20 research outputs found
Third-Generation Cephalosporin-Resistant Escherichia coli Isolates Belonging to High-Risk Clones Obtained from Fresh Pork Meat in La Plata City, Argentina †
No full textHigh-risk clones represent a major concern, as they are very efficient vehicles for mobile genetic elements carrying antimicrobial resistance genes and therefore promote their spread, especially if they confer resistance to cefotaxime, ciprofloxacin, and fosfomycin, included within the highest-priority, critically important antimicrobial agents (HPCIA). Between February 2022 and April 2024, 138 pork samples were obtained from 46 butcher shops in La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina. A total of 102 HPCIA-resistant E. coli were isolated. Eighty-five HPCIA-resistant E. coli were selected for whole-genome sequencing. Of these, 27 belonged to 9 clones described as high risk: ST101 (n = 5), ST10 (n = 4), ST48 (n = 4), ST744 (n = 4), ST23 (n = 3), ST58 (n = 2), ST88 (n = 2), ST117 (n = 2), and ST410 (n = 1). Twelve of them were third-generation cephalosporin-resistant. Resistance was mediated by blaCTX-M-55 (n = 7), blaCTX-M-14 (n = 4), blaCTX-M-8 (n = 1), and blaCMY-2 (n = 1). This study highlights the importance of food products and the food production chain as reservoirs of high-risk clones and resistance genes of epidemiological relevance to public health
Pathogenic Biofilm Formation in the Food Industry and Alternative Control Strategies (Cap. 11)
No full textThe ability of foodborne bacterial pathogens, such as Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, pathogenic Escherichia coli, Campylobacter spp., Bacillus cereus, and Staphylococcus aureus, to attach to various surfaces and create biofilms on them is a worrying challenge for the food industry, since this may result in food contamination and disease transmission. Moreover, the sanitation of surfaces hosting biofilms in such environments is a difficult task, mainly due to the great antimicrobial recalcitrance of biofilm cells. To overcome this problem and control unwanted biofilm formation, in recent years, several alternative methods, such as the use of enzymes, bacteriophages, and quorum quenching agents, have been successfully evaluated. The purpose of this chapter is to review the current knowledge related to pathogenic biofilm formation in the main food industries (meat, dairy, fresh produce, and seafood) and also to provide up-to-date data on some potential alternative or supplementary antibiofilm strategies
Alternative disinfection methods to chlorine for use in the fresh-cut industry
No full textThe use of chlorine as a disinfectant in the fresh-cut produce industry has been identified as a concern mainly dueto public health issues. In fact, this chemical, commonly used as hypochlorous acid and hypochlorite, has alreadybeen prohibited in some European countries, due to the potential production of toxic by-products, such as chloroform and other trihalomethanes, chloramines and haloacetic acids. The search for alternative methods of disinfection is therefore a current and on-going challenge in both Academia and Industry. Some methods are welldescribed in the literature on the disinfection of food-contact surfaces and process water and also on the decontamination of the produce. These methods are commonly classified as biological (bacteriocins, bacteriophages,enzymes and phytochemicals), chemical (chlorine dioxide, electrolyzed oxidizing water, hydrogen peroxide,ozone, organic acids, etc) and physical (irradiation, filtration, ultrasounds, ultraviolet light, etc). This review provides updated information on the state of art of the available disinfection strategies alternative to chlorine thatcan be used in the fresh-cut industry. The use of combined methods to replace and/or reduce the use of chlorineis also reviewed
The current knowledge on the application of anti-biofilm enzymes in the food industry
No full textBiofilms are encountered on nearly all wet surfaces, with their development being often unwanted due to the serious problems they can cause in different fields, including in the food sector. They are recognized as the preferential microbial lifestyle due to the numerous advantages for the embedded cells. Biofilm cells are highly resistant to stress conditions, particularly to antimicrobials, as their complex and compact structure hampers the penetration of antimicrobials and the access to the deep positioned cells. The increased resistance to the currently employed control strategies emphasizes the urgent need of new alternative and/or complementary eradication approaches. To this direction, the use of enzymes is an interesting alternative anti-biofilm approach due to their capability to degrade crucial components of the biofilm matrix, cause cell lysis, promote biofilm disruption and interrupt the cell-to-cell signaling events governing biofilm formation and maintenance. This review provides an overview of the enzymes used for biofilm control, their targets and examples of effective applications
