Article
Infectious Diseases
Xiaoming Wang, Zhuoren Ling, Naiyan Sun, Yongshi Liu, Jinhu Huang, Liping Wang
Summary: This study found mcr-9 in raw milk samples from China with a low prevalence rate. mcr-9 was located on a transferable plasmid and stable, but transferring to E. coli had a biological fitness cost.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS
(2021)
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Meiying Yan, Yongming Zhou, Yang Cao, Zhenpeng Li, Xin Lu, Bo Pang, Shukun Wang, Biao Kan
Summary: This study discovered a new serovar of Salmonella (S. enterica subsp. II serovar 4,5,12:a:-) and demonstrated its ability to infect humans and cause clusters of cases. Whole-genome sequencing detection and surveillance of Salmonella can accurately define Salmonella classification and clonality, improve diagnosis, facilitate outbreak detection, and aid in the source tracing of salmonellosis epidemics.
Article
Immunology
Seema Irfan, Mohammad Zeeshan, Salima Rattani, Joveria Farooqi, Sadia Shakoor, Rumina Hasan, Afia Zafar
Summary: From 2013 to 2018, although there was an increase in localized extensively drug-resistant Salmonella Typhi strains in organ infections in Pakistan, there was no increase in the proportion of such isolates compared to non-extensively drug-resistant isolates.
EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Jianzhong Fan, Heng Cai, Youhong Fang, Jintao He, Linghong Zhang, Qingye Xu, Yunxing Yang, Sebastian Leptihn, Yunsong Yu, Dongdong Zhao, Xiaoting Hua
Summary: In this study, two Salmonella strains carrying mcr-9 gene were identified from clinical isolates collected in a local hospital in Hangzhou, China. The mcr-9 genes were located on conjugative IncHI2 plasmids, potentially facilitating their dissemination through co-resistance mechanisms. Although the presence of mcr-9 cassette, the strains did not exhibit resistance to colistin.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Yiying She, Yixiang Jiang, Miaomiao Luo, Xiangke Duan, Li Xie, Chao Yang, Liangcai Xu, Yulin Fu, Ziquan Lv, Rui Cai, Yinghui Li, Yaqun Qiu, Lulu Hu, Xiaolu Shi, Lei Wang, Shuang Wu, Qiongcheng Chen, Min Jiang, Qinghua Hu
Summary: This study analyzed the genomic epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance characteristics of Salmonella Kentucky ST198 collected from foodborne disease surveillance in Shenzhen, China. It found that majority of the ST198 strains were multidrug resistant, and one isolate for the first time carried both bla CTX-M-14b and chromosomally located qnrS1 in China, emphasizing the need for surveillance of clade 198.2.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Katya Arnold, Seunghyun Lim, Tal Rakler, Albert Rovira, Cinthia Satuchne, Elinor Yechezkel, Anat Wiseman, Yaniv Pima, Eugenia Yakunin, Assaf Rokney, Ehud Elnekave
Summary: Non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) is a global threat to public health, and poultry is one of the main reservoirs. The current methods for NTS characterization are time-consuming and have limited discriminatory power. Whole-genome sequencing can identify genetic variation within serotypes, and a multiplex PCR assay has been designed for the rapid and cost-efficient detection of emerging S. Muenchen serotype and its variants.
Article
Microbiology
Jean Guard, Deana R. Jones, Richard K. Gast, Javier S. Garcia, Michael J. Rothrock
Summary: The ISR method was used for serotyping and updating Salmonella enterica subspecies I in 2022. It was found that 36.9% of the sequences in the ISR database still have no match within the NCBI database, indicating that there is more genomic heterogeneity yet to be characterized.
Article
Microbiology
T. L. Westerman, M. McClelland, J. R. Elfenbein
Summary: Regulation of flagellum biosynthesis is a hierarchical process tightly controlled by the LysR transcriptional regulator YeiE, which promotes virulence by enhancing cell motility. The Delta yeiE mutant lacks motility and shows reduced expression of flagellar class 2 and 3 genes, leading to defective gut colonization. YeiE acts as a control point for flagellar gene expression, adding a new layer to the regulatory cascade for enteric pathogen fitness.
