Recent studies have identified Clostridium difficile in food animals and retail meat, and concern has been raised about the potential for food to act as a source of C. difficile infection in humans. Previous studies of retail meat have relied on enrichment culture alone, thereby preventing any assessment of the ...

Staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) are major cause of foodborne diseases, so sensitive detection (<1 ng/ml) methods are needed for SE detection in food. The surface area, geometric and physical properties of gold nanoparticles make them well-suited for enhancing interactions with biological molecules in assays. To take advantage of the properties of ...

Enterotoxigenic Clostridium perfringens has been recognized as a ubiquitous human pathogen owing to, at least in part, three important characteristics. First, this bacterium undergoes asymmetric cell division or sporulation under nutritionally deprived conditions. Second, during sporulation growth it produces C. perfringens enterotoxin, an important virulence factor for food poisoning and ...

AIMS: The study was focused on the possibility to inactivate food pathogen Bacillus cereus by 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) - based photosensitization in vitro and after adhesion on the surface of packaging material. METHODS AND RESULTS: Bacillus cereus was incubated with ALA (3-7.5 mmol l(-1)) for 5-60 min in different environment ...

Staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) are a leading cause of food poisoning and have two separate biological activities; it causes gastroenteritis and functions as a superantigen that activates large numbers of T cells. In vivo monkey or kitten bioassays were developed for analysis of SEs emetic activity. To overcome the inherent limitations ...

Bacillus cereus is a Gram-positive, spore-forming bacterium that is widely distributed in nature. Its intrinsic thermal resistance coupled with the extraordinary resistance against common food preservation techniques makes it one of the most frequent food-poisoning microorganisms causing both intoxications and infections. In order to control B. cereus growth/sporulation, and hence ...

Type A trichothecenes (primarily T-2 and HT-2 toxins) are common fungal metabolites found in a wide range of grains and other field crops grown in temperate climatic zones. By acting as potent inhibitors of protein synthesis, T-2 and HT-2 exert adverse effects particularly against rapidly proliferating tissues, including the bone ...

Deliberate or accidental contamination of foods such as milk, soft drinks, and drinking water with infectious agents or toxins is a major concern to health authorities. There is a critical need to develop technologies that can rapidly and efficiently separate and concentrate biothreat agents from food matrices. A key limitation ...

Bacterial spores are the ultimate (stress) 'survival capsules'. They allow strains from the Bacillus and Clostridium species to survive harsh environmental conditions. In addition to the decision to enter sporulation the decision to do the reverse (germinate) is also a decisive event after which there is no return. Generally it ...

AIM: To screen and characterize toxic, heat-stable substances produced by food borne strains from Bacillus subtilis group. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using the boar sperm motility inhibition assay, six isolates from two outbreaks, out of the 94 isolates from 26 foods, were found to produce ethanol-soluble heat-stable substances that were toxic ...

To investigate the differences in membrane permeability and the effect on endocytosis of the polyene antimycotics nystatin, filipin and natamycin on germinating fungal conidia. The model system was Penicillium discolor, a food spoilage fungus. Filipin resulted in permeabilization of germinating conidia for the fluorescent probes TOTO-1 and FM4-64, but not ...

In predictive mycology, most of the studies have been concerned with the influence of some environmental factors on fungal growth and production of mycotoxins, at steady-state. However, fluctuating conditions, interactions between organisms, and the physiological state of the organisms may also exert a profound influence on fungal responses in food ...

Chlorine dioxide (ClO2) is a strong oxidizing agent that can be applied in solution as well as in the gaseous state. It has bactericidal, fungicidal and viricidal properties. Several food-related microorganisms, including Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, yeasts, mould spores and Bacillus cereus spores were tested for their susceptibility to 0.08 ...

Clostridium difficile is mainly considered a nosocomial pathogen associated with diarrhea and pseudomembranous colitis in hospitalized patients. Austrian hospitals reported 2761 cases of C. difficile infection (including 277 lethal outcomes) in 2007, compared with 777 cases (including 54 lethal outcomes) in 2003. The occurrence of community-acquired C. difficile infection is ...

This study aimed to determine the rate of Clostridium botulinum contamination in some traditional Iranian food products (cheese, kashk and salted fish) and evaluate the efficacy of the mouse bioassay method in detection of C. botulinum toxins in these foods. A total of 131 samples (57 cheese, 11 kashk and ...

BACKGROUND: Spore discharge in the majority of the 30,000 described species of Basidiomycota is powered by the rapid motion of a fluid droplet, called Buller's drop, over the spore surface. In basidiomycete yeasts, and phytopathogenic rusts and smuts, spores are discharged directly into the airflow around the fungal colony. Maximum ...

