Strategies to Control Foodborne Pathogens: Pre- and Post-harvest Safety of Animal Food Products

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal System and Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2021) | Viewed by 38778

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Intralytix, Columbia, MD, USA
Interests: food safety; antimicrobial resistance; foodborne bacteria; phage biocontrol
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Achieving a safe food supply has become increasingly challenging in the modern era. Major challenges include both traditional and emerging pathogens in pre- and post-harvest operations. For instance, mitigation of bacterial pathogens Shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli, Salmonella and Campylobacter on-farm and in raw meat and poultry remains challenging. Additionally, viral pathogens continue to be a concern at food service and Listeria monocytogenes is a concern in ready-to-eat processed products. More recently antimicrobial resistance in foodborne pathogens has emerged as major challenge. Novel strategies are required to understand the sources of antimicrobial resistance, transmission and mitigations approaches. Although traditional methods of pathogen control in the food matrix have improved food safety, numerous food safety incidences indicate a need to further develop and improve the food safety interventions at both pre- and postharvest levels.

We invite original research papers and reviews that address improved pathogen control on the farm, in raw and ready-to-eat animal products. Additional topics include pathogen-microbiome interactions in farmed animals, antimicrobial resistance in foodborne pathogens and the transmission of pathogens from farm to final products.

Dr. Amit Vikram
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • foodborne pathogens
  • meat safety
  • poultry
  • microbiome
  • food-safety interventions
  • on-farm food safety
  • pathogen transmission
  • antimicrobial resistance

