Development of a Method for the Detection of Verotoxin-Producing Escherichia coli in Food

2012 ◽  
Vol 75 (5) ◽  
pp. 827-837 ◽  
Author(s):  
ALEXANDER GILL ◽  
AMALIA MARTINEZ-PEREZ ◽  
SARAH McILWHAM ◽  
BURTON BLAIS

The growing recognition of the role of non-O157 verotoxigenic Escherichia coli (VTEC) in foodborne illness underscores the importance of developing methods to detect it in the food supply. We describe here the development of a protocol for the detection, isolation, and characterization of VTEC from foods, designed for the serotype-independent enrichment, detection, and isolation of VTEC, in combination with rapid characterization of VTEC O157, O26, O103, O111, and O145. This study examined the inhibitory concentration of six antimicrobial agents used either singly or in combination for the optimal enrichment of a panel of 18 different O serogroups of VTEC in modified tryptic soy broth. Considerable variability in resistance to the different antimicrobials tested was noted among different VTEC strains. The combination enabling growth of strains of all 18 different O serogroups was vancomycin (10 μg/ml) and cefsulodin (3 μg/ml). A similar combination of antimicrobials formulated in agar plates was found beneficial in the recovery of VTEC strains from enrichment broth cultures. The efficacy of these media in the recovery of selected VTEC (O26, O103, O111, O145, and O157) from ground beef and O157 VTEC from lettuce, spinach, and apple cider was demonstrated. The selective enrichment media described herein would appear suitable for incorporation in methods for the recovery and detection of a wide range of VTEC serogroups.

2003 ◽  
Vol 66 (12) ◽  
pp. 2237-2244 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. ARTHUR SENKEL ◽  
BEVERLY JOLBITADO ◽  
YIFAN ZHANG ◽  
DAVID G. WHITE ◽  
SHERRY AYERS ◽  
...  

Contaminated apple cider has been implicated in several Escherichia coli O157:H7 outbreaks. In an attempt to investigate sources and modes of entry of E. coli into apple cider, samples of fresh apple, pomace, and cider and equipment and mill floor swabs were analyzed for standard plate counts (SPC), total coliforms (TC), fecal coliforms (FC), and E. coli. E. coli was isolated from 14 (33%) of 42 samples of bottled fresh cider, from food equipment in 6 (67%) of 9 mills, and from apples, pomace, or cider in 7 (78%) of 9 mills. Seventy-five E. coli isolates were further characterized for Shiga toxin–producing E. coli (STEC)–associated virulence factors, antimicrobial susceptibility, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) type. No E. coli O157:H7 or other STEC was identified. Serotyping and PFGE revealed 64 distinct profiles, suggesting that recovered E. coli arose from multiple independent sources. However, on one occasion, E. coli isolated from the source apple sample was closely related to the E. coli identified in the finished cider sample. E. coli isolates were further tested for antimicrobial susceptibility to 17 antimicrobial agents of human and veterinary importance. Fourteen (19%) of the 75 isolates were resistant to at least one of the antimicrobial agents tested, and 9 (12%) were resistant to at least two of these agents. Of the resistant isolates recovered, 64% were resistant to tetracycline and 57% were resistant to streptomycin. Overall, the level of E. coli contamination in source apple samples did not differ significantly from those in samples of pomace, cider at the press, and cider entering the bottling tank; therefore, source apples cannot be dismissed as a potential contributor of E. coli to the cider-making process.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 890
Author(s):  
Pietro Tedesco ◽  
Fortunato Palma Esposito ◽  
Antonio Masino ◽  
Giovanni Andrea Vitale ◽  
Emiliana Tortorella ◽  
...  

Extremophilic microorganisms represent a unique source of novel natural products. Among them, cold adapted bacteria and particularly alpine microorganisms are still underexplored. Here, we describe the isolation and characterization of a novel Gram-positive, aerobic rod-shaped alpine bacterium (KRL4), isolated from sediments from the Karuola glacier in Tibet, China. Complete phenotypic analysis was performed revealing the great adaptability of the strain to a wide range of temperatures (5–40 °C), pHs (5.5–8.5), and salinities (0–15% w/v NaCl). Genome sequencing identified KRL4 as a member of the placeholder genus Exiguobacterium_A and annotation revealed that only half of the protein-encoding genes (1522 of 3079) could be assigned a putative function. An analysis of the secondary metabolite clusters revealed the presence of two uncharacterized phytoene synthase containing pathways and a novel siderophore pathway. Biological assays confirmed that the strain produces molecules with antioxidant and siderophore activities. Furthermore, intracellular extracts showed nematocidal activity towards C. elegans, suggesting that strain KRL4 is a source of anthelmintic compounds.