Review
Food Science & Technology
Diana M. Alvarez, Rocio Barron-Montenegro, Jose Conejeros, Dacil Rivera, Eduardo A. Undurraga, Andrea I. Moreno-Switt
Summary: Salmonella enterica serovar Infantis is an emergent foodborne and zoonotic Salmonella serovar with critical implications for global health. It has shown resistance to multiple antibiotics, undermining effective medical treatment, particularly in low-resource settings. The primary source of MDR S. Infantis is broiler and their meat, but it is also present in other reservoirs such as food, wildlife, and the environment.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOOD MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Amrita Bharat, Aaron Petkau, Brent P. Avery, Jessica C. Chen, Jason P. Folster, Carolee A. Carson, Ashley Kearney, Celine Nadon, Philip Mabon, Jeffrey Thiessen, David C. Alexander, Vanessa Allen, Sameh El Bailey, Sadjia Bekal, Greg J. German, David Haldane, Linda Hoang, Linda Chui, Jessica Minion, George Zahariadis, Gary Van Domselaar, Richard J. Reid-Smith, Michael R. Mulvey
Summary: This study evaluated the accuracy of genotypic prediction of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Salmonella using whole genome sequencing. The results showed a 99% concordance rate between genotypic prediction and phenotypic detection of resistance. The study also identified a lower positive predictive value for gentamicin, possibly due to genes with resistance just below the breakpoint. Additionally, the study revealed the genetic mechanisms of resistance in the Salmonella isolates.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Yu Li, Xiaojuan Yang, Jumei Zhang, Shiyuan Yang, Shuhong Zhang, Moutong Chen, Liang Xue, Yu Ding, Haiyan Zeng, Qihui Gu, Youxiong Zhang, Xianhu Wei, Juan Wang, Qingping Wu
Summary: This study analyzed the antimicrobial resistance of 124 S. Enteritidis strains collected from retail foods in 39 cities across China, revealing a high rate of multidrug resistance and frequent resistance to nalidixic acid and ampicillin. Through PCR amplification and antibiotic susceptibility testing, it was found that these strains carried various resistance genes and integrons. Conjugation experiments and molecular characterization showed that resistance genes could be transferred to recipient strains via mobile plasmids.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Sohyun Cho, Lari M. Hiott, Sandra L. House, Tiffanie A. Woodley, Elizabeth A. McMillan, Poonam Sharma, John B. Barrett, Eric S. Adams, Joshua M. Brandenburg, Kelley B. Hise, Jacob M. Bateman McDonald, Elizabeth A. Ottesen, Erin K. Lipp, Charlene R. Jackson, Jonathan G. Frye
Summary: Salmonella, traditionally considered a foodborne pathogen, has been found to potentially have an environmental source related to fresh produce and water. This study investigates the prevalence, diversity, and antimicrobial resistance of Salmonella in a mixed-use watershed in Georgia, USA. It reveals a high diversity of Salmonella strains in surface water, some of which are drug resistant and genetically similar to human isolates, supporting the role of environmental water as a significant reservoir and transmission route of this pathogen.
APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Olivia L. Harrison, Jordan T. Gebhardt, Chad B. Paulk, Brandon L. Plattner, Jason C. Woodworth, Susan Rensing, Cassandra K. Jones, Valentina Trinetta
Summary: This study primarily investigated the infection of weaning pigs exposed to STM-contaminated feed, water, or air. It was found that STM mainly colonized tissues from tonsil, lower intestine, and mesenteric lymph nodes, but no colonization was observed in skeletal muscle destined for human consumption.
JOURNAL OF FOOD PROTECTION
(2022)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Mati Roasto, Silvia Bonardi, Mihkel Maesaar, Lis Alban, Eduarda Gomes-Neves, Madalena Vieira-Pinto, Ivar Vagsholm, Terje Elias, Lene Lund Lindegaard, Bojan Blagojevic
Summary: This study provides an overview of Salmonella enterica in the European pork chain, discussing prevalence, serotype diversity, antimicrobial resistance, and epidemiological importance over the past 20 years. It also presents future trends and recommendations for controlling Salmonella in the European pork production chain. The highest proportions of Salmonella-positive samples were found at the fattening pig farm level, and important serotypes, such as S. Typhimurium and its monophasic variant, showed resistance to multiple antibiotics. A risk-based meat safety assurance system is suggested for future Salmonella control in the pork production chain.
