000 patients annually.

Background While there are ongoing regulatory convergence efforts, differences remain in primary end points recommended for community-acquired bacterial pneumonia (CABP) trials. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends assessing CABP symptom resolution at an early time point (3–5 days after randomization). Other regulatory agencies recommend assessing overall clinical response at a later time point (5–10 days after therapy ends).

Background Maternal overweight and obesity are related to risks of pregnancy and delivery complications that, in turn, are associated with newborn infections. We examined the associations between early pregnancy body mass index (BMI; kg/m2) and risk of early-onset neonatal bacterial sepsis (EOS). Methods We conducted a nationwide population-based retrospective cohort study of 1 971 346 live singleton infants born in Sweden between 1997 and 2016.

Background We aimed to assess the proportion of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) cases with initial bedaquiline (BDQ) resistance, monitor the dynamics of BDQ susceptibility of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates during therapy, and correlate susceptibility with MDR-TB patient clinical outcomes in China. Methods A retrospective, cohort study of MDR-TB patients was conducted, with positive cultures collected from cases at 13 sites.

Background Reports suggest that some persons previously infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) lack detectable immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies. We aimed to determine the proportion IgG seronegative and predictors for seronegativity among persons previously infected with SARS-CoV-2.

To the Editor—We read with interest the article by Moradi et al on the use of an automated electronic health record–best practice alert (BPA) to decrease antimicrobial utilization in patients with low procalcitonin levels and a virus detected in an upper respiratory polymerase chain reaction panel [1, 2].

by Nicolas Roydon Smoll, Arifuzzman Khan, Jacina Walker, Jamie McMahon, Michael Kirk, Gulam Khandaker

by Nicola Veronese, Ligia J. Dominguez, Saverio Ragusa, Luisa Solimando, Lee Smith, Francesco Bolzetta, Stefania Maggi, Mario Barbagallo

Background

by Ailton Guilherme Rissoni Toledo, Jazmina Carolina Reyes Andrade, Mauricio Cesar Palmieri, Denise Bevilaqua, Sandra Regina Pombeiro Sponchiado

by Ruben Cloete, Mohd Shahbaaz, Melanie Grobbelaar, Samantha L. Sampson, Alan Christoffels

Proteus mirabilis is an opportunistic pathogen associated with nosocomial infections and foodborne diseases. The resistance and biofilm formation of P. mirabilis have been a great concern. In this study a multidrug-resistant P. mirabilis strain 012 was exposed to a lethal dose of ampicillin (10 mg/mL, 2.5-fold minimal bactericidal concentration) for 24 h at 37°C.

Author(s): Hedayet Ullah, Shahin Mahmud, M.D. Jakir Hossain, Shaid Bin Islam, K.M. Kaderi Kibria Shigella is a bacterial pathogen that causes shigellosis, fatal bacillary dysentery, responsible for a higher level of mortality worldwide. We adopted a number of computational approaches to predict potential epitope-based vaccine candidates of immunogenic proteins of Shigella spp.

Author(s): Milad Badri, Meysam Olfatifar, Md Robiul Karim, Ehsan Modirian, Elham Houshmand, Amir Abdoli, Alireza Nikoonejad, Simin Sotoodeh, Ali Zargar, Rasoul Samimi, Sima Hashemipour, Razzagh Mahmoudi, Majid Fasihi Harandi, Elham Hajialilo, Hossein Piri, Behzad Bijani, Aida Vafae Eslahi

Author(s): Shubhra Pande, Rajeev Ranjan, Maria Ryazanova, Anton N. Shuvaev, Alla B. Salmina, Valentina A. Kratasyuk

Author(s): Quan-Ying Wang, Nai-Wen Hu, Hong-Wen Yu, Qi-Rong Wang, Yu-Xin Liu, Jing Yue, Bo Hu

Author(s): Zhijie Yang, Yuqin He, Haifang Wang, Qiong Zhang

Author(s): Soo-Hwan Kim, Sunna Jyung, Dong-Hyun Kang We investigated the aspects of S. Typhimurium biofilms and their resistance (thermal and chemical) depending on the different morphotypes at room temperature (rdar; strain 43971 and bdar; strain 19585) and maturation temperature.

This cross-sectional study was carried out to determine the common Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) contaminating veterinary clinic environments, and to evaluate the susceptibility of the isolates to commonly used antibiotics and biocides. A total of 62 swab samples were collected from different frequently touched surfaces in the 4 veterinary clinics visited. The samples were processed for isolation and identification of GNB using standard microbiological procedures.

Highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza viruses cause devastating outbreaks in farmed poultry with serious consequences for animal welfare and economic losses. Zoonotic infection of humans through close contact with H5N1 infected birds is often severe and fatal. England experienced an outbreak of H5N1 in turkeys in 1991 that led to thousands of farmed bird mortalities.

Phosphatic clays, one type of phosphorite industry wastes, could induce environmental issues and geological disasters when they are piled in the open air. Previous research demonstrated that phosphatic clays usually exhibit poor performance in heavy metal immobilization mostly due to low phosphate content. Thus, phosphatic clays could not be applied in practical heavy metal remediation without pretreatment.

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) infects humans by colonizing the large intestine, and causes kidney damage by secreting Shiga toxins (Stxs). The increased secretion of Shiga toxin 2 (Stx2) by some antibiotics, such as ciprofloxacin (CIP), increases the risk of hemolytic–uremic syndrome (HUS), which can be life-threatening.

Transboundary and Emerging Diseases, Accepted Article. Poultry and poultry-derived products such as meat and eggs are among the main sources of non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) transmission to the human.

Transboundary and Emerging Diseases, Accepted Article. Vibrio cholerae O1 El Tor variants have been the major causative agents of cholera worldwide since their emergence in the 2000s. Cholera remains endemic in some regions in Malaysia. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the genetic characteristics of the V. cholerae O1 El Tor strains associated with outbreaks and sporadic cases to elucidate the molecular evolution among the strains circulating in this region. A total of 45 V.

Emiliania huxleyi is a cosmopolitan member of the marine phytoplankton. This species’ capacities for carbon sequestration and sulfur mobilization make it a key player in oceanic biogeochemical cycles that influence climate on a planetary scale. Seasonal E. huxleyi blooms are abruptly terminated by viral epidemics caused by a clade of large DNA viruses collectively known as coccolithoviruses (EhVs). EhVs thereby mediate a significant part of material and energy fluxes associated with E.

Through staphylococcal enterotoxin (SE) production, Staphylococcus aureus is a common cause of food poisoning. Detection of staphylococcal food poisoning (SFP) is mostly performed using immunoassays, which, however, only detect five of 27 SEs described to date. Polymerase chain reactions are, therefore, frequently used in complement to identify a bigger arsenal of SE at the gene level (se) but are labor-intensive.