19,754 results on '"FOOD contamination"'
Search Results
2. Extensive Evaluation of a Method for Quantitative Measurement of Aflatoxins B1 and M1 in Animal Urine Using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography with Fluorescence Detection.
- Author
-
Du, Xiangwei, Schrunk, Dwayne E, Imerman, Paula M, Tahara, John, Tkachenko, Andriy, Guag, Jake, Reimschuessel, Renate, and Rumbeiha, Wilson K
- Subjects
Animals ,Aflatoxins ,Aflatoxin B1 ,Chromatography ,High Pressure Liquid ,Reproducibility of Results ,Food Contamination ,Analytical Chemistry ,Microbiology ,Food Sciences - Abstract
BackgroundAflatoxins (AFs) are common feed contaminants and are one of the common causes of toxin-related pet food poisoning and recalls.ObjectiveCurrently, there are no validated methods for the detection and quantitation of AFs in biological matrices to diagnose AF exposure in live animals. Following a successful intra-laboratory method development to quantify AFB1 and AFM1 in animal urine by HPLC with fluorescence detection (HPLC-FLD), the present study was conducted to extensively evaluate the method performance in an unbiased manner using blinded samples.MethodsThe evaluation included two stages. First, the performance was verified in the method-originating laboratory in a single-laboratory blinded method test (BMT-S) trial followed by a multi-laboratory blinded method test (BMT-M) trial.ResultsIn both trials, accuracy, repeatability, and reproducibility were satisfactory confirming the relatively good ruggedness and robustness of the method and ensuring that it will perform as expected if used by other laboratories in the future.ConclusionsWe extensively evaluated the performance of a quantitative method to detect AFB1 and AFM1 in animal urine by HPLC-FLD by two different laboratories in two separate BMT-S and BMT-M trials. Both BMT results demonstrated the satisfactory accuracy and precision of the method. It is now available to be adopted by other diagnostic laboratories for purposes of diagnosing AF intoxication in animals.HighlightsA simple urine-based diagnostic test method using HPLC-FLD that originated in a single laboratory now has passed a multi-laboratory evaluation and is now available to be shared with other diagnostic laboratories for purposes of diagnosing AF intoxication in animals so better treatment can be rendered.
- Published
- 2023
3. Transfer of polychlorinated dibenzo- p -dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from oral exposure into cow's milk – Part I: state of knowledge and uncertainties.
- Author
-
Krause, Torsten, Moenning, Jan-Louis, Lamp, Julika, Maul, Ronald, Schenkel, Hans, Fürst, Peter, Pieper, Robert, and Numata, Jorge
- Subjects
- *
POLYCHLORINATED biphenyls analysis , *FOOD safety , *LACTATION , *FOOD contamination , *DIBENZOFURANS , *POLLUTANTS , *CATTLE , *HETEROCYCLIC compounds , *FOOD consumption , *DIOXINS , *MILK , *UNCERTAINTY , *HEALTH literacy , *DAIRY products , *ANIMALS , *ENVIRONMENTAL exposure - Abstract
Polychlorinated dibenzo- para -dioxins (PCDDs) and dibenzofurans (PCDFs) (collectively and colloquially referred to as 'dioxins') as well as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are persistent and ubiquitous environmental contaminants that may unintentionally enter and accumulate along the food chain. Owing to their chronic toxic effects in humans and bioaccumulative properties, their presence in feed and food requires particular attention. One important exposure pathway for consumers is consumption of milk and dairy products. Their transfer from feed to milk has been studied for the past 50 years to quantify the uptake and elimination kinetics. We extracted transfer parameters (transfer rate, transfer factor, biotransfer factor and elimination half-lives) in a machine-readable format from seventy-six primary and twenty-nine secondary literature items. Kinetic data for some toxicologically relevant dioxin congeners and the elimination half-lives of dioxin-like PCBs are still not available. A well-defined selection of transfer parameters from literature was statistically analysed and shown to display high variability. To understand this variability, we discuss the data with an emphasis on influencing factors, such as experimental conditions, cow performance parameters and metabolic state. While no universal interpretation could be derived, a tendency for increased transfer into milk is apparently connected to an increase in milk yield and milk fat yield as well as during times of body fat mobilisation, for example during the negative energy balance after calving. Over the past decades, milk yield has increased to over 40 kg/d during high lactation, so more research is needed on how this impacts feed to food transfer for PCDD/Fs and PCBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
4. Evidence of the Zoonotic Transmission of Cryptosporidium among Children and Pets.
- Author
-
Coelho, Natalia Marinho Dourado, Coelho, Willian Marinho Dourado, Gomes, Jancarlo Ferreira, Meireles, Marcelo Vasconcelos, Nagata, Walter Bertequini, de Lima, Valéria Marçal Felix, Santos-Doni, Thais Rabelo, Silva, Vitória Beatriz, da Silveira Neto, Luiz, Nakamura, Alex Akira, and Bresciani, Katia Denise Saraiva
- Subjects
PETS ,CRYPTOSPORIDIUM ,CRYPTOSPORIDIUM parvum ,FOOD contamination ,WATER pollution ,DOGS - Abstract
We investigated the zoonotic transmission of Cryptosporidium among the children (n = 188), dogs (n = 133), and cats (n = 55) living in 188 households. Fecal samples were examined using ELISA and confirmed via nested PCR. Coproantigens oocysts were detected in 3.7% of children, 8.3% of dogs, and 5.5% of cats. We found strong evidence of two cases of the zoonotic transmission of Cryptosporidium canis between children and dogs. Furthermore, four children and their respective pets (one dog and three cats) were infected with Cryptosporidium parvum, but we cannot exclude the hypotheses that the oocysts were transmitted from children to animals or that both hosts were infected by a shared source, such as contaminated water or food. The presence of an infected animal elevated the risk of zoonotic transmission by 129.7-fold (95% CI: 13.92–1209.68). Furthermore, sharing a bed with pets was identified as a risk factor for infection in children (OR: 9.9, 95% CI: 1.37–71.2). In conclusion, the zoonotic transmission of Cryptosporidium among children and pets cohabiting in the same household may be quite common, especially when infected animals lie or sleep on children's beds. These findings unequivocally highlight the public health concern surrounding C. canis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
5. Reservoirs of antimicrobial resistance genes in retail raw milk
- Author
-
Liu, Jinxin, Zhu, Yuanting, Jay-Russell, Michele, Lemay, Danielle G, and Mills, David A
- Subjects
Microbiology ,Biological Sciences ,Nutrition ,Genetics ,Infectious Diseases ,Human Genome ,Infection ,Animals ,Drug Resistance ,Bacterial ,Escherichia coli ,Fermentation ,Food Contamination ,Food Safety ,Lactobacillales ,Milk ,RNA ,Ribosomal ,16S ,Raw milk ,Antimicrobial resistance ,Metagenomics ,Public health ,Ecology ,Medical Microbiology ,Evolutionary biology - Abstract
BackgroundIt has been estimated that at least 3% of the USA population consumes unpasteurized (raw) milk from animal sources, and the demand to legalize raw milk sales continues to increase. However, consumption of raw milk can cause foodborne illness and be a source of bacteria containing transferrable antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs). To obtain a comprehensive understanding of the microbiome and antibiotic resistome in both raw and processed milk, we systematically analyzed 2034 retail milk samples including unpasteurized milk and pasteurized milk via vat pasteurization, high-temperature-short-time pasteurization, and ultra-pasteurization from the United States using complementary culture-based, 16S rRNA gene, and metagenomic sequencing techniques.ResultsRaw milk samples had the highest prevalence of viable bacteria which were measured as all aerobic bacteria, coliform, and Escherichia coli counts, and their microbiota was distinct from other types of milk. 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed that Pseudomonadaceae dominated raw milk with limited levels of lactic acid bacteria. Among all milk samples, the microbiota remained stable with constant bacterial populations when stored at 4 °C. In contrast, storage at room temperature dramatically enriched the bacterial populations present in raw milk samples and, in parallel, significantly increased the richness and abundance of ARGs. Metagenomic sequencing indicated raw milk possessed dramatically more ARGs than pasteurized milk, and a conjugation assay documented the active transfer of blaCMY-2, one ceftazidime resistance gene present in raw milk-borne E. coli, across bacterial species. The room temperature-enriched resistome differed in raw milk from distinct geographic locations, a difference likely associated with regionally distinct milk microbiota.ConclusionDespite advertised "probiotic" effects, our results indicate that raw milk microbiota has minimal lactic acid bacteria. In addition, retail raw milk serves as a reservoir of ARGs, populations of which are readily amplified by spontaneous fermentation. There is an increased need to understand potential food safety risks from improper transportation and storage of raw milk with regard to ARGs. Video Abstract.