TRENDS IN FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Julian M. Trachsel, Bradley L. Bearson, Brian W. Brunelle, Shawn M. D. Bearson
Summary: This study analyzed the global distribution and antimicrobial resistance of Salmonella enterica serovar 14,[5],12:i:- strains using genomic sequence data from the NCBI Pathogen Detection database. The results showed that these strains were widely distributed in 30 countries across 5 continents, with swine-associated strains being the most frequent food-animal source. Additionally, serovar 14,[5],12:i:- strains exhibited resistance to multiple antimicrobial drugs, indicating the presence of multidrug resistance.
Review
Food Science & Technology
Filiz Yeni, Hilal Samut, Yesim Soyer
Summary: This systematic review highlights the latest research on the effects of non-lactic acid probiotics on foodborne pathogens, with a focus on spore-forming bacteria and species-specific direct antagonism.
FOOD REVIEWS INTERNATIONAL
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Rachel L. Evanowski, Sarah I. Murphy, Martin Wiedmann, Nicole H. Martin
Summary: Bacterial spores in raw milk can survive in harsh processing conditions encountered in dairy manufacturing. Low-spore raw milk is desirable to extend shelf life, expand distribution channels, and reduce spoilage. A previous study showed that on-farm intervention reduced spore levels, and it was found that a considerable proportion of consumers continue to consume fluid milk after the expiration date, highlighting the importance of reducing spore levels.
JOURNAL OF DAIRY SCIENCE
(2023)
Review
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
N. H. Martin, R. L. Evanowski, M. Wiedmann
Summary: Raw milk can become contaminated with bacteria from environmental sources, the cow, and contaminated equipment. Understanding the presence of certain bacterial groups in raw milk is crucial for reducing their impact on processed dairy product quality. The total bacteria count is recommended as a microbiological indicator of raw milk quality and a whole-farm approach to raw milk quality is suggested to ensure continuous improvement in dairy product quality.
JOURNAL OF DAIRY SCIENCE
(2023)
Review
Food Science & Technology
C. Qian, S. Murphy, R. H. Orsi, M. Wiedmann
Summary: With advancements in AI technologies, the development and implementation of digital food systems are becoming more feasible. AI applications such as machine learning, natural language processing, and computer vision have the potential to enhance food safety in various ways. However, obstacles such as limited data sharing and collaborative research efforts hinder the commercial development of AI technologies in food safety. Future actions should focus on data privacy protection, data standardization, and the establishment of a collaborative ecosystem to drive innovations in AI applications for food safety.
ANNUAL REVIEW OF FOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Seray Tok, Mustafa Guzel, Yesim Soyer
Summary: In this study, the researchers investigated the antimicrobial resistance of Salmonella and Escherichia coli in food samples from Turkey and found an increasing trend in colistin resistance in recent years. However, no plasmid-mediated mcr genes were detected, indicating the emergence of chromosomal colistin resistance.
CURRENT MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
T. T. Lott, M. Wiedmann, N. H. Martin
Summary: In the study, the bacterial outgrowth in milk pasteurized at different temperatures was evaluated. The results showed that storage temperature had a significant effect on bacterial concentrations, while high-temperature, short-time (HTST) pasteurization did not. The data indicated that storage temperature had a larger impact on the shelf life of fluid milk than HTST, and abuse temperatures allowed for the growth of certain bacteria species that cannot grow at lower temperatures.
JOURNAL OF DAIRY SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Hilal Samut, Sahin Namli, Fatma Neslihan Ozdemir, Nuray Comlekcioglu, Yesim Soyer
Summary: Climate change affects the survival of foodborne pathogen on fresh produce. Temperature rise increases the bacterial load on plants. The time and route of inoculation also influence pathogen persistence on plants. This study found that E. coli can translocate from seeds to leaves and establish a significant bacterial load on the leaves.
JOURNAL OF FOOD SAFETY
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Ahmed Gaballa, Martin Wiedmann, Laura. M. M. Carroll
Summary: Phosphoethanolamine transferases (PET) are closely related to colistin resistance genes (mcr) and can confer resistance to the last-resort antimicrobial colistin. Through studying the sequence similarity and evolution patterns of mcr and PET, we identified 125 putative novel mcr-like genes that share similar evolutionary patterns with i-PET genes. Our findings suggest that PET genes can give rise to colistin resistance genes through various mechanisms, including mobilization, selection, and diversification of genomic context and regulatory pathways. These mechanisms likely altered gene expression levels and enzyme activity, allowing bona fide PET genes to evolve to function in colistin resistance.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Madison C. C. Williams, Alexandra E. E. Reker, Shally R. R. Margolis, Jingqiu Liao, Martin Wiedmann, Enrique R. R. Rojas, Alexander J. J. Meeske
Summary: Type VI CRISPR systems use Cas13 to recognize viral mRNA, leading to cell dormancy. This study shows that when combined with DNA-cleaving restriction-modification (RM) systems, type VI CRISPR can help resuscitate cells from dormancy by cleaving the phage genome. The co-occurrence of Cas13 and RM systems enhances the neutralization of phage infections.
