Category Archives: Research

Research – Norovirus Vaccines: Current Clinical Development and Challenges

Posted on December 20, 2021 by | Leave a comment

MDPI

Noroviruses are the major viral pathogens causing epidemic and endemic acute gastroenteritis with significant morbidity and mortality. While vaccines against norovirus diseases have been shown to be of high significance, the development of a broadly effective norovirus vaccine remains difficult, owing to the wide genetic and antigenic diversity of noroviruses with multiple co-circulated variants of various genotypes. In addition, the absence of a robust cell culture system, an efficient animal model, and reliable immune markers of norovirus protection for vaccine evaluation further hinders the developmental process. Among the vaccine candidates that are currently under clinical studies, recombinant VP1-based virus-like particles (VLPs) that mimic major antigenic features of noroviruses are the common ones, with proven safety, immunogenicity, and protective efficacy, supporting a high success likelihood of a useful norovirus vaccine. This short article reviews the recent progress in norovirus vaccine development, focusing on those from recent clinical studies, as well as summarizes the barriers that are being encountered in this developmental process and discusses issues of future perspective. View Full-Text

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Posted in Decontamination Microbial, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Virus, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Norovirus, Research, Virus, Virus Vaccination

Research – Super bugs bedevil food safety

Posted on December 20, 2021 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

“Super bugs” and “food safety.” You can say the two in one breath simply because they are so closely connected.

“Super bugs” is a popularized term for “antibiotic resistance,” or “antimicrobial resistance.” They don’t go by that name for nothing. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, each year in the United States, at least 2.8 million people are infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria or fungi. More than 35,000 people die as a result. Antibiotic resistant bacteria frequently show up in outbreak strains of pathogens such as E. Coli, Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes.

When looking ahead, the picture only gets more daunting. Some medical experts predict that worldwide by 2050 the number of deaths attributed to antibiotic resistance could reach 10 million and cost trillions of dollars — unless collective action is taken on a global scale.

No wonder then that some human and animal health experts are referring to this as a “slow moving pandemic.”

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Posted in Antibiotic Resistance, antimicrobial resistance, E.coli, Food Microbiology Research, Food Pathogen, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Pathogen, pathogenic, Research, Salmonella

Canada – Advice not to consume bolognese sauce packaged in glass jars and sold by the convenience store Le Tapageur

Posted on December 20, 2021 by | Leave a comment

MAPAQ

Bolognese Sauce (CNW Group / Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food)

QUEBEC, Dec. 2021 / CNW Telbec / –  The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPAQ), in collaboration with the convenience store Le Tapageur, located at 591B , rue Principale in Saint-Cléophas-de-Brandon, is notifying the population not to consume the product indicated in the table below, because it has not been packaged in such a way as to ensure its safety.

Product name

Format

Targeted lot

“Bolognese sauce –
Traditional Italian”

1 litre

Units sold until
December 16, 2021

The product that is the subject of this advisory has been offered for sale until December 16, 2021, and only at the establishment listed above. The product was packaged in glass jars with metal lids and sold at room temperature. The product label includes, in addition to its name, the words “Cuisine & Tradition” and “Le Tapageur”.

The operator is voluntarily recalling the product in question. He agreed with MAPAQ to disseminate this warning as a precautionary measure. In addition, people who have this product in their possession are advised not to consume it. They must return it to the establishment where they bought it or throw it away. Even if the affected product does not present any sign of spoilage or a suspicious odor, its consumption may represent a risk to health. It should be noted that no case of illness associated with the consumption of this food has been reported to MAPAQ so far.

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Posted in Decontamination Microbial, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Microbiology Investigations, Research

Iceland – Christmas without foodborne infections

Posted on December 20, 2021 by | Leave a comment

MAST

There is a lot of pressure on Icelanders’ kitchens during Christmas preparations in December and during the holidays. Hygiene, cooling and proper heating of food are extremely important in order to prevent guests and household members from contracting foodborne illnesses with associated inconveniences.

Disease-causing bacteria can enter the kitchen with meat and soil that comes with vegetables and from there into other foods on the kitchen table or in the refrigerator. They can also be received in food from the person handling the food and from the equipment and utensils used in the kitchen.

Noroviruses can spread rapidly at Christmas and it is important for people with symptoms of foodborne illness to refrain from cooking. Regular hand washing reduces the risk of infection between persons or from contaminated food.