BACKGROUND: Staphylococcus aureus is a major cause of food poisoning due to their ability to produce enterotoxins which if ingested in sufficient amounts results in sickness. Food handlers carrying enterotoxin-producing S. aureus in their noses or hands can contaminate food leading to food poisoning. We characterized 200 S. aureus obtained ...

A study was carried out to investigate the antimicrobial effect of olive powder on Bacillus cereus. Microorganism spores were inoculated in nutrient broth containing different olive powder concentrations and incubated at 32 degrees , 20 degrees , and 7 degrees C. Results indicated that this food ingredient had a bacteriostatic ...

Oat plants, similar to other cereals, are susceptible to invasion by fungal pathogens and saprophytes, but the severity of disease symptoms and the extent of fungal growth depend to a considerable degree on environmental conditions. This study aimed to analyse the dependence of ergosterol and trichothecene production in oat grain ...

The effect of ultraviolet irradiation (254 nm, UVC) on Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Penicillium corylophilum and Eurotium rubrum was investigated using three different exposure techniques. Survival was determined for spores suspended in liquid medium after 1, 2 and 3 min UVC exposure at 4644 J/m(2)/min. The same UVC dose was ...

AIMS: To study the antifungal activities of a prepared food-grade dilution-stable microemulsion against Aspergillus niger. METHODS AND RESULTS: Results from the antifungal activity on solid medium by agar dilution method showed that the microemulsion caused complete growth inhibition at 2000 ppm, and at 1000 ppm, showed 55% growth inhibition after ...

Electrically active polyaniline coated magnetic (EAPM) nanoparticle-based biosensor has been developed for the detection of Bacillus anthracis endospores in contaminated food samples. The 100 nm-diameter EAPM nanoparticles are synthesized from aniline monomer (made electrically active by acid doping) coating the surface of gamma iron oxide cores. The magnetic, electrical, and ...

Clostridum species produce seven serotypes (A-G) of botulinum toxin, four of which (A, B, E, and F) are normally associated with human illness. To date, the most reliable test for botulinum toxin is the mouse bioassay. The authors' laboratory has been exploring the use of an antibody-based assay similar to ...

The natural contamination of foods with a bacterial pathogen frequently consists of a mixture of strains with their own characteristics of survival, growth potential and virulence. Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment (QMRA) must account for this genetic diversity to reflect the variability of the pathogen risk and to identify the genetic ...

PURPOSE: Scientific issues and clinical implications associated with the use of biosimilars (biopharmaceuticals that are similar to an innovator product, notwithstanding minor differences) are illustrated in two examples, botulinum neurotoxins and erythropoietic agents. SUMMARY: Comparison of Botox and Dysport, products that both contain botulinum toxin type A, revealed distinct differences ...

This study was carried out to augment the colonization of marine benthic communities on artificial reef structure. Increasing marine pollution along with various natural hazards cause severe damages to marine algae and associated fauna. In recent years, artificial reefs have been deployed in coastal regions of several parts of the ...

Within colony transmission of Paenibacillus larvae spores was studied by giving spore-contaminated honey comb or comb containing 100 larvae killed by American foulbrood to five experimental colonies respectively. We registered the impact of the two treatments on P. larvae spore loads in adult bees and honey and on larval mortality ...

Staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) are a major cause of food-borne diseases, traditionally SEs assayed immunologically with ELISA. Carbon nanotubes' (CNT) unique mechanical and electronic properties combined with a large specific surface area make them attractive for biosensing. To investigate whether CNT could improve the sensitivity of ELISA assays, we developed an ...

The risk of food poisoning and growth of spoilage bacteria in Awa-Uirou, a sticky rice cake containing sweet red bean paste, was evaluated. Toxin-producing bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus are the main causes of food poisoning linked to this kind of food. The water activity in this ...

The World Health Organization (WHO) and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have labeled botulinum toxins as a high priority biological agent that may be used in terrorist attacks against food supplies. Due to this threat there is an increased need to develop fast and effective methods to ...

Bacillus cereus is widespread in nature and frequently isolated from soil and growing plants, but it is also well adapted for growth in the intestinal tract of insects and mammals. From these habitats it is easily spread to foods, where it may cause an emetic or a diarrhoeal type of ...

Staphylococcus enterotoxin B (SEB) is one of several toxins produced by the gram positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus. SEB is a major cause of food poisoning and represents a significant biological threat with regard to bioterrorism. A rapid, sensitive, and specific method is required to monitor food and water in cases ...

For a long period the thermal processing has been considered as the only way to reduce the initial spore number of Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris and prevent the spoilage of acidic beverage. New methods, however, were proposed by the literature to control spore germination both in laboratory media and in real systems. ...

The ecological role of interference competition through toxin production is not well understood. In particular, it is unclear under what conditions the benefits of toxic killing outweigh the metabolic costs involved. A killer advantage has been suggested to rely on local competitive interactions where the benefits of killing accrue to ...

