| 1. |
- Egervärn, Maria, et al.
(författare)
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Escherichia coli with extended-spectrum beta-lactamases or transferable AmpC beta-lactamases and Salmonella on meat imported into Sweden
- 2014
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Ingår i: International Journal of Food Microbiology. - : Elsevier. - 0168-1605 .- 1879-3460. ; 171, s. 8-14
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The presence of Enterobacteriaceae producing extended spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL) or transferable AmpC beta-lactamases (pAmpC) is increasingly being reported in humans and animals world-wide. Their occurrence in food-producing animals suggests that meat is a possible link between the two populations. This study investigated the occurrence and characteristics of Salmonella and ESBL- or pAmpC-producing E. coli in 430 samples of beef, pork and broiler meat imported into Sweden, in order to provide data required for assessing the potential public health risk of these bacteria in food. Depending on region of origin, ESBL/pAmpC-producing E. coli were found in 0-8% of beef samples, 2-13% of pork samples and 15-95% of broiler meat samples. The highest prevalence was in South American broiler meat (95%), followed by broiler meat from Europe (excluding Denmark) (61%) and from Denmark (15%). Isolates from meat outside Scandinavia were generally defined as multiresistant. A majority of the ESBL/pAmpC genes were transferable by conjugation. Bla(CTX-M-2) and bla(CTX-M-8) were the dominant genes in E. coli from South American broiler meat, whereas bla(CMY-2) and bla(CTX-M-1) dominated in European meat. The majority of bla(CMY-2) and bla(CTX-M-1) were situated on plasmids of replicon type incK and incI1, respectively. The same combinations of ESBL/pAmpC genes and plasmids have been described previously in clinical human isolates. Salmonella was found in five samples tested, from European pork and broiler meat. No Salmonella isolate was resistant to third-generation cephalosporins. In conclusion, meat imported into Sweden, broiler meat in particular, is a potential source of human exposure to ESBL- and pAmpC-producing E. coli.
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| 2. |
- Grønlund, H., et al.
(författare)
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Microarray-based genotyping of Salmonella : Inter-laboratory evaluation of reproducibility and standardization potential
- 2011
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Ingår i: International Journal of Food Microbiology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0168-1605 .- 1879-3460. ; 145:SUPPL. 1, s. S79-S85
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Bacterial food-borne infections in humans caused by Salmonella spp. are considered a crucial food safety issue. Therefore, it is important for the risk assessments of Salmonella to consider the genomic variation among different isolates in order to control pathogen-induced infections. Microarray technology is a promising diagnostic tool that provides genomic information on many genes simultaneously. However, standardization of DNA microarray analysis is needed before it can be used as a routine method for characterizing Salmonella isolates across borders and laboratories. A comparative study was designed in which the agreement of data from a DNA microarray assay used for typing Salmonella spp. between two different labs was assessed. The study was expected to reveal the possibility of obtaining the same results in different labs using different equipment in order to evaluate the reproducibility of the microarray technique as a first step towards standardization. The low-density array contains 281 57-60-mer oligonucleotide probes for detecting a wide range of specific genomic marker genes associated with antibiotic resistance, cell envelope structures, mobile genetic elements and pathogenicity. Several critical methodology parameters that differed between the two labs were identified. These related to printing facilities, choice of hybridization buffer, wash buffers used following the hybridization and choice of procedure for purifying genomic DNA. Critical parameters were randomized in a four-factorial experiment and statistical measures of inter-lab consistency and agreement were performed based on the kappa coefficient. A high level of agreement (kappa = 0.7-1.0) in microarray results was obtained even when employing different printing and hybridization facilities, different procedures for purifying genomic DNA and different wash buffers. However, less agreement (Kappa = 0.2-0.6) between microarray results were observed when using different hybridization buffers, indicating this parameter as being highly critical when transferring a standard microarray assay between laboratories. In conclusion, this study indicates that DNA microarray assays can be reproduced in at least two different facilities, which is a pre-requisite for the development of standard guidelines. © 2010 Elsevier B.V.