- Published
- 2020
6. Preface to the NeuroToxicology Special Issue, “Mercury in fish: The Seychelles child development study”
- Author
-
Myers, Gary, van Wijngaarden, Edwin, Lasley, Stephen M, Cranmer, Joan M, Lein, Pamela J, and Westerink, Remco HS
- Subjects
Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences ,Biomedical and Clinical Sciences ,Neurosciences ,Age Factors ,Animals ,Child ,Child Development ,Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena ,Dietary Exposure ,Fishes ,Food Contamination ,Humans ,Mercury Poisoning ,Nervous System ,Methylmercury Compounds ,Nervous System ,Nutritional Status ,Nutritive Value ,Risk Assessment ,Risk Factors ,Seafood ,Seychelles ,Toxicology ,Pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences - Published
- 2020
7. Microbiological Contamination of Strawberries from U-Pick Farms in Guangzhou, China
- Author
-
Wei, Xiaohong, Hou, Shuiping, Pan, Xinhong, Xu, Conghui, Li, Juntao, Yu, Hong, Chase, Jennifer, Atwill, Edward R, Li, Xunde, Chen, Kuncai, and Chen, Shouyi
- Subjects
Agricultural ,Veterinary and Food Sciences ,Environmental Sciences ,Pollution and Contamination ,Foodborne Illness ,Prevention ,Digestive Diseases ,Emerging Infectious Diseases ,Vaccine Related ,Infectious Diseases ,Agricultural Irrigation ,Animals ,Birds ,China ,Cryptosporidium ,Enterobacteriaceae ,Farms ,Food Contamination ,Food Safety ,Fragaria ,Giardia ,Rodentia ,Water Supply ,strawberry ,E ,coli ,total coliform ,wildlife ,water ,U-Pick ,E. coli ,Toxicology - Abstract
This study quantified the association of rodent fruit damage and the microbiological quality of irrigation water on the risk of microbiological contamination of strawberries collected from 18 U-pick farms across five different districts in the Guangzhou metropolitan region of southern China. Fifty-four composite strawberries samples, with or without evidence of rodent or avian foraging damage (i.e., bitten), along with 16 irrigation water samples, were collected during the spring of 2014 and winter of 2015 from our cohort of 18 farms. Composite strawberry samples and irrigation water were analyzed for total coliforms, E. coli, Salmonella, E. coli O157, Giardia, and Cryptosporidium. Total coliforms and E. coli were detected in 100% and ~90% of irrigation water samples, respectively. In contrast, Cryptosporidium was detected in only two water samples, while Salmonella, E. coli O157, and Giardia were not detected in any water samples. Strawberries with signs of being bitten by wildlife had significantly higher concentrations of total coliforms and E. coli, compared to strawberries with no physical evidence of rodent damage (p < 0.001). Similarly, Cryptosporidium was detected in 7/18 (39%) of bitten, 4/18 (22%) of edge, and 5/18 (28%) of central strawberry samples, respectively. Concentration of E. coli on strawberries (p < 0.001), air temperature (p = 0.025), and presence of Cryptosporidium in irrigation water (p < 0.001) were all associated with the risk of Cryptosporidium contamination on strawberries. Salmonella and Giardia were detected in
- Published
- 2019
8. High-performance liquid chromatography and Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay techniques for detection and quantification of aflatoxin B1 in feed samples: a comparative study
- Author
-
Beyene, Achenef Melaku, Du, Xiangwei, E. Schrunk, Dwayne, Ensley, Steve, and Rumbeiha, Wilson K
- Subjects
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences ,Acetonitriles ,Aflatoxin B1 ,Animal Feed ,Animals ,Chromatography ,High Pressure Liquid ,Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ,Ethanol ,Food Contamination ,Humans ,Reproducibility of Results ,Sensitivity and Specificity ,Solid Phase Extraction ,Solvents ,Water ,Zea mays ,ELISA ,Feed ,HPLC ,Biochemistry and Cell Biology ,Other Medical and Health Sciences ,Bioinformatics ,Biomedical and clinical sciences - Abstract
ObjectiveComparison was done between high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for detection and quantification of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in feed samples. The two procedures were standardized and validated before the actual experiment. Five concentrations (0, 5, 10, 20 and 30 ppb) of feed samples were used for both methods. For the HPLC technique, the samples were extracted in acetonitrile/water (90/10) solution, cleaned-up using solid phase extraction (SPE) column, and derivatized by water/trifluoroacetic acid/glacial acetic acid (35/10/5) solution before instrument analysis. The samples were extracted in 70% methanol for the ELISA technique.ResultsThe two tests showed very strong linearity with correlation coefficient value of > 0.99 using standard solutions. The mean recovery rate was 92.42% (with relative standard deviation (RSD) of 5.97) and 75.64% (RSD = 34.88) for HPLC and ELISA, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in recovery rate between the two methods. There was a positive correlation (r = 0.84) between them which indicated that the two techniques can be used to detect and quantify aflatoxin B1 in feed samples. However, there were variations among replicates for the ELISA method, which shows that this method is more applicable for screening purposes.
- Published
- 2019
9. Development of an immunoassay for the detection of carbaryl in cereals based on a camelid variable heavy‐chain antibody domain
- Author
-
Liu, Zhiping, Wang, Kai, Wu, Sha, Wang, Zhanhui, Ding, Guochun, Hao, Xiujing, Li, Qing X, Li, Ji, Gee, Shirley J, Hammock, Bruce D, and Xu, Ting
- Subjects
Agricultural ,Veterinary and Food Sciences ,Food Sciences ,Animals ,Camelids ,New World ,Carbaryl ,Edible Grain ,Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ,Food Contamination ,Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains ,Insecticides ,Limit of Detection ,Single-Chain Antibodies ,Triticum ,Zea mays ,VHH ,carbaryl ,ELISA ,cereals ,food safety ,Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences ,Engineering ,Food Science ,Agricultural ,veterinary and food sciences - Abstract
BackgroundThe variable domain of camelid heavy-chain antibodies (VHH) is increasingly being adapted to detect small molecules in various matrices. The insecticide carbaryl is widely used in agriculture while its residues have posed a threat to food safety and human health.ResultsVHHs specific for carbaryl were generated from an alpaca immunized with the hapten CBR1 coupled to keyhole limpet hemocyanin. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) based on the VHH C1 and the coating antigen CBR2-BSA was developed for the detection of carbaryl in cereals. This assay, using an optimized assay buffer (pH 6.5) containing 10% methanol and 0.8% NaCl, has a half-maximum signal inhibition concentration of 5.4 ng mL-1 and a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.3 ng mL-1 for carbaryl, and shows low cross reactivity (≤0.8%) with other tested carbamates. The LOD of carbaryl using the VHH-based ELISA was 36 ng g-1 in rice and maize and 72 ng g-1 in wheat. Recoveries of carbaryl in spiked rice, maize and wheat samples were in the range of 81-106%, 96-106% and 83-113%, respectively. Relative standard deviations of repeatability and intra-laboratory reproducibility were in the range of 0.8-9.2% and 2.9-9.7%, respectively.ConclusionThe VHH-based ELISA was highly effective in detecting carbaryl in cereal samples after simple sample extraction and dilution. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.
