1
|
Cechin CDF, Carvalho GG, Kabuki DY. Occurrence, genetic characterization, and antibiotic susceptibility of Cronobacter spp. isolated from low water activity functional foods in Brazil. Food Microbiol 2024; 122:104570. [PMID: 38839229 DOI: 10.1016/j.fm.2024.104570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2024] [Revised: 05/27/2024] [Accepted: 05/27/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024]
Abstract
Cronobacter spp. are bacterial pathogens isolated from a wide variety of foods. This study aims at evaluating the occurrence of Cronobacter spp. in low water activity functional food samples, detect the presence of virulence genes, and determine the antibiotic susceptibility of strains. From 105 samples, 38 (36.2%) were contaminated with Cronobacter spp. The species identified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing analyses (rpoB and fusA genes, respectively) were C. sakazakii (60.3%), C. dublinensis (25.4%), C. turincensis (9.5%), and C. malonaticus (4.8%). Nineteen fusA alleles were identified, including four new alleles. The virulence genes were identified by PCR and all isolates were positive for ompX and sodA genes, 60.3% to cpa gene, and 58.7% to hly gene. Using the disk diffusion method, antibiotic susceptibility to twelve antibiotics was assessed twice, separated by a 19-month period. In the first test, the isolates showed diverse antibiotic susceptibility profiles, with nineteen isolates (30.2%) being multi-drug resistant (resistant to three or more antibiotic classes), in the second, the isolates were susceptible to all antibiotics. Cronobacter spp. in functional foods demonstrates the need for continued investigation of this pathogen in foods, and further research is needed to clarify the loss of resistance of Cronobacter strains.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carine da Fonseca Cechin
- Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Faculdade de Engenharia de Alimentos, Departamento de Ciência de Alimentos e Nutrição, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.
| | - Gabriela Guimarães Carvalho
- Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Faculdade de Engenharia de Alimentos, Departamento de Ciência de Alimentos e Nutrição, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil; Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Instituto de Biologia, Departamento de Genética, Evolução, Microbiologia e Imunologia, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.
| | - Dirce Yorika Kabuki
- Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Faculdade de Engenharia de Alimentos, Departamento de Ciência de Alimentos e Nutrição, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Lou X, Wu Y, Huang Z, Zhang W, Xiao X, Wu J, Li J, Fang Z. Biofilm formation and associated gene expression changes in Cronobacter from cereal related samples in China. Food Microbiol 2024; 118:104409. [PMID: 38049271 DOI: 10.1016/j.fm.2023.104409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2023] [Revised: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023]
Abstract
Cronobacter is an important foodborne pathogen that can cause severe neonatal meningitis, necrotizing enterocolitis, and bacteremia. Currently, there is limited knowledge of biofilm formation in Cronobacter. In the present study, biofilm formation ability and associated gene expression changes in Cronobacter from cereal related samples was carried out systematically. Our results from 307 Cronobacter isolates analyzed for 48 h showed strong biofilm-forming ability in 14 strains (4.6%), moderate in 47 strains (15.3%), weak in 142 strains (46.2%), and no such ability in the remaining 104 strains (33.9%). Further studies on five strains with strong biofilm-forming ability showed that maximum biofilm formation in Cronobacter occurred after 24 h of cultivation, reaching a peak around 48 h-72 h, reducing gradually thereafter. Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) analysis revealed that differentially expressed genes (DEGs) involved in flagellar assembly, oxidative phosphorylation, ribosome, photosynthesis, O-Antigen nucleotide sugar biosynthesis, citrate cycle (tricarboxylic acid cycle, TCA) and bacterial chemotaxis were enriched in biofilm forming cells. The genes involved these enrichment pathways were mostly downregulated when compared to planktonic cells. Several transcriptional regulator genes such as csrA and bolA, and the cell surface composition regulator gene glgS were significantly upregulated. 12 of 13 (92.3%) selected genes was found to be in agreement with the RNA-Seq of planktonic and biofilm cells by Quantitative real-time PCR analysis, thus increasing confidence in our data. Our research lays a sound theoretical basis for further studies on mechanisms regulating biofilm formation and provides a foundation for development of new food safety measures, clinical disease prevention and control.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiuqin Lou
- Hangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, 310021, China
| | - Yue Wu
- Hangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, 310021, China
| | - Zhenzhou Huang
- Hangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, 310021, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- Hangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, 310021, China
| | - Xiao Xiao
- Hangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, 310021, China
| | - Jun Wu
- Lin'an Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, 311399, China
| | - Jun Li
- Hangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, 310021, China.