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| 3. |
- Hellström, Andreas, 1980, et al.
(författare)
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Biodiversity and phytase capacity of yeasts isolated from Tanzanian togwa
- 2010
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Ingår i: International Journal of Food Microbiology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1879-3460 .- 0168-1605. ; 136:3, s. 352-358
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The focus of the present investigation was on the Tanzanian fermented food togwa as a source for dietary iron and zinc, and the potential for mineral availability improvements using selected yeasts. To establish the content of target minerals and main inhibitor for intestinal uptake, iron and zinc as well as the mineral chelating phytic acid, (IP6 or phytate) were determined in naturally fermented togwa. Yeasts were isolated from sorghum, maize and cassava based togwa, and identified by sequencing the D1/D2 region of the LSU rRNA gene. The isolated yeasts were subsequently screened for phytase activity.The total iron content in sorghum, maize and cassava based togwa were 41.5 (±7.2), 85.4 (±31.9) and 28.6 (±3.8) μg/g dw (dry weight) respectively. The zinc content was 12.3 (±3.1), 11.0 (±1.1) and 6.4 (±4.5) μg/g dw in sorghum, maize and cassava based togwa, and the phytate content in the three varieties were 2.6±1.2, 4.7±0.8 and 0.4±0.4 μmol/g dw respectively. The phytate levels in the sorghum and maize based togwa are expected to substantially reduce the availability of iron. The molar ratio phytate to iron for these two varieties were estimated to be 3.5:1 and 3.1:1 respectively. In general, a phytate to iron molar ratio below 1 is needed to increase the availability of iron.Among 26 isolates, 9 different species could be distinguished: Issatchenkia orientalis, Pichia anomala, Pichia norvegensis, Pichia burtonii, Pichia guilliermondii, Kluyveromyces marxianus, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Hanseniaspora guilliermondii and Candida glabrata. The strains were screened for phytase activity in YPD supplemented with 0.5 mM IP6. Of 26 screened strains, the phytase activity was most prominent in strains of I. orientalis and H. guilliermondii. The strains and data constitute a basis for further improvements of iron andzinc bioavailability in togwa.
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| 4. |
- Hellström, Andreas, 1980, et al.
(författare)
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Degradation of phytate by Pichia kudriavzevii TY13 and Hanseniaspora guilliermondii TY14 in Tanzanian togwa
- 2012
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Ingår i: International Journal of Food Microbiology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1879-3460 .- 0168-1605. ; 153:1-2, s. 73-77
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The fermented cereal-based gruel togwa is used as weaning food for children in Tanzania. Togwa is rich in minerals but these are often not available for uptake in the human intestine due to natural inhibitors, such as phytate (IP 6). The yeasts Pichia kudriavzevii TY13, Hanseniaspora guilliermondii TY14 and TY20, isolated from Tanzanian togwa, and selected for high phytase activity in complex yeast medium YPD, were now studied regarding their ability to degrade IP 6 in maize-based model togwa. A modified constitutively high-phytase producing Saccharomyces cerevisiae BY80 and commercial Aspergillus ficuum phytase were included for comparison. In addition, a strain of Lactobacillus plantarum was included in the model-togwa set-up.All yeasts in the study grew and reached final cell density 1.5-2 log units higher than the start value. S. cerevisiae BY80 degraded 85% of the IP 6 in 48h; the same degradation level as with A. ficuum phytase (89%). Of the togwa-isolated yeasts, P. kudriavzevii TY13 and H. guilliermondii TY14 showed strong phytate degradation in the model-togwa; 95% or more of the initial IP 6 was degraded after 48h. This corresponds to a remaining level of 0.4 and 0.3μmol IP 6/g dw. Co-inoculation with L. plantarum did not increase IP 6 degradation. Moreover, fermentation with P. kudriavzevii TY13 yielded a successive increase in inorganic phosphate (P i), from 0.7 to 5.4mM, suggesting a phytase production in TY13 which is fairly insensitive to P i repression. The study shows that phytate in a model togwa is available for yeast phytase enzymes, and addresses the importance of strain selection for effectively degrading the phytate. Certain yeasts originating from togwa seem to have developed a natural high phytase production, and P. kudriavzevii TY13 and H. guilliermondii TY14 seem particularly well adapted to phytate degradation in togwa, and is our choice for further studies and strain improvement.