- Published
- 2019
10. Modelling of Indicator Escherichia coli Contamination in Sentinel Oysters and Estuarine Water.
- Author
-
Jeamsripong, Saharuetai and Atwill, Edward R
- Subjects
Animals ,Escherichia coli ,Metals ,Heavy ,Food Contamination ,Shellfish ,Thailand ,Ostreidae ,Estuaries ,Crassostrea ,Salmonella ,Shigella ,estuarine water ,fecal contamination ,heavy metal contamination ,log-transformation ,Metals ,Heavy ,Toxicology - Abstract
This study was performed to improve the ability to predict the concentrations of Escherichia coli in oyster meat and estuarine waters by using environmental parameters, and microbiological and heavy metal contamination from shellfish growing area in southern Thailand. Oyster meat (n = 144) and estuarine waters (n = 96) were tested for microbiological and heavy metal contamination from March 2016 to February 2017. Prevalence and mean concentrations of E. coli were 93.1% and 4.6 × 103 most probable number (MPN)/g in oyster meat, and 78.1% and 2.2 × 102 MPN/100 mL in estuarine water. Average 7-day precipitation, ambient air temperature, and the presence of Salmonella were associated with the concentrations of E. coli in oyster meat (p < 0.05). Raw data (MPN/g of oyster meat and MPN/100 mL of estuarine water) and log-transformed data (logMPN/g of oyster meat and logMPN/100 mL of estuarine water) of E. coli concentrations were examined within two contrasting regression models. However, the more valid predictions were conducted using non-log transformed values. These findings indicate that non-log transformed data can be used for building more accurate statistical models in microbiological food safety, and that significant environmental parameters can be used as a part of a rapid warning system to predict levels of E. coli before harvesting oysters.
- Published
- 2019
11. Ciguatoxin Occurrence in Food-Web Components of a Cuban Coral Reef Ecosystem: Risk-Assessment Implications
- Author
-
Díaz-Asencio, Lisbet, Clausing, Rachel J, Vandersea, Mark, Chamero-Lago, Donaida, Gómez-Batista, Miguel, Hernández-Albernas, Joan I, Chomérat, Nicolas, Rojas-Abrahantes, Gabriel, Litaker, R Wayne, Tester, Patricia, Diogène, Jorge, Alonso-Hernández, Carlos M, and Bottein, Marie-Yasmine Dechraoui
- Subjects
Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences ,Biomedical and Clinical Sciences ,Emerging Infectious Diseases ,Prevention ,Foodborne Illness ,Life Below Water ,Animals ,Ciguatoxins ,Coral Reefs ,Cuba ,Dinoflagellida ,Fishes ,Food Chain ,Food Contamination ,Invertebrates ,Risk Assessment ,Caribbean ,ciguatoxicity ,qPCR ,trophic transfer ,ish ,food safety ,food security ,science-based management ,foodborne disease ,Biochemistry and Cell Biology ,Pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences - Abstract
In Cuba, ciguatera poisoning associated with fish consumption is the most commonly occurring non-bacterial seafood-borne illness. Risk management through fish market regulation has existed in Cuba for decades and consists of bans on selected species above a certain weight; however, the actual occurrence of ciguatoxins (CTXs) in seafood has never been verified. From this food safety risk management perspective, a study site locally known to be at risk for ciguatera was selected. Analysis of the epiphytic dinoflagellate community identified the microalga Gambierdiscus. Gambierdiscus species included six of the seven species known to be present in Cuba (G. caribaeus, G. belizeanus, G. carpenteri, G. carolinianus, G. silvae, and F. ruetzleri). CTX-like activity in invertebrates, herbivorous and carnivorous fishes were analyzed with a radioligand receptor-binding assay and, for selected samples, with the N2A cell cytotoxicity assay. CTX activity was found in 80% of the organisms sampled, with toxin values ranging from 2 to 8 ng CTX3C equivalents g-1 tissue. Data analysis further confirmed CTXs trophic magnification. This study constitutes the first finding of CTX-like activity in marine organisms in Cuba and in herbivorous fish in the Caribbean. Elucidating the structure-activity relationship and toxicology of CTX from the Caribbean is needed before conclusions may be drawn about risk exposure in Cuba and the wider Caribbean.
- Published
- 2019
12. Evaluation of four commercial tests for detecting ceftiofur in waste milk bulk tank samples.
- Author
-
Belmar, Marlene, Aly, Sharif, Karle, Betsy M, and Pereira, Richard V
- Subjects
Milk ,Animals ,Cephalosporins ,Predictive Value of Tests ,Drug Residues ,Food Contamination ,General Science & Technology - Abstract
The objective of this study was to identify factors affecting the accuracy of four commercial tests for ceftiofur drug residue in milk samples from bulk tank waste milk (WM). WM samples were collected from 12 California dairy farms which were initially tested using liquid chromatography (LC-MS/MS) to confirm their negative status for drug residues above the FDA established tolerance/safe levels. The milk samples were also tested for fat, protein, lactose, solids non-fat (SNF), somatic cell count (SCC), coliform count, and standard plate count (SPC). Each WM sample was divided into two aliquots, one labeled as negative for drug residues (WMN) and the second spiked with ceftiofur as positive for ceftiofur residues (WMPos). Both types of WM samples were tested to evaluate the performance of 4 commercially available tests: Penzyme® Milk Test, SNAP® β-lactam, BetaStar® Plus and Delvo SP-NT®. Three assays in triplicates for the WMN and WMPos were conducted for each WM sample. Test were evaluated using sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and positive likelihood ratio. Kruskal-Wallis method was used to evaluate the effect of milk quality parameters on true positive (TP) and false negative (FN) test results. All WMPos samples were identified as positive by all four tests, rendering 100% sensitivity for each test. The specificity for Penzyme, BetaStar, Delvo, and SNAP tests were 59.2, 55.5, 44.4, and 29.6, respectively. Overall, all tests correctly identified samples with ceftiofur residues (WMPos), as shown by 100% sensitivity. Greater variability was observed regarding identification of samples free of any drug residue, with Penzyme and BetaStar having the highest risk for correctly identifying TN samples. Our findings indicate that when selecting commercial tests to detect drug residues in WM, milk quality parameters must be considered if the aim is to reduce FP test results.
- Published
- 2019
13. Assessment of Bacterial Accumulation and Environmental Factors in Sentinel Oysters and Estuarine Water Quality from the Phang Nga Estuary Area in Thailand.
- Author
-
Jeamsripong, Saharuetai, Chuanchuen, Rungtip, and Atwill, Edward R
- Subjects
Animals ,Bacteria ,Metals ,Heavy ,Water Pollutants ,Temperature ,Food Contamination ,Shellfish ,Thailand ,Ostreidae ,Water Quality ,Estuaries ,Escherichia coli ,Salmonella ,Shigella ,Vibrio parahaemolyticus ,estuarine water ,fecal coliforms ,oyster ,Metals ,Heavy ,Toxicology - Abstract
This study characterized microbiological and chemical contamination of oyster meat and estuarine water in Phang Nga, Thailand. Pooled oyster meats (n = 144), estuarine waters (n = 96) and environmental parameters were collected from March, 2016 to February, 2017, and assessed for levels of total coliforms (TC), fecal coliforms (FC), Escherichia coli (EC), and Vibrio parahaemolyticus (VP), presence of Salmonella and Shigella and levels of heavy metals (Mn, Pb and Cd). The prevalence of TC, FC and EC were in 99.3%, 94.4% and 93.1% of oyster meat and 94.8%, 79.2%, and 78.1% of water, respectively. The average VP levels was 8.5 × 10⁷ most probable number (MPN)/g oyster. Prevalence of Shigella and Salmonella in the pooled oysters were 7.6% and 30.6%, respectively. The dominant Salmonella serovars were Paratyphi B followed by Seremban, and Kentucky. In contrast, the prevalence of Shigella were 27.1%, but Salmonella was not detected in estuarine water. Factors statistically associated with EC accumulation in oyster were level of FC, 7-day average precipitation, temperature, relative humidity, and presence of Salmonella in the sample. The optimal cutoff value of EC to predict Salmonella in oyster was 420 MPN/g. Results indicate this area has relatively safe levels of heavy metals, whereas bacterial contamination was very high for oysters.
