Research Publications (Food Safety)

Contamination of meat with antimicrobial-resistant bacteria represents a major public health threat worldwide. In this study, we determined the antimicrobial resistance profiles and resistance trends of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from major food animal carcasses (408 cattle, 1196 pig, and 1312 chicken carcass isolates) in Korea from 2010 to 2018. Approximately 75%, 92%, and 77% of cattle, pig, and chicken carcass isolates, respectively, were resistant to at least one antimicrobial agent.

by Jun Wu, Ying Zhang, Zhongming Lv, Ping Yu, Weiqing Shi

Author(s): Mohsen Abdel-Tawwab, Riad H. Khalil, Amany M. Diab, Mohamed A. Khallaf, Nashwa Abdel-Razek, Hany M.R. Abdel-Latif, Eman Khalifa

Author(s): Fangli Nong, Ping Zhang, Jing Meng, Qingchao Xie, Yufeng Li, Yingjie Pan, Yong Zhao, Haiquan Liu

Author(s): Ellen Evans, Emma Samuel, Elizabeth Redmond, Helen Taylor

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a well-recognized endocrine disruptor, and considering its adverse effects its use in infant bottles has been banned in many countries. Growing concern on the use of BPA has led to its replacement with its analogues in numerous applications. Present is the first report determining the occurrence of seven bisphenols (BPs: BPA, BPAF, BPC, BPE, BPFL, BPS, and BPZ) in Indian infant formula.

Aflatoxins and fumonisins commonly contaminate key food staples in tropical countries, causing recurring acute and chronic public health problems. The present study was conducted to assess the potential of a simple device designed for density-based sorting of maize for its potential to reduce aflatoxins and fumonisins in diverse samples of naturally contaminated maize. A cross sectional survey was conducted, analysing market maize samples (n=204) from eight counties in Western Kenya.

India is the largest jute and fifth largest maize producing country in the world. In India maize is commonly stored and transported in jute bags which are used multiple times. Aflatoxin contamination of maize is a major issue in India. This study evaluated the potential impact of re-using jute bags on the risk of aflatoxin contamination of maize in the food supply chain. A total of 121 jute bags were collected in India; 95 had been used for maize and 26 bags were new.

The increase in fat-related diseases and chemical hazards produced during the frying process poses a major threat to human health. Coating has been used as a practical method to reduce the oil content and chemical hazard of fried foods. Methyl cellulose (MC) and soy protein isolate (SPI) were used as coating materials to pretreat Chinese fried dough cake (CFDC) before frying.

This study investigated the effects of in-feed encapsulated cinnamaldehyde (CIN) and citral (CIT) alone or in combination (CIN+CIT) on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) phenotypes and genotypes of E. coli isolated from feces of 6-, 16-, 23- and 27-days old broiler chickens. The five dietary treatments including the basal diet (control; NC), the basal diet supplemented with 55 ppm bacitracin (BAC), 100 ppm encapsulated CIN, CIT, or CIN+CIT.

This study investigated the effects of the physiological state, desiccation-adaptation, and storage of powdered infant formula (PIF) on Salmonella survival and their desiccation stress-related gene expression. PIF was inoculated with S . Typhimurium in the biofilm state on beads and in the planktonic state on nitrocellulose filters and stored at 25°C for up to 270 days.

A new coronavirus strain known as SARS-CoV-2 has spread throughout the world. This virus is the causative agent for the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and spreads primarily through human-to-human transmission via infected droplets and aerosols generated by infected persons. While COVID-19 is a respiratory virus, the potential for transmission of SARS-CoV-2 via food is considered theoretically possible and remains a concern for Canadian consumers.

An LC-MS/MS method has been developed for the sensitive and selective determination of 35 mycotoxins (biomarkers of exposure) in pig urine samples. Sample preparation includes creatinine adjustment (with the developed LC-UV method) with enzymatic hydrolysis of pig urine samples followed by liquid-liquid (LLE) extraction. The LLE protocol, as well as enzymatic hydrolysis for indirect mycotoxin glucuronides determination, was optimized in this study.

Bacterial resistance to antibiotics is a growing global concern, threatening human and environmental health, particularly among urban populations. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are thought to be “hotspots” for antibiotic resistance dissemination. The conditions of WWTPs, in conjunction with the persistence of commonly used antibiotics, may favor the selection and transfer of resistance genes among bacterial populations.

We recently described the genetic antimicrobial resistance and virulence profile of a collection of 279 commensal E. coli of food-producing animal (FPA), pet, wildlife and human origin. Phenotypic antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and the role of commensal E. coli as reservoir of extra-intestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) virulence-associated genes (VAGs) or as potential ExPEC pathogens were evaluated.

Letters in Applied Microbiology, Accepted Article. Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) regulate and maintain the stability of healthy microbial flora, inhibit the adhesion of pathogenic bacteria, and promote the colonization of beneficial microorganisms. The drug resistance and pathogenicity of Salmonella enteritis SE47 isolated from retail eggs were investigated. Meanwhile Enterococcus faecalis L76 and Lactobacillus salivarius LAB35 were isolated from chicken intestinal.

Journal of Applied Microbiology, Accepted Article. Aims

Chronic and repeated exposure of environmental bacterial communities to anthropogenic antibiotics have recently driven some antibiotic-resistant bacteria to acquire catabolic functions, enabling them to use antibiotics as nutritive sources (antibiotrophy). Antibiotrophy might confer a selective advantage facilitating the implantation and dispersion of antibiotrophs in contaminated environments. A microcosm experiment was conducted to test this hypothesis in an agroecosystem context.

In this study, we aimed to characterize the population structure, drug resistance mechanisms, and virulence genes of Enterococcus isolates in Estonia. Sixty-one Enterococcus faecalis and 34 Enterococcus faecium isolates were collected between 2012 and 2014 across the country from various sites and sources, including farm animals and poultry (n = 53), humans (n = 12), environment (n = 24), and wild birds (n = 44).

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global health threat. Antibiotics, heavy metals, and microplastics are environmental pollutants that together potentially have a positive synergetic effect on the development, persistence, transport, and ecology of antibiotic resistant bacteria in the environment.

by Bumi Herman, Wandee Sirichokchatchawan, Sathirakorn Pongpanich, Chanin Nantasenamat

Background and objectives

Diagnosis of Pulmonary Rifampicin Resistant Tuberculosis (RR-TB) with the Drug-Susceptibility Test (DST) is costly and time-consuming. Furthermore, GeneXpert for rapid diagnosis is not widely available in Indonesia. This study aims to develop and evaluate the CUHAS-ROBUST model performance, an artificial-intelligence-based RR-TB screening tool.

Methods

by The PLOS ONE Editors

Author(s): Liliana Pérez-Lavalle, Elena Carrasco, Pedro Vallesquino-Laguna, Manuel Cejudo-Gómez, Guiomar Denisse Posada-Izquierdo, Antonio Valero

Author(s): Dong Xu, Puhui Ji, Lu Wang, Xin Zhao, Xiongfei Hu, Xunrong Huang, Hanghang Zhao, Fuhao Liu

Author(s): Dongnian Sun, Junli Hu, Jianfeng Bai, Hua Qin, Junhua Wang, Jingwei Wang, Xiangui Lin