Strain effect on the heterogeneity of individual-cell growth kinetics of Salmonella Typhimurium

The present study showed that the variability of individual-cell growth kinetics may differ among strains of S. Typhimurium. The results provide useful quantitative information for incorporating strain variability and heterogeneity in individual-cell behavior in stochastic growth models and risk assessment studies

Assessment of the effect of a Salmonella enterica ser. Typhimurium culture supernatant on the single-cell lag time of foodborne pathogens

The objective of this study was the in vitro evaluation of the effect of a cell-free microbial supernatant, produced by a luxS-positive Salmonella enterica ser. Typhimurium strain, on the single-cell growth kinetic behavior of two strains of S. enterica (serotypes Enteritidis and Typhimurium) and a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strain. The single-cell lag time (λ) of the pathogens was estimated in the absence and presence (20% v/v) of microbial supernatant based on optical density measurements. As demonstrated by the obtained results, the tested microbial supernatant had a strain-specific effect on the single-cell λ and its variability. Although the mean λ values were similar in the absence and presence of microbial supernatant in the case of Salmonella Enteritidis, a significant (P ≤ 0.05) reduction and increase in the mean value of this parameter in the presence of microbial supernatant were observed for Salmonella Typhimurium and St. aureus, respectively. With regard to the effect of the tested microbial supernatant on the single-cell variability of λ, similar λ distributions were obtained in its absence and presence for S. Enteritidis, while considerable differences were noted for the other two tested organisms; the coefficient of variation of λ in the absence and presence of microbial supernatant was 41.6 and 69.8% for S. Typhimurium, respectively, with the corresponding values for St. aureus being 74.0 and 56.9%. As demonstrated by the results of bioassays, the tested microbial supernatant exhibited autoinducer-2 activity, indicating a potential association of such quorum sensing compounds with the observed effects. Although preliminary in nature, the collected data provide a good basis for future research on the role of quorum sensing in the single-cell growth behavior of foodborne pathogens

Single-cell growth kinetic behavior of pathogenic bacteria in the presence of microbial supernatants containing autoinducer-2 signal compounds

The findings of this study constitute preliminary data on the role of QS compounds on the single-cell growth behavior of important pathogens, knowledge that maybe useful in understanding the mechanisms underlying their behavior as well as in developing strategies for their control in situ

Monitoring the growth of Salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium in silico and in situ with a view in gene expression

In the present study, the ability of S. Typhimurium to develop a biofilm community on rocket tissue was investigated at 20°C. The differences on expression of genes associated with several functional roles during growth of S. Typhimurium on rocket extract and rocket tissue regarding a laboratory growth medium (Luria – Bertani broth, LB) was also monitored. The findings of the present study could show that Salmonella reacts as exposed to different types of stress when inoculated to a heat sterile plant extract and plant tissue. However, further studies are needed to better determine the survival and / or growth of these as “real” biofilm cells on plant tissues

Effect of rocket (Eruca sativa) extract on MRSA growth and proteome: Metabolic adjustments in plant-based media

The emergence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in food has provoked a great concern about the presence of MRSA in associated foodstuff. Although MRSA is often detected in various retailed meat products, it seems that food handlers are more strongly associated with this type of food contamination. Thus, it can be easily postulated that any food could be contaminated with this pathogen in an industrial environment or in household and cause food poisoning. To this direction, the effect of rocket (Eruca sativa) extract on MRSA growth and proteome was examined in the present study. This goal was achieved with the comparative study of the MRSA strain COL proteome, cultivated in rocket extract versus the standard Luria-Bertani growth medium. The obtained results showed that MRSA was able to grow in rocket extract. In addition, proteome analysis using 2-DE method showed that MRSA strain COL is taking advantage of the sugar-, lipid-, and vitamin-rich substrate in the liquid rocket extract, although its growth was delayed in rocket extract compared to Luria-Bertani medium. This work could initiate further research about bacterial metabolism in plant-based media and defense mechanisms against plant-derived antibacterials

Quorum sensing : understanding the role of bacteria in meat spoilage

Quorum sensing is a fundamental process to all of microbiology since it is ubiquitous in the bacterial world, where bacterial cells communicate with each other using low molecular weight signal molecules called autoinducers. Despite the fact that quorum sensing regulates numerous bacterial behaviours, very few studies have addressed the role of this phenomenon in foods. The microbial association of beef consists mainly of pseudomonads, Enterobacteriaceae, Brochothrix thermosphacta and lactic acid bacteria as revealed by minced beef samples purchased from retail shops, which fluctuates according to the storage conditions. Certain members of the microbial association, which are considered to produce signal molecules, have been found to be major contributors to meat spoilage. Pseudomonas fragi and Enterobacteriaceae strains, i.e., Hafnia alvei and Serratia liquefaciens are among the most common quorum sensing signal producers recovered from various food environments. Cont/d.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Quantifying meat spoilage with an array of biochemical indicators

