Research Publications (Food Safety)

Decachlorobiphenyl (DCB) is one of the 209 polychlorinated biphenyls congeners characterized by its high toxicity and chemical stability. It is produced by industrial activities. A possible strategy to eliminate DCB is by bacterial degradation. The main objective of this study was to define the optimal conditions for biodegradation and bioaccumulation of DCB by Pseudomonas extremaustralis ADA-5 isolated from a worm intestine.

Rice poses a major source of the toxic contaminant cadmium (Cd) for humans. Here, we elucidated the role of Cd storage forms (i.e., the chemical Cd speciation) on the dynamics of Cd within rice. In a pot trial, we grew rice on a Cd-contaminated soil in upland conditions and sampled roots and shoots parts at flowering and maturity. Cd concentrations, isotope ratios, Cd speciation (X-ray absorption spectroscopy), and micronutrient concentrations were analyzed.

The currently most utilized antimicrobial agent in poultry processing facilities is peracetic acid, a chemical increasingly recognized as hazardous to human health. We evaluated the efficacy of mixtures of natural antimicrobial compounds, namely reuterin, microcin J25, and lactic acid, for reducing the viability of Salmonella enterica and total aerobes on broiler chicken carcasses. The compounds were compared singly and in combination with water and 0.1% peracetic acid.

Bacterial Type III Secretion Systems (T3SSs) are specialized multicomponent nanomachines that mediate the transport of proteins either to extracellular locations or deliver Type III Secretion effectors directly into eukaryotic host cell cytoplasm. Shigella, the causing agent of bacillary dysentery or shigellosis, bears a set of T3SS proteins termed translocators that form a pore in the host cell membrane.

Extracellular matrix (ECM) degrading enzymes produced by Clostridium perfringens may play an important role during the initial phases of avian necrotic enteritis by facilitating toxin entry in the intestinal mucosa and destruction of the tissue. C. perfringens is known to produce several ECM-degrading proteases, such as kappa toxin, an extracellular collagenase that is encoded by the colA gene. In this study, the colA gene sequence of a collection of 48 C.

The genus Enterococcus includes two Gram-positive pathogens of particular clinical relevance: E. faecalis and E. faecium. Infections with each of these pathogens are becoming more frequent, particularly in the case of hospital-acquired infections.

Journal of Applied Microbiology, Accepted Article. Aim
To evaluate generally recognized as safe (GRAS) liquid wash formulations against hepatitis A virus‐contaminated strawberries and blackberries in order to identify a formulation suitable for reducing virus contamination.

Introduction. Mycobacterium abscessus complex (MABSC) is an environmental organism and opportunistic pathogen. MABSC pulmonary infections in people with cystic fibrosis are of growing clinical concern. Resistance data guide the use of macrolides and amikacin in MABSC pulmonary disease treatment.

Introduction. The simultaneous use of antifungals with immunosuppressive agents has become a necessity for patients taking immunosuppressive therapy. However, antifungal drugs are problematic because of their limited target.

Candida albicans is an opportunistic pathogen accounting for the majority of cases of Candida infections. Currently, C. albicans are developing resistance towards different classes of antifungal drugs and this has become a global health burden that does not spare Lebanon.

Aflatoxins are toxic and carcinogenic secondary metabolites, produced by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus, which contaminate food and feed and threaten human and animal health. To assess the prevalence of aflatoxins in Tanzania, 180 groundnut and 200 maize samples were collected from 9 and 10 districts, respectively. Aflatoxin contamination was quantified using high performance liquid chromatography.

Abstract

Mycotoxins are toxic secondary fungal metabolites that frequently contaminate cereal crops globally, presenting exposure hazards to humans and livestock in many settings. The heterogeneous distribution of mycotoxins in food restricts the usefulness of food sampling and intake estimates for epidemiological studies, making validated exposure biomarkers better tools for informing epidemiological investigations.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a contagious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb). It is regarded as a major health threat all over the world, mainly because of its high mortality and drug-resistant nature. Toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems are modules ubiquitously found in prokaryotic organisms, and the well-studied MazEF systems (MazE means “what is it?” in Hebrew) are implicated in the formation of “persister cells” in the M. tb pathogen. Here, we report cocrystal structures of M.

Fusarium graminearum, the causal agent of Fusarium head blight (FHB), produces trichothecenes including deoxynivalenol (DON), nivalenol (NIV), and 3,7,15-trihydroxy-12,13-epoxytrichothec-9-ene (NX-3). These toxins contaminate grains and cause profound health problems in humans and animals. To explore exploiting a fungal self-protection mechanism in plants, we examined the ability of F.

Vibrio vulnificus is a gram-negative, opportunistic human pathogen associated with life-threatening wound infections and is commonly found in warm coastal marine water environments, globally. In this study, two fishing harbors and three tributaries of the river basin were analyzed for the prevalence of V. vulnificus in the water bodies and shellfish that are under the pressure of external pollutions. The average detection rate of V.

Anaerobic digestion is one of the best ways to re-use animal manure and agricultural residues, through the production of combustible biogas and digestate. However, the use of antibiotics for preventing and treating animal diseases and, consequently, their residual concentrations in manure, could introduce them into anaerobic digesters.

Author(s): En Yu, Daiwen Chen, Bing Yu, Yuheng Luo, Ping Zheng, Heng Yin, Xiangbing Mao, Zhiqing Huang, Jie Yu, Junqiu Luo, HuiYan, Jun He

Author(s): Basmeet Kaur, B.T. Naveen Kumar, Anuj Tyagi, Shanthanagouda Admane Holeyappa, Niraj Kumar Singh

Author(s): Julius P. Sserumaga, John M. Wagacha, Moses Biruma, Charity K. Mutegi

Author(s): Pantu Kumar Roy, Md. Furkanur Rahaman Mizan, Md. Iqbal Hossain, Noori Han, Shamsun Nahar, Md. Ashrafudoulla, Sazzad Hossen Toushik, Won-Bo Shim, Young-Mog Kim, Sang-Do Ha

Author(s): Sittiporn Parnmen, Nattakarn Nooron, Siriwan Leudang, Sujitra Sikaphan, Dutsadee Polputpisatkul, Onanong Pringsulaka, Sutheewan Binchai, Achariya Rangsiruji

Author(s): Frank J. Velez, Joseph M. Bosilevac, Prashant Singh