| | - Zhiguo Fang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou, 310018, China.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Ekundayo TC, Ijabadeniyi OA. Global and regional prevalence of Cronobacter sakazakii in powdered milk and flour. Sci Rep 2024; 14:6865. [PMID: 38514864 PMCID: PMC10957878 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-57586-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Cronobacter sakazakii (Cz) infections linked with powdered milk/flour (PMF) are on the increase in recent times. The current study aimed at assessing worldwide and regional prevalence of Cz in PMF. Cz-PMF-directed data were conscientiously mined in four mega-databases via topic-field driven PRISMA protocol without any restriction. Bivariate analysis of datasets was conducted and then fitted to random-intercept logistic mixed-effects regressions with leave-one-study-out-cross-validation (LOSOCV). Small-study effects were assayed via Egger's regression tests. Contributing factors to Cz contamination/detection in PMF were determined using 1000-permutation-bootstrapped meta-regressions. A total of 3761 records were found out of which 68 studies were included. Sample-size showed considerable correlation with Cz positivity (r = 0.75, p = 2.5e-17), Milkprod2020 (r = 0.33, p = 1.820e-03), and SuDI (r = - 0.30, p = 4.11e-03). The global prevalence of Cz in PMF was 8.39% (95%CI 6.06-11.51, PI: 0.46-64.35) with LOSOCV value of 7.66% (6.39-9.15; PI: 3.10-17.70). Cz prevalence in PMF varies significantly (p < 0.05) with detection methods, DNA extraction method, across continents, WHO regions, and world bank regions. Nation, detection method, world bank region, WHO region, and sample size explained 53.88%, 19.62%, 19.03%, 15.63%, and 9.22% of the true differences in the Cz prevalence in PMF, respectively. In conclusion, the results indicated that national will power in the monitoring and surveillance of Cz in PMF matched with adequate sample size and appropriate detection methods will go a long way in preventing Cz contamination and infections.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Temitope C Ekundayo
- Department of Biotechnology and Food Science, Durban University of Technology, Steve Biko Campus, Steve Biko Rd, Musgrave, Berea, Durban, South Africa.
| | - Oluwatosin A Ijabadeniyi
- Department of Biotechnology and Food Science, Durban University of Technology, Steve Biko Campus, Steve Biko Rd, Musgrave, Berea, Durban, South Africa
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Chauhan R, Tall BD, Gopinath G, Azmi W, Goel G. Environmental risk factors associated with the survival, persistence, and thermal tolerance of Cronobacter sakazakii during the manufacture of powdered infant formula. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 2023; 63:12224-12239. [PMID: 35838158 DOI: 10.1080/10408398.2022.2099809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Cronobacter sakazakii is an opportunistic foodborne pathogen of concern for foods having low water activity such as powdered infant formula (PIF). Its survival under desiccated stress can be attributed to its ability to adapt effectively to many different environmental stresses. Due to the high risk to neonates and its sporadic outbreaks in PIF, C. sakazakii received great attention among the scientific community, food industry and health care providers. There are many extrinsic and intrinsic factors that affect C. sakazakii survival in low-moisture foods. Moreover, short- or long-term pre-exposure to sub-lethal physiological stresses which are commonly encountered in food processing environments are reported to affect the thermal resistance of C. sakazakii. Additionally, acclimation to these stresses may render C. sakazakii resistance to antibiotics and other antimicrobial agents. This article reviews the factors and the strategies responsible for the survival and persistence of C. sakazakii in PIF. Particularly, studies focused on the influence of various factors on thermal resistance, antibiotic or antimicrobial resistance, virulence potential and stress-associated gene expression are reviewed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rajni Chauhan
- Department of Biotechnology, Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla, India
| | | | - Gopal Gopinath
- Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, U. S. Food and Drug Administration, Laurel, MD, USA
| | - Wamik Azmi
- Department of Biotechnology, Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla, India
| | - Gunjan Goel
- Department of Microbiology, School of Interdisciplinary and Applied Sciences, Central University of Haryana, Mahindra, India