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| 5. |
- Jensen, Dan Funck
(författare)
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Characterization of microbial communities and fungal metabolites on field grown strawberries from organic and conventional production
- 2013
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Ingår i: International Journal of Food Microbiology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0168-1605 .- 1879-3460. ; 160, s. 313-322
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The background levels of culturable indigenous microbial communities (microbiotas) on strawberries were examined in a field survey with four conventional and four organic growers with different production practise and geographic distribution. The microbiota on apparently healthy strawberries was complex including potential plant pathogens, opportunistic human pathogens, plant disease biocontrol agents and mycotoxin producers. The latter group was dominated by Penicillium spp. and Aspergillus niger was also isolated. As expected, bacteria were the most abundant and diverse group of the strawberry microbiota followed by yeasts and filamentous fungi. No obvious correlation between grower practice and the strawberry microbiota was observed. Differences between microbiotas on strawberries from conventional systems with up to 10 fungicide spray treatments and organic production systems were insignificant. Mycotoxins were not detected in mature strawberries from any of the eight different growers neither in additional samples of low quality berries. However, isolates of Penicillium expansum and A. niger produced high amounts of mycotoxins when incubated on strawberries at 25 degrees C. Penicillium polonicum produced cyclopenol, cyclopenin, and viridicatin on the artificially infected berries, while Altemaria arborescens produced tenuazonic acid, Alternaria tenuissima produced altertoxin land altenuene, and Trichoderma spp. produced several peptaibols. In conclusion, native strawberry microbiotas are highly diverse both in terms of taxonomic groups and functional traits that are important in relation to plant and human health. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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| 6. |
- Knutsson, R., et al.
(författare)
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Accidental and deliberate microbiological contamination in the feed and food chains - How biotraceability may improve the response to bioterrorism
- 2011
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Ingår i: International Journal of Food Microbiology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0168-1605 .- 1879-3460. ; 145:SUPPL. 1, s. S123-S128
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A next frontier of the global food safety agenda has to consider a broad spectrum of bio-risks, such as accidental and intentional contaminations in the food and feed chain. In this article, the background for the research needs related to biotraceability and response to bioterrorism incidents are outlined. Given the current scale of international trade any response need to be considered in an international context. Biotraceability (e.g. the ability to use downstream information to point to processes or within a particular food chain that can be identified as the source of undesirable agents) is crucial in any food-born outbreak and particular in the response to bioterrorism events. In the later case, tested and proven biotraceability improves the following: (i) international collaboration of validated tracing tools and detection methods, (ii) multi-disciplinary expertise and collaboration in the field of food microbiology and conceptual modeling of the food chain, (iii) sampling as a key step in biotracing (iv) optimized sample preparation procedures, including laboratory work in Biosafety level 3 (BSL-3) laboratories, (v) biomarker discovery for relevant tracing and tracking applications, and (vi) high-throughput sequencing using bio-informatic platforms to speed up the characterization of the biological agent. By applying biotraceability, the response phase during a bioterrorism event may be shortened and is facilitated for tracing the origin of biological agent contamination. © 2010 Elsevier B.V.
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| 7. |
- Krämer, N., et al.