- Published
- 2018
14. Prevalence and Association of Escherichia coli and Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli in Stored Foods for Young Children and Flies Caught in the Same Households in Rural Bangladesh
- Author
-
Doza, Solaiman, Jabeen Rahman, Musarrat, Islam, Mohammad Aminul, Kwong, Laura H, Unicomb, Leanne, Ercumen, Ayse, Pickering, Amy J, Parvez, Sarker Masud, Naser, Abu Mohd, Ashraf, Sania, Das, Kishor Kumar, and Luby, Stephen P
- Subjects
Vaccine Related ,Biotechnology ,Clinical Research ,Pediatric ,Foodborne Illness ,Digestive Diseases ,Nutrition ,Prevention ,Infection ,Animals ,Bangladesh ,Cross-Sectional Studies ,Diarrhea ,Diptera ,Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli ,Escherichia coli Infections ,Family Characteristics ,Feces ,Female ,Food Contamination ,Food Microbiology ,Humans ,Infant ,Mothers ,Prevalence ,Rural Population ,Sanitation ,Medical and Health Sciences ,Tropical Medicine - Abstract
Consumption of contaminated stored food can cause childhood diarrhea. Flies carry enteropathogens, although their contribution to food contamination remains unclear. We investigated the role of flies in contaminating stored food by collecting food and flies from the same households in rural Bangladesh. We selected 182 households with children ≤ 24 months old that had stored foods for later feeding at room temperature for ≥ 3 hours. We collected food samples and captured flies with fly tapes hung by the kitchen. We used the IDEXX Quanti-Tray System (Colilert-18 media; IDEXX Laboratories, Inc., Westbrook, ME) to enumerate Escherichia coli with the most probable number (MPN) method. Escherichia coli-positive IDEXX wells were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction for pathogenic E. coli genes (eae, ial, bfp, ipaH, st, lt, aat, aaiC, stx1, and stx2). Escherichia coli was detected in 61% (111/182) of food samples, with a mean of 1.1 log10 MPN/dry g. Fifteen samples (8%) contained pathogenic E. coli; seven (4%) had enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) genes (eae and/or bfp); and 10 (5%) had enteroaggregative E. coli genes (aat and/or aaiC). Of flies captured in 68 (37%) households, E. coli was detected in 41 (60%, mean 2.9 log10 MPN/fly), and one fly (1%) had an EPEC gene (eae). For paired fly-food samples, each log10 MPN E. coli increase in flies was associated with a 0.31 log10 MPN E. coli increase in stored food (95% confidence interval: 0.07, 0.55). In rural Bangladesh, flies possibly a likely route for fecal contamination of stored food. Controlling fly populations may reduce contamination of food stored for young children.
- Published
- 2018
15. Phage-Mediated Competitive Chemiluminescent Immunoassay for Detecting Cry1Ab Toxin by Using an Anti-Idiotypic Camel Nanobody
- Author
-
Qiu, Yulou, Li, Pan, Dong, Sa, Zhang, Xiaoshuai, Yang, Qianru, Wang, Yulong, Ge, Jing, Hammock, Bruce D, Zhang, Cunzheng, and Liu, Xianjin
- Subjects
Agricultural ,Veterinary and Food Sciences ,Food Sciences ,Biotechnology ,Immunization ,Animals ,Antibodies ,Anti-Idiotypic ,Antibodies ,Monoclonal ,Bacillus thuringiensis Toxins ,Bacterial Proteins ,Bacteriophages ,Camelus ,Edible Grain ,Endotoxins ,Food Contamination ,Hemolysin Proteins ,Luminescent Measurements ,Lymphocytes ,Peptide Library ,RNA ,Single-Domain Antibodies ,Cry1Ab toxin ,anti-idiotypic camel nanobody ,competitive chemiluminescent immunoassay ,Chemical Sciences ,Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences ,Engineering ,Food Science ,Agricultural ,veterinary and food sciences ,Chemical sciences - Abstract
Cry toxins have been widely used in genetically modified organisms for pest control, raising public concern regarding their effects on the natural environment and food safety. In this work, a phage-mediated competitive chemiluminescent immunoassay (c-CLIA) was developed for determination of Cry1Ab toxin using anti-idiotypic camel nanobodies. By extracting RNA from camels' peripheral blood lymphocytes, a naive phage-displayed nanobody library was established. Using anti-Cry1Ab toxin monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against the library for anti-idiotypic antibody screening, four anti-idiotypic nanobodies were selected and confirmed to be specific for anti-Cry1Ab mAb binding. Thereafter, a c-CLIA was developed for detection of Cry1Ab toxin based on anti-idiotypic camel nanobodies and employed for sample testing. The results revealed a half-inhibition concentration of developed assay to be 42.68 ± 2.54 ng/mL, in the linear range of 10.49-307.1 ng/mL. The established method is highly specific for Cry1Ab recognition, with negligible cross-reactivity for other Cry toxins. For spiked cereal samples, the recoveries of Cry1Ab toxin ranged from 77.4% to 127%, with coefficient of variation of less than 9%. This study demonstrated that the competitive format based on phage-displayed anti-idiotypic nanobodies can provide an alternative strategy for Cry toxin detection.
- Published
- 2018
16. Fungal communities associated with almond throughout crop development: Implications for aflatoxin biocontrol management in California
- Author
-
Ortega-Beltran, Alejandro, Moral, Juan, Puckett, Ryan D, Morgan, David P, Cotty, Peter J, and Michailides, Themis J
- Subjects
Microbiology ,Agricultural ,Veterinary and Food Sciences ,Biological Sciences ,Crop and Pasture Production ,Emerging Infectious Diseases ,Infectious Diseases ,Aflatoxins ,Animals ,Aspergillus flavus ,Bees ,California ,Crops ,Agricultural ,Feeding Behavior ,Flowers ,Food Contamination ,Food Microbiology ,Mycobiome ,Nuts ,Pest Control ,Biological ,Pistacia ,Pollination ,Prunus dulcis ,Species Specificity ,Trees ,General Science & Technology - Abstract
Interactions between pathogenic and nonpathogenic fungal species in the tree canopy are complex and can determine if disease will manifest in the plant and in other organisms such as honey bees. Seasonal dynamics of fungi were studied in an almond orchard in California where experimental release of the atoxigenic biopesticide Aspergillus flavus AF36 to displace toxigenic Aspergillus strains has been conducted for five years. The presence of the vegetative compatibility group (VCG) YV36, to which AF36 belongs, in the blossoms, and the honey bees that attend these blossoms, was assessed. In blossoms, A. flavus frequencies ranged from 0 to 4.5%, depending on the year of study. Frequencies of honey bees carrying A. flavus ranged from 6.5 to 10%. Only one A. flavus isolate recovered from a blossom in 2016 belonged to YV36, while members of the VCG were not detected contaminating honey bees. Exposure of pollinator honey bees to AF36 was detected to be very low. The density of several Aspergillus species was found to increase during almond hull split and throughout the final stages of maturation; this also occurred in pistachio orchards during the maturation period. Additionally, we found that AF36 effectively limited almond aflatoxin contamination in laboratory assays. This study provides knowledge and understanding of the seasonal dynamics of Aspergillus fungi and will help design aflatoxin management strategies for almond. The evidence of the low levels of VCG YV36 encountered on almond blossoms and bees during pollination and AF36's effectiveness in limiting aflatoxin contamination in almond provided additional support for the registration of AF36 with USEPA to use in almond in California.
- Published
- 2018
17. Comparisons of field and laboratory estimates of risk of DDTs from contaminated sediments to humans that consume fish in Palos Verdes, California, USA.