NATURE MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Anna Schumann, Alexa R. Cohn, Ahmed Gaballa, Martin Wiedmann
Summary: Antimicrobial resistance is a growing concern for human and animal health, and the last resort antibiotics like colistin are crucial. However, the methods for characterizing colistin resistance genes are limited. In this study, we found that commonly used E. coli B-strains are intrinsically resistant to colistin, leading to growth defects when transformed with mcr-expressing plasmids. This finding highlights the importance of selecting appropriate expression hosts for identifying and characterizing AMR genes.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Claire N. Schamp, Nitin Dhowlaghar, Lauren K. Hudson, Daniel W. Bryan, Qixin Zhong, Elizabeth M. Fozo, Ahmed Gaballa, Martin Wiedmann, Thomas G. Denes
Summary: Bacteriophages can be evolved to have improved abilities to control specific foodborne pathogens. In this study, researchers selected for mutant phages with improved infection kinetics in whole milk through experimental evolution. They identified two gene mutations that affected the surface charge of proteins and demonstrated that the fat content in milk is crucial for the expression of this phenotype. The findings highlight the potential of experimental evolution in developing condition-specific phage-based biocontrols in the food industry.
APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Diala Konyali, Mustafa Guzel, Yesim Soyer
Summary: This study investigated the antimicrobial resistance of 373 Salmonella isolates collected in Turkey between 2005 and 2020. The majority of isolates showed resistance to fluoroquinolones and azithromycin, while resistance to ceftriaxone was low.
CURRENT MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
S. Lau, M. Wiedmann, A. Adalja
Summary: With the increasing awareness of the economic and environmental impact of food waste, interventions have been proposed to reduce it. This study focuses on fluid milk and evaluates interventions to extend its shelf life. The findings suggest that increasing periodic equipment cleaning is the most cost-effective strategy for processing plants to improve fluid milk shelf-life, both economically and environmentally. The approaches presented here can help individual firms generate customized assessments for the shelf life of dairy products.
JOURNAL OF DAIRY SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Laura M. Carroll, Nicolo Piacenza, Rachel A. Cheng, Martin Wiedmann, Claudia Guldimann
Summary: A multidrug-resistant (MDR) DT104 complex lineage lacking artAB has been identified in the USA among humans and cattle. This lineage, known as the "U.S. artAB-negative major clade", lacks Gifsy-1 and gogB genes. The clade lost artAB, Gifsy-1, and gogB around 1985-1987. Further research is needed to understand the role of artAB, gogB, and Gifsy-1 in the virulence of DT104 in humans and animals.
MICROBIAL GENOMICS
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Jingqiu Liao, Xiaodong Guo, Shaoting Li, Sai Manohar Balu Anupoju, Rachel A. A. Cheng, Daniel L. Weller, Genevieve Sullivan, Hailong Zhang, Xiangyu Deng, Martin Wiedmann
Summary: Understanding the genomic variation of bacteria in different environments can provide valuable insights into the mechanisms underlying their adaptation and transmission. This knowledge is particularly important for pathogens and benefits public health surveillance. However, our understanding of bacterial genomic variation is limited due to a lack of studies in different ecological contexts. To overcome this limitation, we analyzed a large-scale genomic dataset of the bacterial genus Listeria, including the human pathogen L. monocytogenes, collected from natural and food-related environments in the United States. Our comparative genomics analysis revealed significant differences in genomic profiles between environments within each species. This variation is supported by environment-associated subclades and the presence of plasmids, stress islands, and accessory genes involved in cell envelope biogenesis and carbohydrate transport and metabolism. The core genomes of Listeria species are strongly associated with environments and can accurately predict the source of isolation in L. monocytogenes using machine learning. Our data suggest that Listeria populations have genetically adapted to different environments, potentially limiting their transmission from natural to food-related environments.
ISME COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