(författare)
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A novel strategy to obtain quantitative data for modelling : Combined enrichment and real-time PCR for enumeration of salmonellae from pig carcasses
- 2011
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Ingår i: International Journal of Food Microbiology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0168-1605 .- 1879-3460. ; 145:SUPPL. 1, s. S86-S95
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Salmonella is a major zoonotic pathogen which causes outbreaks and sporadic cases of gastroenteritis in humans worldwide. The primary sources for Salmonella are food-producing animals such as pigs and poultry. For risk assessment and hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) concepts, it is essential to produce large amounts of quantitative data, which is currently not achievable with the standard cultural based methods for enumeration of Salmonella. This study presents the development of a novel strategy to enumerate low numbers of Salmonella in cork borer samples taken from pig carcasses as a first concept and proof of principle for a new sensitive and rapid quantification method based on combined enrichment and real-time PCR. The novelty of the approach is in the short pre-enrichment step, where for most bacteria, growth is in the log phase. The method consists of an 8h pre-enrichment of the cork borer sample diluted 1:10 in non-selective buffered peptone water, followed by DNA extraction, and Salmonella detection and quantification by real-time PCR. The limit of quantification was 1.4 colony forming units (CFU)/20cm2 (approximately 10g) of artificially contaminated sample with 95% confidence interval of±0.7 log CFU/sample. The precision was similar to the standard reference most probable number (MPN) method. A screening of 200 potentially naturally contaminated cork borer samples obtained over seven weeks in a slaughterhouse resulted in 25 Salmonella-positive samples. The analysis of salmonellae within these samples showed that the PCR method had a higher sensitivity for samples with a low contamination level (<6.7CFU/sample), where 15 of the samples negative with the MPN method was detected with the PCR method and 5 were found to be negative by both methods. For the samples with a higher contamination level (6.7-310CFU/sample) a good agreement between the results obtained with the PCR and MPN methods was obtained. The quantitative real-time PCR method can easily be applied to other food and environmental matrices by adaptation of the pre-enrichment time and media. © 2010 Elsevier B.V.
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| 8. |
- Leong, Su-lin L., et al.
(författare)
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The extreme xerophilic mould Xeromyces bisporus : Growth and competition at various water activities
- 2011
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Ingår i: International Journal of Food Microbiology. - Amsterdam, Netherlands : Elsevier. - 0168-1605 .- 1879-3460. ; 145:1, s. 57-63
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Little is known about the mould, Xeromyces bisporus, unique in its strong xerophilicity and ability to grow at water activity (a(w)) 0.62, lower than for any other known organism. The linear growth rates of one fast and one slow-growing strain of X. bisporus were assessed at 20, 25, 30 and 37 degrees C on solid agar media containing a mixture of glucose and fructose to reduce a(w) to 0.94, 0.88, 0.84, 0.80, 0.76 and 0.66. Growth rates of xerophilic species closely related to X. bisporus, viz. Chrysosporium Mops, C. xerophilum and Monascus eremophilus, were also assessed. Optimal conditions for growth of both X. bisporus strains were approx. 0.84 a(w) and 30 degrees C, despite FRR 2347 growing two- to five-fold faster than CBS 185.75. X. bisporus FRR 2347 even grew well at 0.66 a(w) (0.48 mm/day). C. Mops and C xerophilurn were more tolerant of high a(w) than X. bisporus. and could be differentiated from each other based on: the faster growth of C. xerophilum; its preference for temperatures >= 30 degrees C and a(w) >= 0.94 (c.f. <= 25 degrees C and similar to 0.88 a(w) for C Mops); and its ability to grow at 0.66 a(w), which is the lowest a(w) reported to date for this species. M. eremophilus grew slowly (max. 0.4 mm/day) even in its optimal conditions of similar to 0.88 a(w) and 25 degrees C. To investigate the competitive characteristics of X. bisporus at low a(w), both X. bisporus strains were grown in dual-culture with xerotolerant species Aspergillus flavus and Penicillium roqueforti, and xerophilic species A. penicillioides, C. Mops, C. xerophilum and Eurotium chevalieri, on glucose-fructose agar plates at 0.94, 0.84, 0.80 and 0.76 a(w) and at 25 degrees C. Growth rates and types of interactions were assessed. Excretion of inhibitory substances acting over a long-range was not observed by any species; inhibitors acting over a short-range that temporarily slowed competitors' growth or produced a protective zone around the colony were occasionally observed for A. penicillioides, C. Mops and C. xerophilum. Instead, rapid growth relative to the competitor was the most common means of dominance. The xerotolerant species. A. flavus and P. roqueforti were dominant over X. bisporus at 0.94 a(w). E. chevalieri was often dominant due to its rapid growth over the entire a(w) range. At a(w) < 0.80, X. bisporus was competitive because it grew faster than the other species examined. This supports the concept that its ideal environmental niche is sugary foods with low a(w).