- Author
-
Coffin, Scott, Gan, Jay, and Schlenk, Daniel
- Subjects
Animals ,Fishes ,Perciformes ,Humans ,DDT ,Water Pollutants ,Chemical ,Risk Assessment ,Environmental Exposure ,Food Contamination ,Geologic Sediments ,Seafood ,Laboratories ,California ,Cancer ,Foodborne Illness ,Environmental Sciences - Abstract
Calculating risk from seafood exposure to persistent organic pollutants continues to be problematic as estimates of exposure from diet require extensive monitoring of fish species and limited assessments of bioavailability from sediments where the contaminants tend to reside. Previous studies in our laboratory utilized a laboratory-based isotope dilution method (IDM) to estimate the bioavailability of DDT [1,1,1-trichloro-2, 2-bis(p-chloro-phenyl)ethane] and its metabolites from sediment to biota from a superfund site on the shelf of the Palos Verdes (PVS) Peninsula in California (USA). Using a biota-sediment accumulation factor (BSAF) derived from IDM and biomagnification factors (BMF) calculated from previous studies as well as seafood-consumption data specific to anglers in the PVS area, we estimated cancer and non-cancer risks for anglers and nursing infants representing sensitive groups. Predicted cancer risks from consumption of White croaker (Genyonemus lineatus) to the 50th and 95th percentile to all shore mode anglers were, respectively, 2×10-7 and 7×10-7, which were similar to field studies using fish concentrations of all DDT isomers and their environmental degradates (ΣDDT) from collected animals. The calculated non-cancer hazard quotient values for the 50th and 95th percentile shore mode anglers consuming White croaker from this study (0.008 and 0.023, respectively) were also of similar magnitude as those obtained from studies based on samples obtained solely from fish. For nursing infants, similar results were also observed. These results indicate that estimates of bioavailability using IDM from sediment could be used accurately to determine risk to ΣDDT in humans from fish consumption.
- Published
- 2017
18. Following the Worms: Detection of Soil-Transmitted Helminth Eggs on Mothers’ Hands and Household Produce in Rural Kenya
- Author
-
Steinbaum, Lauren, Swarthout, Jenna, Mboya, John, and Pickering, Amy J
- Subjects
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences ,Health Sciences ,Digestive Diseases ,Animals ,Ascariasis ,Ascaris ,Crops ,Agricultural ,Family Characteristics ,Female ,Food Contamination ,Food Parasitology ,Hand ,Humans ,Kenya ,Mothers ,Prevalence ,Rural Population ,Soil ,Medical and Health Sciences ,Tropical Medicine ,Biomedical and clinical sciences ,Health sciences - Abstract
Approximately one-quarter of the world's population is infected with at least one species of soil-transmitted helminth (STH). The role of produce and hands in STH transmission is not well understood. We collected and processed mother hand rinse and garden-grown produce rinse samples from 116 rural households in Kakamega, Kenya, in an area previously identified to have high STH egg contamination in household soil. Ascaris was the only STH species detected; 0.9% of hand rinse, 3.5% of leafy produce, and 1.8% of root produce samples had Ascaris eggs. Our results indicate produce and hands can carry Ascaris eggs. However, due to the low detected prevalence of eggs on hands and produce, and a high prevalence of cooking the produce items tested, these pathways might have a minor contribution to STH exposure in this setting.
- Published
- 2017
19. Occurrence of Total Aflatoxins, Aflatoxin B1, and Ochratoxin A in Chicken and Eggs in Some Cameroon Urban Areas and Population Dietary Exposure.
- Author
-
Tatfo Keutchatang, Fabrice De Paul, Tchuenchieu, Alex K., Nguegwouo, Evelyne, Mouafo, Hippolyte Tene, Bouelet Ntsama, Isabelle Sandrine, Kansci, Germain, and Medoua, Gabriel Nama
- Subjects
- *
EGGS , *CITY dwellers , *AFLATOXINS , *CITIES & towns , *METROPOLITAN areas , *AGE groups , *POULTRY breeding , *FOOD contamination , *POULTRY , *MYCOTOXINS , *ANIMALS - Abstract
Consumption of chicken and eggs contaminated by mycotoxins could lead to a public health concern. This study was conducted to evaluate the dietary exposure of populations to aflatoxins (AFs) and ochratoxin A (OTA) through these poultry products in the three most urbanized regions of Cameroon (Centre, Littoral, and West). A survey was firstly carried out to know about the consumption frequency by the different population age groups as well as their awareness about mycotoxins. Chicken feed, broiler, and eggs were collected from modern poultry farms. AFs and OTA were analysed using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and dietary exposure was evaluated using a deterministic approach. From the 900 households questioned, a daily consumption frequency of chicken and eggs was the most reported (41% and 69%, respectively), with populations having a very weak knowledge of mycotoxins and their associated health risk (18%). Mean concentrations of AFs, AFB1, and OTA in poultry tissues were below the established regulated limits (20 μg/kg for AFs, 10 μg/kg for AFB1, and 5 μg/kg for OTA) in feeds. These toxins were detected at average concentrations of 1800 and 966.7 ƞg/kg for AFs in chicken muscle and egg, respectively, and 1400 and 1933.3 ƞg/kg for OTA in muscle and egg, respectively. Based on the survey, their estimated daily intakes through these poultry products tended to be lower than the limits 1 and 100 ƞg/kg bw/day for AFB1 and OTA, respectively). The margins of exposure (MOE) of the different population age groups to AFB1 and OTA obtained suggest that the public health concern associated with the presence of mycotoxins in poultry products shall not be underestimated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
20. Animal Feces Contribute to Domestic Fecal Contamination: Evidence from E. coli Measured in Water, Hands, Food, Flies, and Soil in Bangladesh
- Author
-
Ercumen, Ayse, Pickering, Amy J, Kwong, Laura H, Arnold, Benjamin F, Parvez, Sarker Masud, Alam, Mahfuja, Sen, Debashis, Islam, Sharmin, Kullmann, Craig, Chase, Claire, Ahmed, Rokeya, Unicomb, Leanne, Luby, Stephen P, and Colford, John M
- Subjects
Foodborne Illness ,Digestive Diseases ,Clinical Research ,2.2 Factors relating to the physical environment ,Aetiology ,Infection ,Clean Water and Sanitation ,Animals ,Bangladesh ,Diptera ,Escherichia coli ,Feces ,Food Contamination ,Humans ,Sanitation ,Soil ,Water ,Environmental Sciences - Abstract
Fecal-oral pathogens are transmitted through complex, environmentally mediated pathways. Sanitation interventions that isolate human feces from the environment may reduce transmission but have shown limited impact on environmental contamination. We conducted a study in rural Bangladesh to (1) quantify domestic fecal contamination in settings with high on-site sanitation coverage; (2) determine how domestic animals affect fecal contamination; and (3) assess how each environmental pathway affects others. We collected water, hand rinse, food, soil, and fly samples from 608 households. We analyzed samples with IDEXX Quantitray for the most probable number (MPN) of E. coli. We detected E. coli in source water (25%), stored water (77%), child hands (43%), food (58%), flies (50%), ponds (97%), and soil (95%). Soil had >120 000 mean MPN E. coli per gram. In compounds with vs without animals, E. coli was higher by 0.54 log10 in soil, 0.40 log10 in stored water and 0.61 log10 in food (p < 0.05). E. coli in stored water and food increased with increasing E. coli in soil, ponds, source water and hands. We provide empirical evidence of fecal transmission in the domestic environment despite on-site sanitation. Animal feces contribute to fecal contamination, and fecal indicator bacteria do not strictly indicate human fecal contamination when animals are present.
- Published
- 2017
21. Negligible Thyroid Hormone Content Present in Nonprescription U.S. Weight Loss Products
- Author
-
Seger, Christian D, He, Xuemei, Braverman, Lewis E, Yeh, Michael W, Bernet, Victor J, Singh, Ravinder J, Rhee, Connie M, and Leung, Angela M
- Subjects
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences ,Clinical Sciences ,Animals ,Anti-Obesity Agents ,Dietary Supplements ,Food Contamination ,Food Inspection ,Food Labeling ,Humans ,Molecular Structure ,Reproducibility of Results ,Thyroid Hormones ,Thyrotoxicosis ,Thyroxine ,Triiodothyronine ,United States ,Endocrinology & Metabolism ,Clinical sciences - Published
- 2017
22. Quantification of Polychlorinated Biphenyls and Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers in Commercial Cows' Milk from California by Gas Chromatography-Triple Quadruple Mass Spectrometry.