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 814 KiB  
Article
Prevalence of Mastitis and Antibiotic Resistance of Bacterial Isolates from CMT Positive Milk Samples Obtained from Dairy Cows, Camels, and Goats in Two Pastoral Districts in Southern Ethiopia
by Amanuel Balemi, Balako Gumi, Kebede Amenu, Sisay Girma, Mu'uz Gebru, Muluken Tekle, Agustin A. Ríus, Doris H. D’Souza, Getahun E. Agga and Oudessa Kerro Dego
Animals 2021, 11(6), 1530; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11061530 - 24 May 2021
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 6797
Abstract
A study was carried out from August 2017 to February 2018 on lactating dairy cows, one-humped dromedary camels, and goats to determine mastitis in the Bule Hora and Dugda Dawa districts of in Southern Ethiopia. Milk samples from 564 udder quarters and udder [...] Read more.
A study was carried out from August 2017 to February 2018 on lactating dairy cows, one-humped dromedary camels, and goats to determine mastitis in the Bule Hora and Dugda Dawa districts of in Southern Ethiopia. Milk samples from 564 udder quarters and udder halves from 171 animals consisting of 60 dairy cows, 51 camels, and 60 goats were tested for mastitis. Sixty-four positive udder milk samples were cultured, and bacterial mastitis pathogens were isolated and identified. The antibiotic resistance of bacterial isolates from milk with mastitis was tested against nine antimicrobials commonly used in the study area. Cow- and quarter-level prevalence of mastitis in dairy cows, camels, and goats was 33.3%, 26.3%, and 25% and 17.6%, 14.5%, and 20%, respectively. In cattle, the prevalence was significantly higher in Dugda Dawa than in Bule Hora. Major bacterial isolates were coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species (39.1%), S. aureus (17.2%), S. hyicus (14.1%), and S. intermedius and Escherichia coli (9.4% each). In camels, udder abnormality and mastitis were significantly higher in late lactation than in early lactation. Mastitis tends to increase with parity in camels. E. coli isolates were highly resistant to spectinomycin, vancomycin, and doxycycline, whereas most S. aureus isolates were multidrug-resistant. Most of the rural and periurban communities in this area consume raw milk, which indicates a high risk of infection with multidrug-resistant bacteria. We recommend a community-focused training program to improve community awareness of the need to boil milk and the risk of raw milk consumption. Full article
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15 pages, 2465 KiB  
Article
Controlling the Colonization of Clostridium perfringens in Broiler Chickens by an Electron-Beam-Killed Vaccine
by Palmy R. Jesudhasan, Sohini S. Bhatia, Kirthiram K. Sivakumar, Chandni Praveen, Kenneth J. Genovese, Haiqi L. He, Robert Droleskey, Jack L. McReynolds, James A. Byrd, Christina L. Swaggerty, Michael H. Kogut, David J. Nisbet and Suresh D. Pillai
Animals 2021, 11(3), 671; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11030671 - 03 Mar 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2609
Abstract
Clostridium perfringens (Cp) is a Gram-positive anaerobe that is one of the causative agents of necrotic enteritis (NE) in chickens, which leads to high mortality. Owing to the ban of administering antibiotics in feed to chickens, there has been an increase in the [...] Read more.
Clostridium perfringens (Cp) is a Gram-positive anaerobe that is one of the causative agents of necrotic enteritis (NE) in chickens, which leads to high mortality. Owing to the ban of administering antibiotics in feed to chickens, there has been an increase in the number of NE outbreaks all over the world, and the estimated loss is approximately 6 billion U.S. dollars. The best alternative method to control NE without antibiotics could be vaccination. In this study, we exposed three different strains of Cp to electron beam (eBeam) irradiation to inactivate them and then used them as a killed vaccine to control the colonization of Cp in broiler chickens. The vaccine was delivered to 18-day old embryos in ovo and the chickens were challenged with the respective vaccine strain at two different time points (early and late) to test the protective efficacy of the vaccine. The results indicate that an effective eBeam dose of 10 kGy inactivated all three strains of Cp, did not affect the cell membrane or epitopes, induced significant levels of IgY in the vaccinated birds, and further reduced the colonization of Cp strains significantly (p < 0.0001) in late challenge (JGS4064: 4 out of 10; JGS1473: 0 out of 10; JGS4104: 3 out of 10). Further studies are necessary to enhance the efficacy of the vaccine and to understand the mechanism of vaccine protection. Full article
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17 pages, 2021 KiB  
Article
Combined Effect of Organic Acids and Modified Atmosphere Packaging on Listeria monocytogenes in Chicken Legs
by Elena Gonzalez-Fandos, Alba Martinez-Laorden and Iratxe Perez-Arnedo
Animals 2020, 10(10), 1818; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10101818 - 06 Oct 2020
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1953
Abstract
The combined effect of organic acid (citric, propionic or acetic acid) treatment and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) on the growth of L. monocytogenes in chicken legs kept at 4 °C for 10 days was evaluated. Chicken legs were inoculated with L. monocytogenes [...] Read more.
The combined effect of organic acid (citric, propionic or acetic acid) treatment and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) on the growth of L. monocytogenes in chicken legs kept at 4 °C for 10 days was evaluated. Chicken legs were inoculated with L. monocytogenes and washed with either 2% citric, 2% propionic or 2% acetic acid solution or distilled water (control). Legs were packaged under the following conditions: air, vacuum, 80% N2/20% CO2, 60% N2/40% CO2 or 40% N2/60% CO2. The greatest L. monocytogenes growth reductions after treatment were observed in chicken legs washed with propionic acid (2.14 log units lower compared to control legs). The lowest growth rates of L. monocytogenes were found in samples washed with acetic acid and packaged in atmospheres containing CO2. An extended shelf life was observed in legs packaged in 40% N2/60% CO2, but these packaging conditions did not reduce L. monocytogenes growth. Consequently, it is necessary to design measures in order to control this bacterial pathogen. Washing of chicken with 2% propionic acid or 2% acetic acid can decrease L. monocytogenes counts in chicken packaged in MAP. Full article
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Review

