Research Publications (Food Safety)

Human noroviruses (HuNoVs) are increasingly becoming the main cause of transmissible gastroenteritis worldwide, with hundreds of thousands of deaths recorded annually. Yet, decades after their discovery, there is still no effective treatment or vaccine. Efforts aimed at developing vaccines or treatment will benefit from a greater understanding of norovirus-host interactions, including the host response to infection.

To observe the prevalence of contamination by hepatitis A virus (HAV) and norovirus (NoV) in different food types, 9242 samples were analyzed over a 6-year period (January 2014–December 2019). Samples were from routine official activities by Competent Authorities (CAs) and Food Business Operators, according to Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points plans. Analyses were performed in accordance with European and Italian regulations.

Mycotoxins pose a health concern for humans. Therefore, strategies at pre- and post-harvest and maximum levels for food have been implemented, aimed to minimize the risk of dietary exposure. Yet, consumers’ dietary habits and life style play a substantial role in overall exposure.

The fungal pathogen Fusarium culmorum causes Fusarium head blight in cereals, resulting in yield loss and contamination of the grain by type B trichothecene mycotoxins such as deoxynivalenol (DON), and its acetylated derivatives. Synthesis of trichothecenes is driven by a trichodiene synthase (TRI5) that converts farnesyl pyrophosphate (FPP) to trichodiene.

Staphylococcus pseudintermedius is an important pathogen responsible for infections in dogs and in humans. The emergence and dissemination of methicillin-resistant S. pseudintermedius (MRSP) and the multidrug resistance frequently seen in this species make difficult the treatment of these pathogens.

The research carried out so far for phage-antibiotic synergy (PAS) differs as regards the technique of modifying the double-layer agar (DLA) method to show the PAS effect on Petri plates, which may contribute to non-uniform research results. Therefore, there is a need to unify the method to effectively detect the PAS effect, at its most basic in vitro test. In this study, bacteriophage T45 and 43 antibiotics belonging to different antibiotic classes were used.

The aim of this study was to estimate the residue levels of five commonly used antibiotics in poultry tissue samples using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). A total of 200 samples that comprised breast and liver (100 each) were collected from five poultry farms randomly selected from Muscat regions. The samples were analyzed for enrofloxacin (ENR), gentamicin (GEN), oxytetracycline (OTC), sulfamethazine (SMZ), and tylosin (TYL) residue concentrations.

Background

Over the last two decades, the prevalence of colistin resistance among the members of Enterobacteriaceae has been increasing, particularly among Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates; this limits the potential use of colistin and leads to worsened clinical outcomes.

Methods

We investigated the prevalence and genetic characteristics of colistin-resistant K. pneumoniae (COLR-KP) in clinical isolates using genomic sequencing.

Results

Non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) infections result in self limiting gastroenteritis except in rare cases wherein manifestations of chronic infections can occur. Strategies employed by Salmonella to thrive in hostile environments of host during chronic infections are complex and multifaceted. In chronic state, a coordinated action of bacterial effectors allows reprogramming of macrophages to M2 subtype and thereby creating a permissible replicative niche.

by Newton G. Peres, Nancy Wang, Paul Whitney, Sven Engel, Meghanashree M. Shreenivas, Ian Comerford, Dianna M. Hocking, Anna B. Erazo, Irmgard Förster, Andreas Kupz, Thomas Gebhardt, Shaun R. McColl, Stephen J. McSorley, Sammy Bedoui, Richard A. Strugnell

by Guru Prasad Sharma, Anne C. Frei, Jayashree Narayanan, Tracy Gasperetti, Dana Veley, Asma Amjad, Katherine Albano, Brian L. Fish, Heather A. Himburg

Abstract

Non-typhoidal Salmonella enterica is an important gastrointestinal pathogen causing a considerable burden of disease. Resistance to third generation cephalosporins poses a serious threat for treatment of severe infections.

Mycotoxins are frequently found in fruits and fruit juices. However, data about occurrence and fate of mycotoxins along the fruit juice processing chain are currently insufficient.

It has long been accepted that Shiga toxin (Stx) only exists in Shigella dysenteriae serotype 1. However, in recent decades, the presence of Shiga toxin genes (stx) in other Shigella spp. have been reported. We screened 366 Shigella flexneri strains from Alberta, Canada (2003 to 2016) for stx and 26 positive strains were identified. These isolates are highly related with the majority originating from the Dominican Republic and three isolates with Haiti origin.

Prevalence, impact on shellfish resources and interspecific, spatial, and temporal variabilities of domoic acid (DA) in bivalves from Galicia (NW Spain) have been studied based on more than 25 years of monitoring data. The maximum prevalence (samples in which DA was detected) (100%) and incidence (samples with DA levels above the regulatory limit) (97.4%) were recorded in Pecten maximus, and the minimum ones in Mytilus galloprovincialis (12.6 and 1.1%, respectively).

Environmental Microbiology, EarlyView. Listeria monocytogenes, the causative agent of listeriosis, has been implicated in increasing foodborne outbreaks worldwide. The disease is manifested in various forms ranging from severe sepsis in immune-compromised individuals, febrile gastroenteritis, still birth, abortions and meningoencephalitis. In India, data from studies on the detection and molecular epidemiological analysis of L. monocytogenes are only recently emerging.

Journal of Applied Microbiology, Accepted Article. Aims

Vibrio vulnificus is an opportunistic pathogen indigenous to estuarine and marine environments and associated with aquatic organisms. Vibrio vulnificus is of utmost importance because it causes 95% of the seafood-related deaths in the United States due to rapid progression of septicemia.

Factor for inversion stimulation is a global regulator that is highly expressed during exponential phase growth and undetectable in stationary phase growth. Quorum sensing (QS) is a global regulatory mechanism that controls gene expression in response to changes in cell density and growth phase.

Trichodermin, a trichothecene first isolated in Trichoderma species, is a sesquiterpenoid antibiotic that exhibits significant inhibitory activity to the growth of many pathogenic fungi such as Candida albicans, Rhizoctonia solani, and Botrytis cinerea by inhibiting the peptidyl transferase involved in eukaryotic protein synthesis.

The acute radiation-induced intestinal injury (RIII) has raised much concerns and is influenced by non-cytocidal radiation effects including the perturbations in gut microbiota. Although a number of studies have reported alteration in gut microbiota following radiation, little is known about its dynamic variation in the progression of acute RIII.

On a global scale, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is recognized as a One Health challenge due to the continual and increased development and distribution of resistant microbes and genes among humans, animals, and the environment.

Author(s): Doaa Ibrahim, Asmaa T.Y. Kishawy, Safaa I. Khater, Eman Khalifa, Tamer Ahmed Ismail, Haiam A. Mohammed, Shimaa S. Elnahriry, Heba A. Tolba, Wafaa R.I.A. Sherief, Mohamed F.M. Farag, Marwa I.Abd El-Hamid

Author(s): Qian Cheng, Kristine Castañeda-Gulla, Evelyn Sattlegger, Anthony N. Mutukumira