An Introduction to Current Trends in Meat Microbiology and Hygiene

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:sec> <jats:title>Purpose of Review</jats:title> <jats:p>This editorial review aims to provide readers with an introduction to the <jats:italic>Current Clinical Microbiology Report</jats:italic> Special Issue “Meat Microbiology and Hygiene.” It will provide an overview of overarching trends and developments in this field, introduce the articles presented in this Special Issue, and attempt to offer a glimpse into the future of meat microbiology and hygiene.</jats:p> </jats:sec><jats:sec> <jats:title>Recent Findings</jats:title> <jats:p>Meat production has been subjected to transformative changes within the last decade, and the focus of assuring meat safety has shifted to account for changing consumer demands as well as new microbial risks such as strains carrying antimicrobial resistance determinants.</jats:p> </jats:sec><jats:sec> <jats:title>Summary</jats:title> <jats:p>Assuring that meat products meet high safety standards remains crucial to consumers worldwide. New risk-based meat safety assurance systems leveraging latest technological advances are needed to protect consumers and promote public health.</jats:p> </jats:sec&gt

Comparative Phenotypic and Genotypic Analysis of Swiss and Finnish Listeria monocytogenes Isolates with Respect to Benzalkonium Chloride Resistance

Reduced susceptibility of Listeria monocytogenes to benzalkonium chloride (BC), a quaternary ammonium compound widely used in food processing and hospital environments, is a growing public health and food safety concern. The minimal inhibitory concentration of BC on 392 L. monocytogenes strains from Switzerland (CH) and Finland (FIN) was determined. Within this strain collection, benzalkonium chloride resistance was observed in 12.3% (24/195) of Swiss and 10.6% (21/197) of Finnish strains. In both countries, the highest prevalence of BC-resistant strains (CH: 29.4%; FIN: 38.9%) was detected among serotype 1/2c strains. Based on PCR analysis, genes coding for the qacH efflux pump system were detected for most of the BC-resistant strains ( CH: 62.5%; FIN: 52.4%). Some Swiss BC-resistant strains harbored genes coding for the bcrABC(16.7%) efflux pump system, while one Finnish BC-resistant strain harbored the emrE gene previously only described among BC-resistant L. monocytogenes strains from Canada. Interestingly, a subset of BC-resistant strains (CH: 5/24, 20.8%; FIN: 9/21, 42.8%) lacked genes for efflux pumps currently known to confer BC resistance in L. monocytogenes. BC resistance analysis in presence of reserpine showed that the resistance was completely or partially efflux pump dependent in 10 out of the 14 strains lacking the known BC resistance genes. Sequence types 155 and ST403 were over-representated among these strains suggesting that these strains might share similar but yet unknown mechanisms of BC resistance.Peer reviewe

Growth potential of Listeria monocytogenes in six different RTE fruit products: impact of food matrix, storage temperature and shelf life

We tested the growth potential of Listeria monocytogenes on six RTE fruit products at low (4°C at the factory followed by 8°C retail/home storage) and abusive (4°C followed by 12°C) storage temperatures. Sliced coconut and fresh cut cantaloupe, as well as a fruit mix containing diced pineapple, cantaloupe, apples and grapes supported the growth of L. monocytogenes with a growth potential d>0.5 log CFU/g over six days. Mangoes, a mix of diced kiwi, cantaloupe and pineapple as well as a mix of diced pineapple, mango, grapefruit, kiwi and pomegranate did not support a growth potential that exceeded 0.5 log CFU/g over six days. The growth potential of L. monocytogenes correlated significantly with the pH; no product with a pH below 4 showed a significant growth potential of L. monocytogenes. Time after inoculation was also a significant predictor of the growth potential, while the fruit type and storage temperature were not

Cost-effectiveness of voretigene neparvovec in the treatment of patients with inherited retinal disease with RPE65 mutation in Switzerland

Objective: We aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of voretigene neparvovec (VN) compared with standard of care (SoC) for patients with inherited retinal disease (IRD) caused by a biallelic RPE65-mutation. VN is a live, non-replicating adeno-associated virus serotype 2 (AAV2). SoC is best supportive care provided to patients with visual impairment. Patients under SoC may experience progressive vision loss leading to complete blindness. Methods: We adapted a previously published Markov cohort model for IRD. An annual cycle length, life-long time horizon, discount rate of 3% for cost and health outcomes, and Swiss health system perspective were used. Data from a randomised controlled phase III trial of VN versus SoC (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00999609) were used to estimate transitions between health states in the first year, after which VN patients were assumed to remain for 39 subsequent years in the health state they were in at the end of the first year. After the 40th year for VN patients and 1st year for SoC patients, visual decline was modelled based on observational data on the natural progression of the disease. Quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) were calculated based on an external study which elicited clinicians' EQ-5D-5L-based utility estimates for IRD patients with a RPE65-mutation. Costs (Swiss Francs (CHF), year 2018-2019) included drug acquisition/ administration, adverse events, testing for sufficient viable retinal cells, and healthcare-related costs of blindness. Societal costs of blindness were added in a complementary analysis. Robustness of the model results were tested in sensitivity and scenario analyses. Results: For the base-case, VN resulted in incremental costs per patient of CHF 764'402 (VN: CHF 901'654, SoC: CHF 137'252), incremental blindness-free years of 7.67 (VN: 28.32, SoC: 20.65) and incremental QALYs of 6.73 (VN: 18.35, SoC: 11.62), leading to an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of CHF 113'526 per QALY gained. In probabilistic sensitivity analysis, the cost-effectiveness of VN was better than CHF 100,000 per QALY gained in 41% of iterations. For the scenario analysis in which a societal perspective was adopted and for which a 50% work-related productivity loss from blindness was assumed, incremental costs of CHF 423,837 and an ICER of CHF 62'947 per QALY gained were produced. The scenario assuming VN treatment effect lasts for 20 years produced an ICER of CHF 156'171 per QALY gained, whereas assuming a life-long VN treatment effect resulted in an ICER of CHF 96'384 per QALY gained. Conclusion: The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of VN compared to the SoC was estimated to be CHF 113'526 and CHF 62'947 per QALY gained, respectively, from a Swiss healthcare system, and societal perspective assuming a 50% productivity loss. Keywords: Cost effectiveness; Health Economics; Inherited retinal disease; RPE65; Switzerland; Voretigene neparvove

Whole-genome sequences of six Listeria monocytogenes strains isolated from food

Here, we report the whole-genome sequences of six Listeria monocytogenes strains isolated from meat and milk products in Switzerland. All of these strains carry premature stop codons or amino acid deletions in inlA