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29 pages, 488 KiB  
Review
Non-Antibiotics Strategies to Control Salmonella Infection in Poultry
by José Martín Ruvalcaba-Gómez, Zuamí Villagrán, Juan José Valdez-Alarcón, Marcelino Martínez-Núñez, Lorena Jacqueline Gomez-Godínez, Edmundo Ruesga-Gutiérrez, Luis Miguel Anaya-Esparza, Ramón Ignacio Arteaga-Garibay and Angélica Villarruel-López
Animals 2022, 12(1), 102; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12010102 - 01 Jan 2022
Cited by 37 | Viewed by 10645
Abstract
Salmonella spp. is a facultative intracellular pathogen causing localized or systemic infections, involving economic and public health significance, and remains the leading pathogen of food safety concern worldwide, with poultry being the primary transmission vector. Antibiotics have been the main strategy for Salmonella [...] Read more.
Salmonella spp. is a facultative intracellular pathogen causing localized or systemic infections, involving economic and public health significance, and remains the leading pathogen of food safety concern worldwide, with poultry being the primary transmission vector. Antibiotics have been the main strategy for Salmonella control for many years, which has allowed producers to improve the growth and health of food-producing animals. However, the utilization of antibiotics has been reconsidered since bacterial pathogens have established and shared a variety of antibiotic resistance mechanisms that can quickly increase within microbial communities. The use of alternatives to antibiotics has been recommended and successfully applied in many countries, leading to the core aim of this review, focused on (1) describing the importance of Salmonella infection in poultry and the effects associated with the use of antibiotics for disease control; (2) discussing the use of feeding-based (prebiotics, probiotics, bacterial subproducts, phytobiotics) and non-feeding-based (bacteriophages, in ovo injection, vaccines) strategies in poultry production for Salmonella control; and (3) exploring the use of complementary strategies, highlighting those based on -omics tools, to assess the effects of using the available antibiotic-free alternatives and their role in lowering dependency on the existing antimicrobial substances to manage bacterial infections in poultry effectively. Full article
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28 pages, 754 KiB  
Review
Clostridium perfringens as Foodborne Pathogen in Broiler Production: Pathophysiology and Potential Strategies for Controlling Necrotic Enteritis
by Zuamí Villagrán-de la Mora, María Esther Macías-Rodríguez, Jenny Arratia-Quijada, Yesica Sughey Gonzalez-Torres, Karla Nuño and Angélica Villarruel-López
Animals 2020, 10(9), 1718; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10091718 - 22 Sep 2020
Cited by 43 | Viewed by 11086
Abstract
Clostridium perfringens (Cp.) is the cause of human foodborne desease. Meat and poultry products are identified as the main source of infection for humans. Cp. can be found in poultry litter, feces, soil, dust, and healthy birds’ intestinal contents. Cp. strains are known [...] Read more.
Clostridium perfringens (Cp.) is the cause of human foodborne desease. Meat and poultry products are identified as the main source of infection for humans. Cp. can be found in poultry litter, feces, soil, dust, and healthy birds’ intestinal contents. Cp. strains are known to secrete over 20 identified toxins and enzymes that could potentially be the principal virulence factors, capable of degrading mucin, affecting enterocytes, and the small intestine epithelium, involved in necrotic enteritis (NE) pathophysiology, also leading to immunological responses, microbiota modification and anatomical changes. Different environmental and dietary factors can determine the colonization of this microorganism. It has been observed that the incidence of Cp-associated to NE in broilers has increased in countries that have stopped using antibiotic growth promoters. Since the banning of such antibiotic growth promoters, several strategies for Cp. control have been proposed, including dietary modifications, probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, phytogenics, organic acids, and vaccines. However, there are aspects of the pathology that still need to be clarified to establish better actions to control and prevention. This paper reviews the current knowledge about Cp. as foodborne pathogen, the pathophysiology of NE, and recent findings on potential strategies for its control. Full article
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33 pages, 329 KiB  
Review
Non-Typhoidal Salmonella at the Human-Food-of-Animal-Origin Interface in Australia
by Hamid Reza Sodagari, Penghao Wang, Ian Robertson, Ihab Habib and Shafi Sahibzada
Animals 2020, 10(7), 1192; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10071192 - 14 Jul 2020
Cited by 25 | Viewed by 3914
Abstract
Non-typhoidal Salmonella is a major zoonotic pathogen that plays a significant role in foodborne human salmonellosis worldwide through the consumption of contaminated foods, particularly those of animal origin. Despite a considerable reduction in human salmonellosis outbreaks in developed countries, Australia is experiencing a [...] Read more.
Non-typhoidal Salmonella is a major zoonotic pathogen that plays a significant role in foodborne human salmonellosis worldwide through the consumption of contaminated foods, particularly those of animal origin. Despite a considerable reduction in human salmonellosis outbreaks in developed countries, Australia is experiencing a continuous rise of such outbreaks in humans. This review of the literature highlights the reported non-typhoidal Salmonella outbreaks in humans as well as the occurrence of the pathogen in foods from animal sources throughout Australia. Non-typhoidal Salmonella infections from food animals are more often associated with at-risk people, such as immunocompromised and aged people or children. Although several animal-sourced foods were recognised as the catalysts for salmonellosis outbreaks in Australia, egg and egg-based products remained the most implicated foods in the reported outbreaks. This review further highlights the antimicrobial resistance trends of non-typhoidal Salmonella isolates at the human–food interface, with a focus on clinically important antimicrobials in humans, by collating evidence from previous investigations in Australia. The rise in antimicrobial-resistant Salmonella, especially to antimicrobials commonly prescribed to treat human salmonellosis, has become a significant global public health concern. However, the overall prevalence of antimicrobial resistance in Australia is considerably lower than in other parts of the world, particularly in terms of critically important antimicrobials for the treatment of human salmonellosis. The present review adds to our understanding of the global epidemiology of non-typhoidal Salmonella with emphasis on the past few decades in Australia. Full article
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