- Author
-
Chen, Xiaopeng, Lin, Yanping, Dang, Katherine, and Puschner, Birgit
- Subjects
Milk ,Animals ,Cattle ,Polychlorinated Biphenyls ,Environmental Pollutants ,Food Contamination ,United States Food and Drug Administration ,United States ,California ,Endocrine Disruptors ,Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry ,Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers ,Limit of Detection ,General Science & Technology - Abstract
We determined 12 polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and 19 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) congeners in eight different brands of commercial whole milk (WM) and fat free milk (FFM) produced and distributed in California. Congeners were extracted using a modified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe (QuEChERS) method, purified by gel permeation chromatography, and quantified using gas chromatography-triple quadruple mass spectrometry. PBDEs and PCBs were detected in all FFM and WM samples. The most prevalent PBDE congeners in WM were BDE-47 (geometric mean: 18.0 pg/mL, 0.51 ng/g lipid), BDE-99 (geometric mean: 9.9 pg/mL, 0.28 ng/g lipid), and BDE-49 (geometric mean: 6.0 pg/mL, 0.17 ng/g lipid). The dominant PCB congeners in WM were PCB-101(geometric mean: 23.6 pg/mL, 0.67 ng/g lipid), PCB-118 (geometric mean: 25.2 pg/mL, 0.72 ng/g lipid), and PCB-138 (geometric mean: 25.3 pg/mL, 0.72 ng/g lipid). The sum of all 19 PCB congeners in FFM and WM were several orders of magnitude below the U.S. FDA tolerance. The sum of PBDEs in milk samples suggest close proximity to industrial emissions, and confirm previous findings of elevated PBDE levels in California compared to other regions in the United States.
- Published
- 2017
23. Identification of fungal metabolites from inside Gallus gallus domesticus eggshells by non-invasively detecting volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
- Author
-
Cumeras, Raquel, Aksenov, Alexander A, Pasamontes, Alberto, Fung, Alexander G, Cianchetta, Amanda N, Doan, Hung, Davis, R Michael, and Davis, Cristina E
- Subjects
Microbiology ,Biological Sciences ,Chemical Sciences ,Animals ,Bacteria ,Chickens ,Egg Shell ,Equipment Design ,Food Contamination ,Fungi ,Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry ,Solid Phase Microextraction ,Volatile Organic Compounds ,Volatile organic compounds ,Hen egg ,Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry ,Solid-phase microextraction ,Engineering ,Analytical Chemistry ,Biological sciences ,Chemical sciences - Abstract
The natural porosity of eggshells allows hen eggs to become contaminated with microbes from the nesting material and environment. Those microorganisms can later proliferate due to the humid ambient conditions while stored in refrigerators, causing a potential health hazard to the consumer. The microbes' volatile organic compounds (mVOCs) are released by both fungi and bacteria. We studied mVOCs produced by aging eggs likely contaminated by fungi and fresh eggs using the non-invasive detection method of gas-phase sampling of volatiles followed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis. Two different fungal species (Cladosporium macrocarpum and Botrytis cinerea) and two different bacteria species (Stenotrophomas rhizophila and Pseudomonas argentinensis) were identified inside the studied eggs. Two compounds believed to originate from the fungi themselves were identified. One fungus-specific compound was found in both egg and the fungi: trichloromethane. Graphical abstract Trichloromethane is a potential biomarker of fungal contamination of eggs.
- Published
- 2016
24. Prenatal mercury exposure, autism, and developmental delay, using pharmacokinetic combination of newborn blood concentrations and questionnaire data: a case control study
- Author
-
McKean, Stephen J, Bartell, Scott M, Hansen, Robin L, Barfod, Gry H, Green, Peter G, and Hertz-Picciotto, Irva
- Subjects
Epidemiology ,Public Health ,Health Sciences ,Pediatric ,Clinical Research ,Foodborne Illness ,Autism ,Prevention ,Brain Disorders ,Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) ,Mental Health ,Adult ,Animals ,Autistic Disorder ,Biomarkers ,California ,Case-Control Studies ,Child Development ,Child ,Preschool ,Developmental Disabilities ,Epidemiologic Studies ,Female ,Food Contamination ,Humans ,Male ,Maternal Exposure ,Mercury ,Methylmercury Compounds ,Pregnancy ,Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects ,Seafood ,Socioeconomic Factors ,Surveys and Questionnaires ,Public Health and Health Services ,Toxicology ,Public health - Abstract
BackgroundMethylmercury (MeHg), known for well over a century as a neurotoxin in adults, has more recently been studied for potential detrimental effects during early brain development. While several studies have estimated mercury exposure, they usually rely on either a single biomarker or questionnaire data, each of which has limitations. The goal of this paper was to develop a toxicokinetic model that incorporates both biomarker and questionnaire data to estimate the cumulative exposure to MeHg through seafood consumption using data collected from the Childhood Autism Risks from Genetics and the Environment (CHARGE) study.MethodsWe utilized a previously described discrete-time model that estimates blood MeHg concentration given a piecewise-constant ingestion rate and single-compartment pharmacokinetics. We measured newborn bloodspot Hg concentrations and obtained information pertaining to maternal fish consumption using a questionnaire. Using MeHg concentration estimates from the toxicokinetic model, cumulative MeHg exposure was estimated in children with autism, children with developmental delay, and typically developing children. Median estimated cumulative MeHg was compared among diagnostic groups using the Kruskal-Wallis Test. Multinomial logistic regression models were constructed to assess the association between cumulative MeHg concentration and the risk of autism and developmental delay (vs. typical development).ResultsThe estimated average MeHg concentration of for all fish species consumed by mothers was 42 ppb. Median cumulative MeHg over gestation was similar across diagnostic groups (p-values raged from 0.91 to 0.98). After adjusting for potential confounding, we found no association between cumulative MeHg exposure and the risk of autism (OR = 0.95, 95% CI: 0.95, 1.12) or developmental delay (OR = 1.00, 95% CI: 0.89, 1.13).ConclusionsThe toxicokinetic model described in this paper yielded fish MeHg concentration estimates that are consistent with fish species containing lower levels of MeHg. Overall, cumulative MeHg exposure does not appear to detectably elevate the risk of autism or developmental delay. Based on the regression standard error for the association between ASD and TD, we would have reported statistical significance for an adjusted odds ratio of 1.09 or larger. This method can easily be extended to other epidemiologic studies in which there is a biomarker measurement and questionnaire data regarding exposure.
- Published
- 2015
25. Upregulated expression of transforming growth factor-β receptor I/II in an endemic Osteoarthropathy in China.
- Author
-
Zhang, Ying, Mu, Yudong, He, Ying, Li, Zhengzheng, Mi, Ge, Liu, Yinan, Zhang, Meng, Wang, Hui, Feng, Yiping, Fang, Qian, Ma, Tianyou, Deng, Xianghua, and Chen, Jinghong
- Subjects
- *
HEMATOXYLIN & eosin staining , *FOOD poisoning , *NECROSIS , *IMMUNOSTAINING , *FOOD contamination , *CARTILAGE cells , *SPRAGUE Dawley rats , *GROWTH factors , *RATS , *PSYCHOLOGICAL tests , *ANIMALS - Abstract
Background: Kashin-Beck disease (KBD) is a chronic, deforming, endemic osteochondropathy that begins in patients as young as 2-3 years of age. The pathogenesis of KBD remains unclear, although selenium (Se) deficiency and T-2 toxin food contamination are both linked to the disease. In the present study, we evaluated transforming growth factor-β receptor (TGF-βR I and II) levels in clinical samples of KBD and in pre-clinical disease models.Methods: Human specimens were obtained from the hand phalanges of eight donors with KBD and eight control donors. Animal models of the disease were established using Sprague-Dawley rats, which were fed an Se-deficient diet for 4 weeks and later administered the T-2 toxin. Cartilage cellularity and morphology were examined by hematoxylin and eosin staining. Expression and localization of TGF-βRI and II were evaluated using immunohistochemical staining and western blotting.Results: In the KBD samples, chondral necrosis was detected based on cartilage cell disappearance and alkalinity loss in the matrix ground substance. In the necrotic areas, TGF-βRI and II staining were strong. Positive percentages of TGF-βRI and II staining were higher in the cartilage samples of KBD donors than in those of control donors. TGF-βRI and II staining was also increased in cartilage samples from rats administered T-2 toxin or fed on Se-deficient plus T-2 toxin diets.Conclusion: TGF-βRI and II may be involved in the pathophysiology of KBD. This study provides new insights into the pathways that contribute to KBD development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
26. Anthropogenic debris in seafood: Plastic debris and fibers from textiles in fish and bivalves sold for human consumption.
