Foodborne Pathogens: Detection Methods, Food Safety, and Public Health 2.0

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Microbiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2024 | Viewed by 941

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Production Animal Studies, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X 04, Onderstepoort, Pretoria 0110, South Africa
Interests: veterinary public health; food safety; veterinary microbiology; zoonoses; epidemiology; research
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

For decades, foodborne pathogens have been responsible for cases or outbreaks of disease in humans, some with high morbidities or case fatality rates. These pathogens include viruses, bacteria, and parasites. The spectrum of pathogens, the frequency of occurrence, and the severity of the illnesses they cause vary between food types, eating habits, sanitary practices at retail outlets, public eating outlets, and home kitchens.

In this Special Issue, we plan to highlight the involvement of pathogens such as non-typhoidal Salmonella, Clostridium perfringens, Staphylococcus aureus, Campylobacter spp., Shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC) and other E. coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Norovirus, Hepatitis A, Toxoplasma gondii, Cyclospora cayetanensis, and others. The objective of this Special Issue is to present articles that link the occurrence of these pathogens in foods (raw, minimally processed, ultra-processed, and ready-to-eat) in developing and developed economies to practices that contribute to their survival, multiplication, and entry into the human food chain. Overall, the detection of pathogens in foods is vital in determining and assessing the risk they pose to consumers.

For this Special Issue, we invite articles focused on the detection methods (conventional/traditional and molecular) of these foodborne pathogens, with an emphasis on the comparative sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and application of these methods. In addition, it is important to also know the attributes (toxin, virulence genes, etc.) of these organisms which contribute to their pathogenicity and virulence. We are also interested in studies that provide a link between food safety (preparation, handling, and storage of foods to prevent human exposure to illness) and public health through the farm-to-fork approach.

To build on the papers published in the first version of this Special Issue (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/microorganisms/special_issues/foodborne_pathogens_detection_safety), in the proposed ‘Pathogens: Detection Methods, Food Safety and Public Health 2.0’ we would appreciate more manuscripts where molecular methods have been used for the detection and characterization of pathogens, as well as their application.

Prof. Dr. Abiodun Adewale Adesiyun
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • foodborne pathogens
  • bacteria
  • viruses
  • parasites
  • detection methods
  • virulence
  • pathogenicity
  • food safety
  • public health

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 2945 KiB  
Article
Gold Nanoparticle-Based Plasmonic Detection of Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica, Campylobacter jejuni, and Listeria monocytogenes from Bovine Fecal Samples
by Ahmed Ghazy, Rejoice Nyarku, Rawah Faraj, Kingsley Bentum, Yilkal Woube, McCoy Williams, Evangelyn Alocilja and Woubit Abebe
Microorganisms 2024, 12(6), 1069; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12061069 - 25 May 2024
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Abstract
Current diagnostic methods for detecting foodborne pathogens are time-consuming, require sophisticated equipment, and have a low specificity and sensitivity. Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) and plasmonic/colorimetric biosensors like gold nanoparticles (GNPs) are cost-effective, high-throughput, precise, and rapid. This study aimed to validate the use of [...] Read more.
Current diagnostic methods for detecting foodborne pathogens are time-consuming, require sophisticated equipment, and have a low specificity and sensitivity. Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) and plasmonic/colorimetric biosensors like gold nanoparticles (GNPs) are cost-effective, high-throughput, precise, and rapid. This study aimed to validate the use of MNPs and GNPs for the early detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella enterica spp., Campylobacter jejuni, and Listeria monocytogenes in bovine fecal samples. The capture efficiency (CE) of the MNPs was determined by using Salmonella Typhimurium (ATCC_13311) adjusted at an original concentration of 1.5 × 108 CFU/mL. One (1) mL of this bacterial suspension was spiked into bovine fecal suspension (1 g of fecal sample in 9 mL PBS) and serially diluted ten-fold. DNA was extracted from Salmonella Typhimurium to determine the analytical specificity and sensitivity/LOD of the GNPs. The results showed that the CE of the MNPs ranged from 99% to 100% and could capture as little as 1 CFU/mL. The LOD of the GNPs biosensor was 2.9 µg/µL. The GNPs biosensor was also tested on DNA from 38 naturally obtained bovine fecal samples. Out of the 38 fecal samples tested, 81.6% (31/38) were positive for Salmonella enterica spp., 65.8% (25/38) for C. jejuni, 55.3% (21/38) for L. monocytogenes, and 50% (19/38) for E. coli O157:H7. We have demonstrated that MNP and GNP biosensors can detect pathogens or their DNA at low concentrations. Ensuring food safety throughout the supply chain is paramount, given that these pathogens may be present in cattle feces and contaminate beef during slaughter. Full article
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21 pages, 2232 KiB  
Article
Whole Genome Sequence Analysis of Listeria monocytogenes Isolates Obtained from the Beef Production Chain in Gauteng Province, South Africa
by James Gana, Nomakorinte Gcebe, Rian Edward Pierneef, Yi Chen, Rebone Moerane and Abiodun Adewale Adesiyun
Microorganisms 2024, 12(5), 1003; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12051003 - 16 May 2024
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Abstract
The study used whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and bioinformatics analysis for the genomic characterization of 60 isolates of Listeria monocytogenes obtained from the beef production chain (cattle farms, abattoirs, and retail outlets) in Gauteng province, South Africa. The sequence types (STs), clonal complexes (CCs), [...] Read more.
The study used whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and bioinformatics analysis for the genomic characterization of 60 isolates of Listeria monocytogenes obtained from the beef production chain (cattle farms, abattoirs, and retail outlets) in Gauteng province, South Africa. The sequence types (STs), clonal complexes (CCs), and the lineages of the isolates were determined using in silico multilocus sequence typing (MLST). We used BLAST-based analyses to identify virulence and antimicrobial genes, plasmids, proviruses/prophages, and the CRISPR-Cas system. The study investigated any association of the detected genes to the origin in the beef production chain of the L. monocytogenes isolates. Overall, in 60 isolates of Listeria monocytogenes, there were seven STs, six CCs, forty-four putative virulence factors, two resistance genes, one plasmid with AMR genes, and three with conjugative genes, one CRISPR gene, and all 60 isolates were positive for proviruses/prophages. Among the seven STs detected, ST204 (46.7%) and ST2 (21.7%) were the most prominent, with ST frequency varying significantly (p < 0.001). The predominant CC detected were CC2 (21.7%) and CC204 (46.7%) in lineages I and II, respectively. Of the 44 virulence factors detected, 26 (across Listeria Pathogenicity Islands, LIPIs) were present in all the isolates. The difference in the detection frequency varied significantly (p < 0.001). The two AMR genes (fosX and vga(G)) detected were present in all 60 (100%) isolates of L. monocytogenes. The only plasmid, NF033156, was present in three (5%) isolates. A CRISPR-Cas system was detected in six (10%), and all the isolates carried proviruses/prophages. The source and sample type significantly affected the frequencies of STs and virulence factors in the isolates of L. monocytogenes. The presence of fosX and vga(G) genes in all L. monocytogenes isolates obtained from the three industries of the beef production chain can potentially cause therapeutic implications. Our study, which characterized L. monocytogenes recovered from the three levels in the beef production chain, is the first time genomics was performed on this type of data set in the country, and this provides insights into the health implications of Listeria. Full article
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