Toxins produced by Penicillium species are reported in maize silage and have been associated with health problems in cattle. Our objectives were to evaluate the prevalence and dynamics of patulin (PAT), mycophenolic acid (MPA), cyclopiazonic acid (CPA), and roquefortine C (ROC) in fresh and ensiled maize. To achieve these objectives ...

Although commercial sanitizers can inactivate bacterial spores in food processing environments, relatively little data exist as to the decontamination of products and surfaces by consumers using commercial household products. Should a large scale bioterrorism incident occur in which consumer food products were contaminated with a pathogenic sporeformer such as Bacillus ...

The primary objective of this study was to compare airborne fungal concentrations onboard commercial passenger aircraft at various in-flight times with concentrations measured inside and outside airport terminals. A secondary objective was to investigate the use of mixed-effects modeling of repeat measures from multiple sampling intervals and locations. Sequential triplicate ...

When caterpillars feed on maize (Zea maize L.) lines with native resistance to several Lepidopteran pests, a defensive cysteine protease, Mir1-CP, rapidly accumulates at the wound site. Mir1-CP has been shown to inhibit caterpillar growth in vivo by attacking and permeabilizing the insect's peritrophic matrix (PM), a structure that surrounds ...

We have developed the first selective fluorescent chemosensor (PyDPA) for (p)ppGpp, a bacterial and plant alarmone. By using pyrene-excimer fluorescence, PyDPA shows very good selectivity for (p)ppGpp from among other nucleotides in water. PyDPA was used for the real-time detection of in vitro ppGpp synthesis by bacterial ribosomal complexes.

Staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) are emetic toxins causing food poisoning in humans, because of their biological activity and structural relatedness They have been classified as members of the pyrogenic exotoxin superantigen family Among them nine major antigenic types of emetic enterotoxins were recognized In recent years several newly detected SEs were ...

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the effectiveness of five disinfectants: A33, 10% bleach, 1% bleach, SPOROX, and 3% H2O2, on military NATO and DECON litters. DESIGN: Suspensions of Acinetobacter baumannii, Staphylococcus aureus, and spore-enhanced Bacillus subtilis, with five percent albumin, were inoculated onto litters and dried overnight. The litters were saturated ...

This paper reviews the rapidly expanding literature on the ecological effects of cyanobacterial toxins. The study employs a qualitative meta-analysis from the literature examining results from a large number of independent studies and extracts general patterns from the literature or signals contradictions. The meta-analysis is set up by putting together ...

There is no question that the world is becoming increasingly toxic, with worldwide dissemination of industrial chemicals, pesticides, heavy metals and radioactive elements. Many of these toxins have demonstrated harmful effects including cancer, reproductive, metabolic, and mental health effects. It is also known that many toxins undergo bioaccumulation through the ...

To increase the understanding of how different factors affect the bacterial growth in deep sawdust beds for dairy cattle, the microbiological status of Bacillus cereus and coliforms in deep sawdust-bedded free stalls was investigated over two 14-d periods on one farm. High counts of B. cereus and coliforms were found ...

Members of the Bacillus cereus group may produce diarrheal enterotoxins and could be potential hazards if they enter the food chain. Therefore, a method capable of detecting all the species in the B. cereus group rather than B. cereus alone is important. We selected nhe as the target and developed ...

To examine the effect of processing with superheated steam (SS) on Geobacillus stearothermophilus ATCC 10149 spores. Two inoculum levels of spores of G. stearothermophilus were mixed with sterile sand and exposed to SS at 105-175 degrees C. The decimal reduction time (D-value) and the thermal resistance constant (z-value) were calculated. ...

AIMS: To determine the effects of porcine bile (PB) on Bacillus cereus vegetative cells and Haemolysin BL (HBL) enterotoxin production in reconstituted small intestine media (IM). METHODS AND RESULTS: The effects of PB on the growth of B. cereus vegetative cells in reconstituted IM at PB concentrations ranging between 0 ...

The role of zooplankton in the control of cyanobacterial blooms and the transfer of cyanotoxins to higher trophic levels are of great importance to the management of water resources. Many studies have focused on the cyanobacterium Microcystis, but few have examined the interactions between zooplankton and filamentous cyanobacteria. In this ...

The effect of ozonation as a method to reduce Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus and Bacillus cereus spores in dried figs was investigated. Dried figs were sprinkle inoculated with E. coli, B. cereus and B. cereus spores in sterile bags at a level of 10(7)microorganism g(-1), mixed and allowed to dry ...

Spore germination is the first step in establishing Bacillus and Clostridium infections. Germination is triggered by the binding of small molecules by the resting spore. Subsequently, the activated spore secretes dipicolinic acid and calcium, the spore core is rehydrated and spore structures are degraded. Inhibition of any of the germination-related ...