- Author
-
Rochman, Chelsea M, Tahir, Akbar, Williams, Susan L, Baxa, Dolores V, Lam, Rosalyn, Miller, Jeffrey T, Teh, Foo-Ching, Werorilangi, Shinta, and Teh, Swee J
- Subjects
Animals ,Fishes ,Humans ,Food Contamination ,Waste Products ,Seafood ,Shellfish ,United States ,Indonesia ,Bivalvia ,Biochemistry and Cell Biology ,Other Physical Sciences - Abstract
The ubiquity of anthropogenic debris in hundreds of species of wildlife and the toxicity of chemicals associated with it has begun to raise concerns regarding the presence of anthropogenic debris in seafood. We assessed the presence of anthropogenic debris in fishes and shellfish on sale for human consumption. We sampled from markets in Makassar, Indonesia, and from California, USA. All fish and shellfish were identified to species where possible. Anthropogenic debris was extracted from the digestive tracts of fish and whole shellfish using a 10% KOH solution and quantified under a dissecting microscope. In Indonesia, anthropogenic debris was found in 28% of individual fish and in 55% of all species. Similarly, in the USA, anthropogenic debris was found in 25% of individual fish and in 67% of all species. Anthropogenic debris was also found in 33% of individual shellfish sampled. All of the anthropogenic debris recovered from fish in Indonesia was plastic, whereas anthropogenic debris recovered from fish in the USA was primarily fibers. Variations in debris types likely reflect different sources and waste management strategies between countries. We report some of the first findings of plastic debris in fishes directly sold for human consumption raising concerns regarding human health.
- Published
- 2015
27. A phase separation method for analyses of fluoroquinones in meats based on ultrasound-assisted salt-induced liquid–liquid microextraction and a new integrated device
- Author
-
Wang, Huili, Gao, Ming, Xu, Youqu, Wang, Wenwei, Zheng, Lian, Dahlgren, Randy A, and Wang, Xuedong
- Subjects
Agricultural ,Veterinary and Food Sciences ,Animal Production ,Food Sciences ,Acetone ,Animals ,Anti-Bacterial Agents ,Cattle ,Chickens ,China ,Drug Residues ,Feasibility Studies ,Fishes ,Fluoroquinolones ,Food Contamination ,Food Inspection ,Indicators and Reagents ,Limit of Detection ,Liquid Phase Microextraction ,Meat ,Seafood ,Solubility ,Solvents ,Sulfites ,Sus scrofa ,Ultrasonics ,Sample extraction ,Antibacterial agent analysis ,Ultrasound-assisted ,Salt-induced ,Liquid-liquid microextraction ,Liquid–liquid microextraction ,Chemical Engineering ,Dairy & Animal Science ,Animal production ,Food sciences - Abstract
Herein, we developed a novel integrated device to perform phase separation based on ultrasound-assisted, salt-induced, liquid-liquid microextraction for determination of five fluoroquinones in meats by HPLC analysis. The novel integrated device consisted of three simple HDPE (high density polyethylene) parts that were used to separate the solvent from the aqueous solution prior to retrieving the extractant. The extraction parameters were optimized using the response surface method based on central composite design: 589μL of acetone solvent, pH2.1, 4.1min extraction time and 3.5g of Na2SO4. The limits of detection were 0.056-0.64 μgkg(-1) and recoveries were 87.2-110.6% for the five fluoroquinones in muscle tissue from fish, chicken, pork and beef. This method is easily constructed from inexpensive materials, extraction efficiency is high, and the approach is compatible with HPLC analysis. Thus, it has excellent prospects for sample pre-treatment and analysis of fluoroquinones in meat samples.
- Published
- 2015
28. Transfer of Escherichia coliO157:H7 from Simulated Wildlife Scat onto Romaine Lettuce during Foliar Irrigation
- Author
-
Atwill, Edward R, Chase, Jennifer A, Oryang, David, Bond, Ronald F, Koike, Steven T, Cahn, Michael D, Anderson, Maren, Mokhtari, Amirhossein, and Dennis, Sherri
- Subjects
Microbiology ,Biological Sciences ,Prevention ,Infectious Diseases ,Infection ,Animals ,Animals ,Wild ,California ,Colony Count ,Microbial ,Consumer Product Safety ,Escherichia coli O157 ,Feces ,Food Contamination ,Food Microbiology ,Food Safety ,Lactuca ,Plant Leaves ,Strategic ,Defence & Security Studies - Abstract
A field trial in Salinas Valley, California, was conducted during July 2011 to quantify the microbial load that transfers from wildlife feces onto nearby lettuce during foliar irrigation. Romaine lettuce was grown using standard commercial practices and irrigated using an impact sprinkler design. Five grams of rabbit feces was spiked with 1.29 × 10(8) CFU of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and placed - 3, - 2, and - 1 days and immediately before a 2-h irrigation event. Immediately after irrigation, 168 heads of lettuce ranging from ca. 23 to 69 cm (from 9 to 27 in.) from the fecal deposits were collected, and the concentration of E. coli O157:H7 was determined. Thirty-eight percent of the collected lettuce heads had detectable E. coli O157:H7, ranging from 1 MPN to 2.30 × 10(5) MPN per head and a mean concentration of 7.37 × 10(3) MPN per head. Based on this weighted arithmetic mean concentration of 7.37 × 10(3) MPN of bacteria per positive head, only 0.00573% of the original 5 g of scat with its mean load of 1.29 × 10(8) CFU was transferred to the positive heads of lettuce. Bacterial contamination was limited to the outer leaves of lettuce. In addition, factors associated with the transfer of E. coli O157:H7 from scat to lettuce were distance between the scat and lettuce, age of scat before irrigation, and mean distance between scat and the irrigation sprinkler heads. This study quantified the transfer coefficient between scat and adjacent heads of lettuce as a function of irrigation. The data can be used to populate a quantitative produce risk assessment model for E. coli O157:H7 in romaine lettuce to inform risk management and food safety policies.
- Published
- 2015
29. House Fly (Musca domestica L.) Attraction to Insect Honeydew.
- Author
-
Hung, Kim Y, Michailides, Themis J, Millar, Jocelyn G, Wayadande, Astri, and Gerry, Alec C
- Subjects
Animals ,Houseflies ,Aphids ,Saccharomycetales ,Cladosporium ,Vicia faba ,Citrus ,Fruit ,Crops ,Agricultural ,Insect Vectors ,Food Contamination ,Insect Control ,Female ,Olfactory Perception ,Odorants ,Coleoptera ,Crops ,Agricultural ,General Science & Technology - Abstract
House flies are of major concern as vectors of food-borne pathogens to food crops. House flies are common pests on cattle feedlots and dairies, where they develop in and feed on animal waste. By contacting animal waste, house flies can acquire human pathogenic bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp., in addition to other bacteria, viruses, or parasites that may infect humans and animals. The subsequent dispersal of house flies from animal facilities to nearby agricultural fields containing food crops may lead to pre-harvest food contamination with these pathogens. We hypothesized that odors from honeydew, the sugary excreta produced by sucking insects feeding on crops, or molds and fungi growing on honeydew, may attract house flies, thereby increasing the risk of food crop contamination. House fly attraction to honeydew-contaminated plant material was evaluated using a laboratory bioassay. House flies were attracted to the following plant-pest-honeydew combinations: citrus mealybug on squash fruit, pea aphid on faba bean plants, whitefly on navel orange and grapefruit leaves, and combined citrus mealybug and cottony cushion scale on mandarin orange leaves. House flies were not attracted to field-collected samples of lerp psyllids on eucalyptus plants or aphids on crepe myrtle leaves. Fungi associated with field-collected honeydews were isolated and identified for further study as possible emitters of volatiles attractive to house flies. Two fungal species, Aureobasidium pullulans and Cladosporium cladosporioides, were repeatedly isolated from field-collected honeydew samples. Both fungal species were grown in potato dextrose enrichment broth and house fly attraction to volatiles from these fungal cultures was evaluated. House flies were attracted to odors from A. pullulans cultures but not to those of C. cladosporioides. Identification of specific honeydew odors that are attractive to house flies could be valuable for the development of improved house fly baits for management of this pest species.