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| 9. |
- Lind, Helena, et al.
(författare)
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Glycerol Enhances the Antifungal Activity of Dairy Propionibacteria
- 2010
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Ingår i: International Journal of Food Microbiology. - New York, USA : Hindawi Limited. - 0168-1605 .- 1879-3460 .- 1687-918X .- 1687-9198. ; 2010
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Dairy propionibacteria are widely used in starter cultures for Swiss type cheese. These bacteria can ferment glucose, lactic acid, and glycerol into propionic acid, acetic acid, and carbon dioxide. This research examined the antifungal effect of dairy propionibacteria when glycerol was used as carbon source for bacterial growth. Five type strains of propionibacteria were tested against the yeast Rhodotorula mucilaginosa and the molds Penicillium commune and Penicillium roqueforti. The conversion of 13C glycerol by Propionibacterium jensenii was followed with nuclear magnetic resonance. In a dual culture assay, the degree of inhibition of the molds was strongly enhanced by an increase in glycerol concentrations, while the yeast was less affected. In broth cultures, decreased pH in glycerol medium was probably responsible for the complete inhibition of the indicator fungi. NMR spectra of the glycerol conversion confirmed that propionic acid was the dominant metabolite. Based on the results obtained, the increased antifungal effect seen by glycerol addition to cultures of propionibacteria is due to the production of propionic acid and pH reduction of the medium
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| 10. |
- Lindqvist, Roland
(författare)
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Time to growth and inactivation of three STEC outbreak strains under conditions relevant for fermented sausages
- 2011
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Ingår i: International Journal of Food Microbiology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0168-1605 .- 1879-3460. ; 145, s. 49-56
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Published models predicting growth and survival capabilities of shiga-toxin-producing Escherichia coil (STEC) under a(w) and lactic acid stress were validated by performing experiments with fermented sausage associated outbreak strains. Strain variation in inactivation and time to growth (TIC) were investigated for strains representing three serotypes (0103, 0111, and 0157). The TIC and growth boundaries of each strain were compared with predictions of a model for generic acid adapted E. coli and survival with predictions of two inactivation models. In addition, the influence of strain variation on the performance of the inactivation models, in terms of bias and accuracy factors, was illustrated. Strains with induced acid tolerance were used in broths containing 50 or 110 mM total lactic acid. The concentration of undissociated lactic acid (HLac) was adjusted by setting the pH-value, and water activity (0.900 to 0.995 depending on experiment) was adjusted by adding NaCl. The survival capabilities of the outbreak strains were good compared to the model predictions. The average bias factors of inactivation model predictions were within a factor of 2.2 depending on the strain used to validate the model indicating that inactivation rates of outbreak strains were slower than predicted. However, the observed rates were similar to the rates of a previously studied acid tolerant generic E. coil strain. Similarly, the time to growth of two of the strains (0103 and 0157) was comparable with model predictions, whereas the growth capability of the third strain (0111) was lower than predicted. These results suggest that the properties of the most tolerant sausage outbreak strains are comparable to tolerant generic E. coli strains, which imply that suitable non-pathogenic E. coli strains are valid surrogates for fermented sausage outbreak strains. The relative sensitivity of strains depended on the environmental parameters and the response evaluated. The strain with the smallest log reduction at 20 C was 0157, whereas it was strain 0103 at 8 degrees C. Under conditions unfavorable for growth, the time to growth was much shorter for strains 0103 and O157 than for strain O111, whereas differences between strains were negligible under conditions favorable for growth. Depending on the response variable and the specific application the limitation of not addressing strain variation may lead to biased, fail-dangerous, predictions. Thus, solutions on how to best address strain variation in the development and validation of predictive models are needed. (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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