Freshness and safety of muscle foods are generally considered as the most important parameters for the food industry. It is crucial to validate and establish new rapid methods for the accurate detection of microbial spoilage of meats. In the current thesis, the microbial association of meat was monitored in parallel with the chemical changes, pH measurements and sensory analysis. Several chemical analytical techniques were applied to explore their dynamics on quantifying spoilage indicators and evaluate the shelf life of meat products. The applied analytical methods used were Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, image analysis, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy (GC/MS). The first component of the study was designed to evaluate the potential of FTIR spectroscopy as a rapid, reagent-less and non-destructive analytical technique in estimating the freshness and shelf life of beef. For this reason, minced beef samples survey from the Greek market), beef fillet samples stored aerobically (0, 5, 10, 15 and 20ºC) and minced beef samples stored aerobically, under modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) and active packaging (0, 5, 10, and 15ºC), were analysed with FTIR. The statistical analysis from the survey revealed that the impact of the market type, the packaging type, the day and the season of purchase had a significant effect on the microbial association of mince. Furthermore, the Principal Components Analysis (PCA) and Factorial Discriminant Analysis (FDA), applied to the FTIR spectral data, showed discrimination of the samples based on freshness, packaging type, the day and season of purchase. The validated overall classification accuracies VCA) were 61.7% for the freshness, 79.2% for the packaging 80.5% for the season and 61.7% for the day of purchase. The shelf life of beef fillets and minced beef was evaluated and correlated with FTIR spectral data. This analysis revealed discrimination of the samples regarding their freshness (VCA 81.6% for the fillets, 76.34% for the mince), their storage temperature (VCA 55.3% and 88.1% for the fillets and mince, respectively) and the packaging type (VCA 92.5% for the mince). Moreover, estimations of the different microbial populations using Partial Least Squares Regression (PLS-R) were demonstrated (e.g. Total viable counts-TVC: RMSE 1.34 for the beef fillets and 0.72 for the mince). Cont/d.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Antimicrobial activity and bioactive compounds of portuguese wild edible mushrooms methanolic extracts

The antimicrobial properties of phenolic extracts of Portuguese wild edible mushroom species (Lactarius deliciosus, Sarcodon imbricatus and Tricholoma portentosum) against pathogens were investigated. The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were evaluated for the entire mushroom, the cap and the stipe, separately; the portion of the mushroom used proved to be influenced in the results obtained, which are directly correlated with the content of total phenols and flavonoids in the extracts. The growth of Grampositive bacteria (Bacillus cereus, B. subtilis,) was well inhibited by these mushrooms, while Escherichia coli (Gramnegative bacteria) was resistant. The study on the antifungal effect of these mushrooms revealed that Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans were differently inhibited for the mushrooms used

Estimating the prevalence of food risk increasing behaviours in UK kitchens

© 2017 Jones et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Foodborne disease poses a serious threat to public health. In the UK, half a million cases are linked to known pathogens and more than half of all outbreaks are associated with catering establishments. The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) has initiated the UK Food Hygiene Rating Scheme in which commercial food establishments are inspected and scored with the results made public. In this study we investigate the prevalence of food risk increasing behaviours among chefs, catering students and the public. Given the incentive for respondents to misreport when asked about illegal or illicit behaviours we employed a Randomised Response Technique designed to elicit more accurate prevalence rates of such behaviours. We found 14% of the public not always hand-washing immediately after handling raw meat, poultry or fish; 32% of chefs and catering students had worked within 48 hours of suffering from diarrhoea or vomiting. 22% of the public admitted having served meat “on the turn” and 33% of chefs and catering students admitted working in kitchens where such meat was served; 12% of the public and 16% of chefs and catering students admitted having served chicken at a barbeque when not totally sure it was fully cooked. Chefs in fine-dining establishment were less likely to wash their hands after handling meat and fish and those who worked in award winning restaurants were more likely to have returned to work within 48 hours of suffering from diarrhoea and vomiting. We found no correlation between the price of a meal in an establishment, nor its Food Hygiene Rating Score, and the likelihood of any of the food malpractices occurring

Diet rapidly and reproducibly alters the human gut microbiome

Long-term diet influences the structure and activity of the trillions of microorganisms residing in the human gut1–5, but it remains unclear how rapidly and reproducibly the human gut microbiome responds to short-term macronutrient change. Here, we show that the short-term consumption of diets composed entirely of animal or plant products alters microbial community structure and overwhelms inter-individual differences in microbial gene expression. The animal-based diet increased the abundance of bile-tolerant microorganisms (Alistipes, Bilophila, and Bacteroides) and decreased the levels of Firmicutes that metabolize dietary plant polysaccharides (Roseburia, Eubacterium rectale, and Ruminococcus bromii). Microbial activity mirrored differences between herbivorous and carnivorous mammals2, reflecting trade-offs between carbohydrate and protein fermentation. Foodborne microbes from both diets transiently colonized the gut, including bacteria, fungi, and even viruses. Finally, increases in the abundance and activity of Bilophila wadsworthia on the animal-based diet support a link between dietary fat, bile acids, and the outgrowth of microorganisms capable of triggering inflammatory bowel disease6. In concert, these results demonstrate that the gut microbiome can rapidly respond to altered diet, potentially facilitating the diversity of human dietary lifestyles