Keep in mind that:

  • Raw meat and its juices should not come into contact with ready-to-eat foods
  • Wash fruits and vegetables to prevent bacteria from entering ready-to-eat foods
  • Wash hands before cooking and after contact with raw meat and unwashed vegetables
  • Clean cutting boards and utensils immediately after use
  • Let’s organize the fridge well and keep it clean to prevent cross-contamination
  • We regularly change tablecloths, tea towels and hand towels

Bacteria multiply very rapidly under ideal conditions. At 37 ° C, one bacterium can multiply to 1000 in 3 hours and to 1 million in 6 hours. It is therefore important to store and handle food at a temperature that will prevent the rapid growth of bacteria by limiting the time that sensitive foods, such as smoked and buried fish and cold cuts, are on the table at room temperature. The greatest risk of bacterial growth is when the temperature of the food is between 5 and 60 ° C. Adequate heat treatment kills bacteria and storage at refrigerated temperatures (0-4 ° C) limits their proliferation. If food is to be kept hot, keep it at 60 ° C and when cooling heated food, make sure that it reaches 4 ° C in 3 hours. 

Citizens are encouraged to practice hygiene, proper handling and cooling of food in the kitchen so that foodborne illnesses can be prevented from spoiling the Christmas spirit.

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Posted in Decontamination Microbial, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Research

Research – Food Handling Concerns and Practices at-Home during the COVID-19 Pandemic by Food Security Status

Posted on December 19, 2021 by | Leave a comment

Journal of Food Protection

There is limited examination about COVID-19-related food handling concerns and practices that cause chemical or microbial contamination and illness, particularly among those with food insecurity. We investigated consumer food handling concerns and practices during the COVID-19 pandemic, and whether they differed by food insecurity status. An online survey was distributed among Chicago, Illinois residents between July 15-August 21, 2020 (N=437). Independent t-tests and Fisher’s Exact tests were used to identify differences in food handling concerns and practices between those with and without food insecurity (alpha=0.05). Survey items included questions about food handling practices that were considered safe or neutral (i.e., washing hands and produce with water, sanitizing food packaging) and unsafe (i.e., using cleaning agents to wash foods, leaving perishable foods outside) using 5-point Likert-style scales or categorical responses (i.e., yes, no). Participant responses fell between “slightly” and “somewhat” concerned about contracting COVID-19 from food and food packaging (mean ± SE: 2.7±0.1). While participants reported washing their hands before eating and preparing foods at least “most of the time” (mean ± SE: 4.4 ± 0.0 and 4.5 ± 0.0, respectively), only one-third engaged in unsafe practices. The majority of participants (68%) indicated that they altered food handling practices due to the COVID-19 pandemic and received information about food safety from social media (61%).  When investigating differences in concerns and practices by food insecurity status, food insecure participants were more concerned about COVID-19 foodborne transmission for all food items (ps<0.0001) and more frequently performed unsafe based food handling practices than those with food security (ps<0.0001). Results from this study suggest more investigation is needed to understand barriers to safe food handling knowledge and practices, particularly among those with food insecurity.

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Posted in COVID-19, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Safety, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Research

Research – The Application of Bacillus subtilis for Adhesion Inhibition of Pseudomonas and Preservation of Fresh Fish

Posted on December 19, 2021 by | Leave a comment

MDPI

Inhibiting the growth of spoilage bacteria, such as Pseudomonas spp., is key to reducing spoilage in fish. The mucus adhesion test in vitro showed that the adhesion ability of Bacillus subtilis was positively correlated with its inhibition ability to Pseudomonas spp. In vivo experiments of tilapia showed that dietary supplementation with B. subtilis could reduce the adhesion and colonization of Pseudomonas spp. in fish intestines and flesh, as well as reduce total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) production. High throughput and metabolomic analysis showed treatment with B. subtilis, especially C6, reduced the growth of Pseudomonas spp., Aeromonas spp., Fusobacterium spp., and Enterobacterium spp., as well as aromatic spoilage compounds associated with these bacteria, such as indole, 2,4-bis(1,1-dimethylethyl)-phenol, 3-methyl-1-butanol, phenol, and 1-octen-3-ol. Our work showed that B. subtilis could improve the flavor of fish by changing the intestinal flora of fish, and it shows great promise as a microecological preservative. View Full-Text

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Posted in Bacillus, Bacillus Subtilis, Decontamination Microbial, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Technology, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Pseudomonas, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Research, Technology

Research – Recent Advances in the Mechanisms and Regulation of QS in Dairy Spoilage by Pseudomonas spp.

