Research Publications (Food Safety)

Objective

Frailty is a common geriatric syndrome that is diagnosed and staged based mainly on symptoms. We aimed to evaluate frailty-related alterations of the intestinal permeability and profile fecal microbiota of healthy and frail older adults to identify microbial biomarkers of this syndrome.

Methods

To the Editor—We read with great interest the article by Ellingson et al [1]. They report a 79% decrease in the environmental bioburden that led to a reduction in hospital-acquired infection by self-disinfection of surfaces. Their study showed “the mean baseline level of 208.0 CFU/cm2 decreased to 74.6 CFU/cm2 following the first application.” Surprisingly, no standard deviation or confidence limits were given.

Background Acute gastroenteritis (AGE) causes a substantial burden in the United States, but its etiology frequently remains undetermined. Active surveillance within an integrated healthcare delivery system was used to estimate the prevalence and incidence of medically attended norovirus, rotavirus, sapovirus, and astrovirus. Methods Active surveillance was conducted among all enrolled members of Kaiser Permanente Northwest during July 2014–June 2016.

Background The Global Enteric Multicenter Study (GEMS) determined the etiologic agents of moderate-to-severe diarrhea (MSD) in children under 5 years old in Africa and Asia. Here, we describe the prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility of nontyphoidal Salmonella (NTS) serovars in GEMS and examine the phylogenetics of Salmonella Typhimurium ST313 isolates.

by Cortney R. Halsey, Rochelle C. Glover, Maureen K. Thomason, Michelle L. Reniere

by Leo Dobes, Mason Crane, Tim Higgins, Albert I. J. M. Van Dijk, David B. Lindenmayer

by Yi-Jia Shih, Jung-Sheng Chen, Yi-Jen Chen, Pei-Yu Yang, Yi-Jie Kuo, Tsung-Hsien Chen, Bing-Mu Hsu

CHEMISTRY Correction for “The pervasive threat of lead (Pb) in drinking water: Unmasking and pursuing scientific factors that govern lead release,” by Raymond J. Santucci Jr and John R. Scully, which was first published September 8, 2020; 10.1073/pnas.1913749117 (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 117, 23211–23218). The authors note that Fig....

Exposure to mycotoxins is a worldwide concern as their occurrence is unavoidable and varies among geographical regions. Mycotoxins can affect the performance and quality of livestock production and act as carriers putting human health at risk. Feed can be contaminated by various fungal species, and mycotoxins co-occurrence, and modified and emerging mycotoxins are at the centre of modern mycotoxin research.

Analysis of body fluids and tissues of aflatoxin exposed individuals for the presence of aflatoxins and aflatoxin metabolites has emerged as a reliable indicator of exposure and metabolism of aflatoxins. However, current aflatoxin biomarkers are not appropriate for investigating the long-term effects of aflatoxin exposure. In this explorative study, we investigated the analysis of hair as a complementary or alternative matrix for the assessment of biomarkers of long-term aflatoxin exposure.

The administration of probiotics via live feeds, such as Artemia and rotifers, has gained significant attention. Moreover, indiscriminate use of antibiotics in conventional aquaculture practices in order to prevent or control disease outbreaks has resulted in the occurrence of residues and antimicrobial resistance. Thus, the application of eco-friendly feed additives, such as probiotics, as a safer alternative has received increasing attention in recent years.

Transboundary and Emerging Diseases, Accepted Article. Abstract

Efflux pumps are one of the predominant microbial resistant mechanisms leading to the development of multidrug resistance. In Staphylococcus aureus, overexpression of NorA protein enables the efflux of antibiotics belonging to the class of fluoroquinolones and, thus, makes S. aureus resistant. Hence, NorA efflux pumps are being extensively exploited as the potential drug target to evade bacterial resistance and resensitize bacteria to the existing antibiotics.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a common cause of both community- and hospital-associated infections. The antibiotic resistance and virulence characteristics of MRSA are largely regulated by two-component signal transduction systems (TCS) including the graRS TCS. To make a relatively comprehensive insight into graRS TCS in MRSA, the bioinformatics analysis of dataset GSE26016 (a S. aureus HG001 WT strain vs.

Nitrogen cycling microbes, including nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB), perform critical ecosystem functions that help mitigate anthropogenic stresses and maintain ecosystem health. Activity of these beneficial nitrogen cycling microbes is dictated in part by the microorganisms’ response to physicochemical conditions, such as temperature, pH, and nutrient availability.

Author(s): Derongs Lorine, Druilhe Céline, Le Maréchal Caroline, Barbut Frédéric, Heurtevent Lorette, Buffet Julie, Martin Laure, Ziebal Christine, Poezevara Typhaine, Rouxel Sandra, Houard Emmanuelle, Syed Zaidi Rabab, Couturier Jeanne, Pourcher Anne-Marie

Author(s): Chia-Chi Huang, Zi-Han Hsu, Yen-Shi Lai

Author(s): Priscilla dos Santos Morales, Paula Mantovani dos Santos, Adriana Evaristo de Carvalho, Marcela Zanetti Corazza

Author(s): Fei Ma, Yu Ning, Qingqing Wan, Likou Zou, Yuntao Liu, Shujuan Chen, Jianlong Li, Zhen Zeng, Yong Yang, Hong Chen, Min Zhou, Shuliang Liu, Cheng Li, Aiping Liu

Lead (Pb) is a common toxic heavy metal pollutant in the environment that seriously endangers the health of animals. The liver is a key target organ affected by Pb toxicity. Plant extracts allicin and quercetin have a strong antioxidant capacity that can promote the excretion of heavy metals by improving the body’s antioxidant defense and chelating heavy metal ions.

Salmonella spp. is one of the most common foodborne pathogens in humans. Here, we summarize the laboratory surveillance data of human non-typhoidal salmonellosis in Greece for 2003–2020. The total number of samples declined over the study period (p < 0.001). Of the 193 identified serotypes, S. Enteritidis was the most common (52.8%), followed by S. Typhimurium (11.5%), monophasic S. Typhimurium 1,4,[5],12:i:- (4.4%), S. Bovismorbificans (3.4%) and S. Oranienburg (2.4%).

Author(s): Jhones de Lima Vieira, Larissa dos Santos Nunes, Francisca Gleire Rodrigues de Menezes, Kamila Vieira de Mendonça, Oscarina Viana de Sousa

Author(s): Jiangmin Song, Guanxing Huang, Dongya Han, Qinxuan Hou, Lin Gan, Meng Zhang

Author(s): Yeting Sun, Xiaoyan Zhao, Yue Ma, Hongyang Guan, Hao Liang, Dan Wang

Author(s): Mohammadreza Dehghan Abnavi, Chandrasekhar R. Kothapalli, Daniel Munther, Parthasarathy Srinivasan