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Cechin CDF, Carvalho GG, Bastos CP, Kabuki DY. Cronobacter spp. in foods of plant origin: occurrence, contamination routes, and pathogenic potential. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 2023; 63:12398-12412. [PMID: 35866516 DOI: 10.1080/10408398.2022.2101426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Cronobacter is an emerging bacterial pathogen associated with infections such as necrotizing enterocolitis, sepsis, and meningitis in neonates and infants, related to the consumption of powdered infant formula. In addition, this bacterium can also cause infections in adults by the ingestion of other foods. Thus, this review article aims to report the occurrence and prevalence of Cronobacter spp. in foods of plant origin, as well as the possible sources and routes of contamination in these products, and the presence of pathogenic strains in these foods. Cronobacter was present in a wide variety of cereal-based foods, vegetables, herbs, spices, ready-to-eat foods, and foods from other categories. This pathogen was also found in cultivation environments, such as soils, compost, animal feces, rice and vegetable crops, as well as food processing industries, and domestic environments, thus demonstrating possible contamination routes. Furthermore, sequence types (ST) involved in clinical cases and isolates resistant to antibiotics were found in Cronobacter strains isolated from food of plant origin. The identification of Cronobacter spp. in plant-based foods is of great importance to better elucidate the vehicles and routes of contamination in the primary production chain and processing facility, until the final consumption of the food, to prevent infections.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carine da Fonseca Cechin
- Department of Food Science and Nutrition, School of Food Engineering, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Gabriela Guimarães Carvalho
- Department of Food Science and Nutrition, School of Food Engineering, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Caroline Peixoto Bastos
- Center of Chemical, Pharmaceutical and Food Sciences, Federal University of Pelotas (UFPel), Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Dirce Yorika Kabuki
- Department of Food Science and Nutrition, School of Food Engineering, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Li Q, Li C, Chen L, Cai Z, Wu S, Gu Q, Zhang Y, Wei X, Zhang J, Yang X, Zhang S, Ye Q, Wu Q. Cronobacter spp. Isolated from Quick-Frozen Foods in China: Incidence, Genetic Characteristics, and Antibiotic Resistance. Foods 2023; 12:3019. [PMID: 37628018 PMCID: PMC10453260 DOI: 10.3390/foods12163019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Revised: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Cronobacter spp. are emerging foodborne pathogens that cause severe diseases. However, information on Cronobacter contamination in quick-frozen foods in China is limited. Therefore, we studied the prevalence, molecular characterization, and antimicrobial susceptibility of Cronobacter in 576 quick-frozen food samples collected from 39 cities in China. Cronobacter spp. were found in 18.75% (108/576) of the samples, and the contamination degree of the total positive samples was 5.82 MPN/g. The contamination level of frozen flour product samples was high (44.34%). Among 154 isolates, 109 were C. sakazakii, and the main serotype was C. sakazakii O1 (44/154). Additionally, 11 serotypes existed among four species. Eighty-five sequence types (STs), including 22 novel ones, were assigned, indicating a relatively high genetic diversity of the Cronobacter in this food type. Pathogenic ST148, ST7, and ST1 were the main STs in this study. ST4, epidemiologically related to neonatal meningitis, was also identified. All strains were sensitive to cefepime, tobramycin, ciprofloxacin, and imipenem, in which the resistance to cephalothin was the highest (64.94%).Two isolates exhibited multidrug resistance to five and seven antimicrobial agents, respectively. In conclusion, these findings suggest that the comparatively high contamination level of Cronobacter spp. in quick-frozen foods is a potential risk warranting public attention.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Qingping Wu
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiomics and Precision Application (MARA), Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510070, China; (Q.L.); (C.L.); (L.C.); (Z.C.); (S.W.); (Q.G.); (Y.Z.); (X.W.); (J.Z.); (X.Y.); (S.Z.); (Q.Y.)