2021 ◽  
Vol 293 ◽  
pp. 198274
Author(s):  
Xiaoming Yuan ◽  
Shuhong Zhang ◽  
Juan Wang ◽  
Chun Li ◽  
Na Li ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 325
Author(s):  
Laura Isabel de de Eugenio ◽  
Rosa Peces-Pérez ◽  
Dolores Linde ◽  
Alicia Prieto ◽  
Jorge Barriuso ◽  
...  

A dye-decolorizing peroxidase (DyP) from Irpex lacteus was cloned and heterologously expressed as inclusion bodies in Escherichia coli. The protein was purified in one chromatographic step after its in vitro activation. It was active on ABTS, 2,6-dimethoxyphenol (DMP), and anthraquinoid and azo dyes as reported for other fungal DyPs, but it was also able to oxidize Mn2+ (as manganese peroxidases and versatile peroxidases) and veratryl alcohol (VA) (as lignin peroxidases and versatile peroxidases). This corroborated that I. lacteus DyPs are the only enzymes able to oxidize high redox potential dyes, VA and Mn+2. Phylogenetic analysis grouped this enzyme with other type D-DyPs from basidiomycetes. In addition to its interest for dye decolorization, the results of the transformation of softwood and hardwood lignosulfonates suggest a putative biological role of this enzyme in the degradation of phenolic lignin.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Celosia Lukman ◽  
Christopher Yonathan ◽  
Stella Magdalena ◽  
Diana Elizabeth Waturangi

Abstract Objective This study was conducted to isolate and characterize lytic bacteriophages for pathogenic Escherichia coli from chicken and beef offal, and analyze their capability as biocontrol for several foodborne pathogens. Methods done in this research are bacteriophage isolation, purification, titer determination, application, determination of host range and minimum multiplicity of infection (miMOI), and bacteriophage morphology. Results Six bacteriophages successfully isolated from chicken and beef offal using EPEC and EHEC as host strain. Bacteriophage titers observed between 109 and 1010 PFU mL−1. CS EPEC and BL EHEC bacteriophage showed high efficiency in reduction of EPEC or EHEC contamination in meat about 99.20% and 99.04%. The lowest miMOI was 0.01 showed by CS EPEC bacteriophage. CI EPEC and BL EPEC bacteriophage suspected as Myoviridae family based on its micrograph from Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). Refers to their activity, bacteriophages isolated in this study have a great potential to be used as biocontrol against several foodborne pathogens.


Biologics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 164-176
Author(s):  
Abdallah S. Abdelsattar ◽  
Anan Safwat ◽  
Rana Nofal ◽  
Amera Elsayed ◽  
Salsabil Makky ◽  
...  

Food safety is very important in the food industry as most pathogenic bacteria can cause food-borne diseases and negatively affect public health. In the milk industry, contamination with Salmonella has always been a challenge, but the risks have dramatically increased as almost all bacteria now show resistance to a wide range of commercial antibiotics. This study aimed to isolate a bacteriophage to be used as a bactericidal agent against Salmonella in milk and dairy products. Here, phage ZCSE6 has been isolated from raw milk sample sand molecularly and chemically characterized. At different multiplicities of infection (MOIs) of 0.1, 0.01, and 0.001, the phage–Salmonella interaction was studied for 6 h at 37 °C and 24 h at 8 °C. In addition, ZCSE6 was tested against Salmonella contamination in milk to examine its lytic activity for 3 h at 37 °C. The results showed that ZCSE6 has a small genome size (<48.5 kbp) and belongs to the Siphovirus family. Phage ZCSE6 revealed a high thermal and pH stability at various conditions that mimic milk manufacturing and supply chain conditions. It also demonstrated a significant reduction in Salmonella concentration in media at various MOIs, with higher bacterial eradication at higher MOI. Moreover, it significantly reduced Salmonella growth (MOI 1) in milk, manifesting a 1000-fold decrease in bacteria concentration following 3 h incubation at 37 °C. The results highlighted the strong ability of ZCSE6 to kill Salmonella and control its growth in milk. Thus, ZCSE6 is recommended as a biocontrol agent in milk to limit bacterial growth and increase the milk shelf-life.


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