Antimicrobial susceptibility and sessile behaviour of bacteria isolated from a minimally processed vegetables plant
No full textIn this study, 20 heterotrophic bacteria from a minimally processed vegetables (MPV) plant were tested for their susceptibilities to five antibiotics (tetracycline, erythromycin, ampicillin, levofloxacin and ciprofloxacin), their (co)aggregation abilities and their survival under gastric simulated conditions. Peracetic acid (PA) and sodium hypochlorite (SH), both at 50ppm, were evaluated for their abilities to control biofilms of these bacteria. In general, the Gram-negative bacteria were found to be more resistant to the selected antibiotics. Two isolates, Rhanella aquatilis and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, demonstrated multidrug resistance. Only Rhodococcus erythropolis presented aggregation potential, while no bacterium survived under the gastric conditions. The biofilm experiments showed PA as less efficient than SH in killing biofilms and neither of the disinfectants was able to fully eliminate the biofilms. Significant regrowth was observed for most of the biofilms. The results indicate that alternative and/or complementary disinfection strategies are required to guarantee food safety.Keyword
Ability of Salmonella enterica and Staphylococcus aureus to develop biofilm community on stainless steel and colonize rocket tissue
No full textSalmonella enterica and Staphylococcus aureus are important human pathogens capable of causing a diverse array of diseases, while international organization (EFSA, FAO/WHO) report that these are among the most related microorganisms for foodborne diseases. The ability of both species to form biofilm, together with the increased number of antibiotic-resistant S. aureus strains, including ones resistant to methicillin (MRSA), are of special interest for researchers. In addition, the consumption of raw plant tissues, have been recently associated with foodborne diseases outbreaks due to cross contamination. Obviously, the ability of pathogenic strains of these species to survive on either abiotic or plant surfaces needs to be further studied
Population and resistance patterns of Salmonella Typhimurium and Staphylococcus aureus biofilms to sublethal chemical disinfection under mono-and dual-species multi-strain conditions
No full textTo evaluate the possible influence of bacterial interactions encountered in mono- and dual-species multi-strain biofilms of Salmonella Typhimurium (ST) and Staphylococcus aureus (SA) on: (i) the ability of strains to develop biofilm, and (ii) their subsequent resistance to sublethal chemical disinfection
Ability of Salmonella enterica and Staphylococcus aureus to develop biofilm community on stainless steel and colonize rocket tissue
No full textIn the present study, the ability of S. Typhimurium (CDC 6516-60) and S. aureus strain COL (MRSA) to both develop a biofilm community on stainless steel (SS) and colonize rocket tissue was investigated (incubation at 20°C for 144 h). In parallel, the planktonic growth of these pathogens in Brain Heart Infusion (BHI) broth, was followed
The role of biofilms in the development and dissemination of microbial resistance within the food industry
No full textBiofilms are multicellular sessile microbial communities embedded in hydrated extracellular polymeric matrices. Their formation is common in microbial life in most environments, while those formed on food-processing surfaces are of considerable interest in the context of food hygiene. Biofilm cells express properties that are distinct from planktonic ones, in particular, notorious resistance to antimicrobial agents. Thus, a special feature of biofilms is that, once they have been developed, they are hard to eradicate, even when careful sanitization procedures are regularly applied. A great deal of ongoing research has investigated how and why surface-attached microbial communities develop such resistance, and several mechanisms are to be acknowledged (e.g., heterogeneous metabolic activity, cell adaptive responses, diffusion limitations, genetic and functional diversification, and microbial interactions). The articles contained in this Special Issue deal with biofilms of some important food-related bacteria (including common pathogens such as Salmonella enterica, Listeria monocytogenes, and Staphylococcus aureus, as well as spoilage-causing spore-forming bacilli), providing novel insights on their resistance mechanisms and implications, together with novel methods (e.g., use of protective biofilms formed by beneficial bacteria, enzymes) that could be used to overcome such resistance and thus improve the safety of our food supply and protect public health