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Li Q, Li C, Ye Q, Gu Q, Wu S, Zhang Y, Wei X, Xue L, Chen M, Zeng H, Zhang J, Wu Q. Occurrence, molecular characterization and antibiotic resistance of Cronobacter spp. isolated from wet rice and flour products in Guangdong, China. Curr Res Food Sci 2023; 7:100554. [PMID: 37559946 PMCID: PMC10407891 DOI: 10.1016/j.crfs.2023.100554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Revised: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/23/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023] Open
Abstract
This study explored the prevalence of Cronobacter spp. in wet rice and flour products from Guangdong province, China, the molecular characteristics and antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of the isolates were identified. Among 249 samples, 100 (40.16%) were positive for Cronobacter spp., including 77 wet rice and 23 wet flour products. Eleven serotypes were characterized among 136 isolates with C. sakazakii O2 (n = 32) predominating. Forty-nine MLST patterns were assigned, 15 of which were new. C. sakazakii ST4 (n = 17) was the dominant ST, which is previously reported to have caused three deaths; followed by C. malonaticus ST7 (n = 15), which is connected to adult infections. All strains presented susceptibility to ampicillin/sulbactam, imipenem, aztreonam and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. The isolates showed maximum resistance to cephalothin, and the resistance and intermediate rates were 91.91% and 3.68%, each. Two strains, croM234A1 and croM283-1, displayed resistance to three antibiotics. High contamination level and predominant number of pathogenic STs of Cronobacter in wet rice and flour products implied a potential risk to public healthiness. This survey could provide comprehensive information for establishing more targeted control methods for Cronobacter spp.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Qinghua Ye
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiomics and Precision Application (MARA), Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, 510070, PR China
| | - Qihui Gu
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiomics and Precision Application (MARA), Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, 510070, PR China
| | - Shi Wu
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiomics and Precision Application (MARA), Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, 510070, PR China
| | - Youxiong Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiomics and Precision Application (MARA), Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, 510070, PR China
| | - Xianhu Wei
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiomics and Precision Application (MARA), Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, 510070, PR China
| | - Liang Xue
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiomics and Precision Application (MARA), Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, 510070, PR China
| | - Moutong Chen
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiomics and Precision Application (MARA), Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, 510070, PR China
| | - Haiyan Zeng
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiomics and Precision Application (MARA), Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, 510070, PR China
| | - Jumei Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiomics and Precision Application (MARA), Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, 510070, PR China
| | - Qingping Wu
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiomics and Precision Application (MARA), Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, 510070, PR China
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Rehagel C, Akineden Ö, Usleber E. Microbiological and mycotoxicological analyses of processed cereal‐based complementary foods for infants and young children from the German market. J Food Sci 2022; 87:1810-1822. [DOI: 10.1111/1750-3841.16106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Revised: 01/21/2022] [Accepted: 02/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Christina Rehagel
- Dairy Sciences, Institute of Veterinary Food Science Justus‐Liebig University Giessen Giessen Germany
| | - Ömer Akineden
- Dairy Sciences, Institute of Veterinary Food Science Justus‐Liebig University Giessen Giessen Germany
| | - Ewald Usleber
- Dairy Sciences, Institute of Veterinary Food Science Justus‐Liebig University Giessen Giessen Germany