Posted on December 18, 2021 by | Leave a comment

MDPI

Food spoilage is a serious issue dramatically impacting the worldwide need to counteract food insecurity. Despite the very expensive application of low temperatures, the proper conservation of fresh dairy products is continuously threatened at different stages of production and commercialization by psychrotrophic populations mainly belonging to the Pseudomonas genus. These bacteria cause discolouration, loss of structure, and off-flavours, with fatal implications on the quality and shelf-life of products. While the effects of pseudomonad decay have been widely reported, the mechanisms responsible for the activation and regulation of spoilage pathways are still poorly explored. Recently, molecule signals and regulators involved in quorum sensing (QS), such as homoserine lactones, the luxR/luxI system, hdtS, and psoR, have been detected in spoiled products and bacterial spoiler species; this evidence suggests the role of bacterial cross talk in dairy spoilage and paves the way towards the search for novel preservation strategies based on QS inhibition. The aim of this review was to investigate the advancements achieved by the application of omic approaches in deciphering the molecular mechanisms controlled by QS systems in pseudomonads, by focusing on the regulators and metabolic pathways responsible for spoilage of fresh dairy products. In addition, due the ability of pseudomonads to quickly spread in the environment as biofilm communities, which may also include pathogenic and multidrug-resistant (MDR) species, the risk derived from the gaps in clearly defined and regulated sanitization actions is underlined. View Full-Text

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Posted in Biofilm, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Spoilage, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Pseudomonas, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Research

Research – Role of blue light in bactericidal effect against meat-borne pathogens and freshness maintaining of beef 

Posted on December 18, 2021 by | Leave a comment

Journal of Food Protection

Beef is rich in various nutrients while easily spoils due to contamination by pathogens, thus it is of great significance to develop a bactericidal method to inactivate meat-borne pathogens and meanwhile maintain the freshness of beef. For the first time, the present study investigated the bactericidal effect of blue light (BL) at 415 nm against four meat-borne pathogens (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus , Escherichia coli , Salmonella Typhimurium and Listeria monocytogenes ) in vitro and inoculated on the surface of fresh beef, respectively. When the non-illuminated beef was used as control, the population of the four pathogens did not change significantly ( P > 0.05), while BL-illuminated beef showed dose-dependent inactivation effect in both in vitro and in vivo studies. The experiments on beef cuts showed that 109.44 J/cm 2 of BL inactivated 90% of inoculated cells for the tested strains ( P < 0.05), and the impact of BL inactivation could be sustained in 7 days of cold storage. Notably, changes of lipid oxidation rate, water holding capacity and cooking loss value between the control and beef illuminated by 109.44 J/cm 2 at the same time were scarcely detected during the storage. BL had a minor but insignificant influence on surface color and free amino acid content. Moreover, the pH of illuminated beef increased slower ( P < 0.05) than that of non-illuminated beef. The present work demonstrated that BL could be a novel bactericidal and freshness-maintaining method for fresh beef.

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Posted in E.coli, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Technology, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, MRSA, Research, Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, Technology

USA – CDC – Food Safety Page

Posted on December 17, 2021 by | Leave a comment

4 Steps to Food Safety - Clean, Separate, Cook and Chill

CDC

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Posted in CDC, Decontamination Microbial, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Research

Hong Kong – Raw Oysters and Food Safety

Posted on December 16, 2021 by | Leave a comment

CFS

french oysters

It is getting cold and winter is the traditional season for savouring oysters. There are different ways to enjoy oysters, including deep fried, hot-pot and some members of the public may choose to eat raw oysters. If consumers choose to eat raw oysters, they should be aware of the associated risk. Due to their specific growing nature, oysters can be easily contaminated by pathogens (including bacteria and viruses) and chemical contaminants. Consumption of raw oysters contaminated with pathogens may cause food poisoning, affecting our health.

Consumers who choose to eat raw oysters are advised to take note of the following food safety tips:

  • Susceptible populations (the elderly, young children, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems or liver diseases) should avoid taking raw oysters.
  • Eating raw oysters carries inherent food safety risk. To minimise the impact on health, raw oysters should only be consumed in or obtained from reliable licensed premises.
  • Consumers choose to eat raw oysters are reminded to apply the Five Keys to Food Safety to mitigate the risk.
  • For oysters intended for consumption after cooking, never eat them raw.

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Posted in Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Research