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Besaury L, Rémond C. Culturable and metagenomic approaches of wheat bran and wheat straw phyllosphere's highlight new lignocellulolytic microorganisms. Lett Appl Microbiol 2022; 74:840-850. [PMID: 35158407 DOI: 10.1111/lam.13676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2021] [Revised: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 02/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The phyllosphere, defined as the aerial parts of plants, is one of the most prevalent microbial habitats on earth. The microorganisms present on the phyllosphere can have several interactions with the plant. The phyllosphere represents then a unique niche where microorganisms have evolved through time in that stressful environment and may have acquired the ability to degrade lignocellulosic plant cell walls in order to survive to oligotrophic conditions. The dynamic lignocellulolytic potential of two phyllospheric microbial consortia (wheat straw and wheat bran) has been studied. The microbial diversity rapidly changed between the native phyllospheres and the final degrading microbial consortia after 48 hours of culture. Indeed, the initial microbial consortia was dominated by the Ralstonia (35.8%) and Micrococcus (75.2%) genera for the wheat bran and wheat straw whereas they were dominated by Candidatus phytoplasma (59%) and Acinetobacter (31.8%) in the final degrading microbial consortia respectively. Culturable experiments leading to the isolation of several new lignocellulolytic isolates (belonging to Moraxella and Atlantibacter genera) and metagenomic reconstruction of the microbial consortia highlighted the existence of an unpredicted microbial diversity involved in lignocellulose fractionation but also the existence of new pathways in known genera (presence of CE2 for Acinetobacter,several AAs for Pseudomonas and several GHs for Bacillus in different Metagenomes Assembled Genomes). The phyllosphere from agricultural co-products represents then a new niche as a lignocellulolytic degrading ecosystem.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ludovic Besaury
- Université de Reims Champagne Ardenne, INRAE, FARE, UMR A 614, Chaire AFERE, 51097, Reims, France
| | - Caroline Rémond
- Université de Reims Champagne Ardenne, INRAE, FARE, UMR A 614, Chaire AFERE, 51097, Reims, France
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Chauhan R, Azmi W, Bansal S, Goel G. Multivariate analysis of adaptive response to ferulic acid and p-coumaric acid after physiological stresses in Cronobacter sakazakii. J Appl Microbiol 2021; 131:3069-3080. [PMID: 34048109 DOI: 10.1111/jam.15164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2021] [Revised: 05/15/2021] [Accepted: 05/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
AIM The present study demonstrated the antimicrobial activity of ferulic acid and p-coumaric acid against unstressed and stressed (cold stressed, starved and desiccated) Cronobacter sakazakii in laboratory media (37°C) and reconstituted powdered infant formulation (PIF) with mild heat treatment (50°C). METHODS AND RESULTS Five phenolics, namely, quercetin, rutin, caffeic acid, ferulic acid and p-coumaric acid, were tested for antimicrobial activities against five strains of C. sakazakii either unstressed or stressed. Strain specific higher resistance to ferulic acid and p-coumaric acid was observed after stress adaptation in laboratory media. The effect of cross protection was validated using reconstituted PIF as delivery vehicle of selected compounds. Both p-coumaric acid and ferulic acid showed inhibition of C. sakazakii in a dose and time dependent manner as revealed by their viable cell counts. Principal component analysis revealed that the desiccated cells were more sensitive to phenolics in reconstituted PIF. CONCLUSIONS Only ferulic acid and p-coumaric acid showed marked antibacterial activity with minimum inhibitory concentration in the range of 2·5-5 mg ml-1 for unstressed C. sakazakii cells in tryptone soy broth. The maximum inhibition was achieved with 20 mg ml-1 of both the tested polyphenols in reconstituted PIF. Cold stress and starvation stress did not impart any protection nor increased the susceptibility of C. sakazakii, whereas desiccation resulted in increased susceptibility to phenolic compounds. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY The results obtained in this study helps in understanding the effect of environmental stresses during processing on susceptibility of C. sakazakii to natural antimicrobial agents. Future transcriptomic studies and functional genetic studies are warranted to understand the strain specific stress responses for the development of better control methods possibly by using these natural antagonists.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- R Chauhan
- Department of Biotechnology, Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla, India
| | - W Azmi
- Department of Biotechnology, Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla, India
| | - S Bansal
- Department of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Jaypee University of Information Technology, Waknaghat, India
| | - G Goel
- Department of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Jaypee University of Information Technology, Waknaghat, India.,Department of Microbiology, School of Interdisciplinary and Applied Sciences, Central University of Haryana, Mahendergarh, India
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Ling N, Jiang Y, Zeng H, Ding Y, Forsythe S. Advances in our understanding and distribution of the Cronobacter genus in China. J Food Sci 2021; 86:276-283. [PMID: 33438222 DOI: 10.1111/1750-3841.15577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Revised: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 12/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
This review considers how research in China has progressed our understanding and subsequent improved control of Cronobacter. This emergent bacterial pathogen is associated with neonatal infections through the ingestion of contaminated prepared feed. The review includes large-scale surveys of various sources of the organism, including infant formula production facilities. The analysis of over 20,000 samples is presented. Over 10,000 being from powdered infant formula and other infant foods as well as environmental sampling of production facilities, the remaining being from food, food ingredients, and human carriage. A major advance in China was adopting DNA-sequence-based methods (that is, multilocus sequence typing, clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats-cas array profiling, and single-nucleotide polymorphism analysis) for the identification and genotyping of the organism. These methods have considerably advanced our understanding of the taxonomy, ecology, and virulence of this organism. In turn, this has improved source tracking of the organism both in infant formula production facilities and epidemiological investigations. Furthermore, whole-genome sequencing has revealed a range of virulence and persistence mechanisms as well as plasmid-borne multidrug resistance traits. China now has reliable and robust methods for accurate microbial source tracking of Cronobacter for use both in the food production environment and epidemiological analysis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Na Ling
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, 230009, China.,Guangdong Institute of Microbiology & Guangdong Academy of Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbiology Culture Collection and Application & Guangdong Open Laboratory of Applied Microbiology, Guangzhou, 510070, China
| | - Yujun Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Science, Ministry of Education, College of Food Science and Engineering, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, China
| | - Haiyan Zeng
- Guangdong Institute of Microbiology & Guangdong Academy of Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbiology Culture Collection and Application & Guangdong Open Laboratory of Applied Microbiology, Guangzhou, 510070, China
| | - Yu Ding
- Department of Food Science and Technology, Institute of Food Safety and Nutrition, College of Science & Engineering, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China
| | | |
Collapse
|
12
|
The occurrence and distribution characteristics of Cronobacter in diverse cereal kernels, flour, and flour-based products. Food Microbiol 2019; 84:103269. [PMID: 31421791 DOI: 10.1016/j.fm.2019.103269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2019] [Revised: 06/11/2019] [Accepted: 07/12/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Cronobacter was positive in cereals at a relatively high rate. In the present study, we investigated the occurrence and characteristics of this pathogen systematically in diverse cereals. All sampled food (N = 467) contained Cronobacter with a high positive rate of 54.0%. The enumeration experiment showed the concentration ranged from 0.3 to more than 110 MPN/100 g, and 87.9% of 127 samples were less than 10 MPN/100 g. There were significant differences (p < 0.05) in positive rates for Cronobacter among cereal kernels (40.2%), cereal flour (66.7%), cereal products made from raw cereal flour (87.6%), and cereal products made from flour (ready-to-eat) (17.4%). The dominant Cronobacter species was C. sakazakii and C. dublinensis, followed by C. malonaticus and C. turicensis. Two interesting clusters with more than 90% similarities were identified by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). The C1 cluster (four isolates) indicated these strains were derived from a common source and persisted in the food production environment for an extended time. The C2 cluster (six isolates) indicated the pathogen could be transmitted via cereal processing. Our research provided baseline data for Cronobacter in diverse cereals and was helpful for understanding Cronobacter transmission. The results also indicate that additional control measures should be developed to reduce the risk of infection by these opportunistic pathogenic bacteria.
Collapse
|