- Published
- 2015
30. Lead Exposure from Backyard Chicken Eggs: A Public Health Risk?
- Author
-
Bautista, Adrienne C, Puschner, Birgit, and Poppenga, Robert H
- Subjects
Clinical Research ,Animals ,Chickens ,Eggs ,Food Contamination ,Lead ,Public Health ,Risk ,Chicken ,Egg ,Clinical Sciences ,Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences - Abstract
Although the USA has made significant strides in reducing lead exposure, new and emerging sources are raising cause for public concern. Recent reports of finding lead in eggs from chickens raised in urban gardens has highlighted the need to consider the potential health risks of consuming eggs from backyard chickens. Following the detection of 0.33 μg/g lead in the edible portion of eggs submitted for lead analysis from a backyard chicken owner, further investigation was conducted to determine the source and extent of lead exposure in the flock. Several birds, almost two dozen eggs, and environmental samples were submitted to the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory for further testing. Lead was detected in the blood, liver, kidney, and bone at varying concentrations in all birds but was not detected in the muscle tissue. All egg shells contained detectable amounts of lead, while only a little over half of the edible portion of the eggs contained lead. The detected concentrations in the edible portion approached or exceeded the recommended threshold of lead consumption per day that should not be exceeded by young children if a child consumed one average-sized egg. Peeling paint from a wooded structure adjacent to the flock's coop was the likely lead source containing 3,700 μg/g lead. Thus, removal of the chickens from the source and periodic testing of eggs for lead were recommended. This case illustrates the need for consumers and health care workers to be aware of potential sources for lead exposure such as backyard chickens.
- Published
- 2014
31. Quantifying the Sensitivity of Scent Detection Dogs To Identify Fecal Contamination on Raw Produce
- Author
-
Partyka, Melissa L, Bond, Ronald F, Farrar, Jeff, Falco, Andy, Cassens, Barbara, Cruse, Alonza, and Atwill, Edward R
- Subjects
Veterinary Sciences ,Agricultural ,Veterinary and Food Sciences ,Prevention ,Animals ,Dogs ,Feces ,Food Contamination ,Food Inspection ,Limit of Detection ,Sensitivity and Specificity ,Smell ,United States ,Vegetables ,Strategic ,Defence & Security Studies - Abstract
Consumption of raw produce commodities has been associated with foodborne outbreaks in the United States. In a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report outlining the incidence of food-related outbreaks from 1998 to 2008, produce of all kinds were implicated in 46% of illnesses and 23% of deaths. Methods that quickly identify fecal contamination of foods, including produce, will allow prioritization of samples for testing during investigations and perhaps decrease the time required to identify specific brands or lots. We conducted a series of trials to characterize the sensitivity and specificity of scent detection dogs to accurately identify fecal contamination on raw agricultural commodities (romaine lettuce, spinach, cilantro, and roma tomatoes). Both indirect and direct methods of detection were evaluated. For the indirect detection method, two dogs were trained to detect contamination on gauze pads previously exposed to produce contaminated with feces. For the direct detection method, two dogs were trained to identify fecal contamination on fresh produce. The indirect method did not result in acceptable levels of sensitivity except for the highest levels of fecal contamination (25 g of feces). Each dog had more difficulty detecting fecal contamination on cilantro and spinach than on roma tomatoes. For the direct detection method, the dogs exhibited >75% sensitivity for detecting ≥0.25 g of feces on leafy greens (cilantro, romaine lettuce, and spinach) and roma tomatoes, with sensitivity declining as the amount of feces dropped below 0.025 g. We determined that use of a scent detection dog to screen samples for testing can increase the probability of detecting ≥0.025 g of fecal contamination by 500 to 3,000% when samples with fecal contamination are rare (≤1%).
- Published
- 2014
32. Extensive Evaluation of a Method for Quantitative Measurement of Aflatoxins B1 and M1 in Animal Urine Using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography with Fluorescence Detection
- Author
-
Xiangwei Du, Dwayne E Schrunk, Paula M Imerman, John Tahara, Andriy Tkachenko, Jake Guag, Renate Reimschuessel, and Wilson K Rumbeiha
- Subjects
Pharmacology ,Chromatography ,Aflatoxin B1 ,Reproducibility of Results ,Food Contamination ,Microbiology ,Analytical Chemistry ,Food Sciences ,Aflatoxins ,High Pressure Liquid ,Animals ,Environmental Chemistry ,Agronomy and Crop Science ,Food Science - Abstract
Background Aflatoxins (AFs) are common feed contaminants and are one of the common causes of toxin-related pet food poisoning and recalls. Objective Currently, there are no validated methods for the detection and quantitation of AFs in biological matrices to diagnose AF exposure in live animals. Following a successful intra-laboratory method development to quantify AFB1 and AFM1 in animal urine by HPLC with fluorescence detection (HPLC–FLD), the present study was conducted to extensively evaluate the method performance in an unbiased manner using blinded samples. Methods The evaluation included two stages. First, the performance was verified in the method-originating laboratory in a single-laboratory blinded method test (BMT-S) trial followed by a multi-laboratory blinded method test (BMT-M) trial. Results In both trials, accuracy, repeatability, and reproducibility were satisfactory confirming the relatively good ruggedness and robustness of the method and ensuring that it will perform as expected if used by other laboratories in the future. Conclusions We extensively evaluated the performance of a quantitative method to detect AFB1 and AFM1 in animal urine by HPLC-FLD by two different laboratories in two separate BMT-S and BMT-M trials. Both BMT results demonstrated the satisfactory accuracy and precision of the method. It is now available to be adopted by other diagnostic laboratories for purposes of diagnosing AF intoxication in animals. Highlights A simple urine-based diagnostic test method using HPLC–FLD that originated in a single laboratory now has passed a multi-laboratory evaluation and is now available to be shared with other diagnostic laboratories for purposes of diagnosing AF intoxication in animals so better treatment can be rendered.
- Published
- 2023
33. Effects of gestational and lactational exposure to heptachlor epoxide on age at puberty and reproductive function in men and women.
- Author
-
Luderer, Ulrike, Kesner, James S, Fuller, Julie M, Krieg, Edward F, Meadows, Juliana W, Tramma, Simone L, Yang, Haiou, and Baker, Dean
- Subjects
Spermatozoa ,Milk ,Milk ,Human ,Animals ,Humans ,Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects ,Heptachlor Epoxide ,Estradiol ,Progesterone ,Follicle Stimulating Hormone ,Maternal Exposure ,Food Contamination ,Age Factors ,Luteal Phase ,Ovulation ,Lactation ,Pregnancy ,Puberty ,Dose-Response Relationship ,Drug ,Adolescent ,Adult ,Child ,Hawaii ,Female ,Male ,Contraception/Reproduction ,Nutrition ,Estrogen ,Reproductive health and childbirth ,Heptachlor ,Organochlorine ,Menstrual cycle ,Semen analysis ,Chemical Sciences ,Environmental Sciences ,Biological Sciences ,Toxicology - Abstract
BackgroundFor 15 months in 1981-1982, the commercial milk supply on the Hawaiian island of Oahu was contaminated with heptachlor epoxide, a metabolite of the insecticide heptachlor, resulting in gestational and/or lactational exposure to offspring of women who drank cow milk during that period.ObjectiveTo determine whether gestational and lactational exposure to heptachlor epoxide alters reproductive function and age at puberty in men or women.Methods457 participants were recruited from a prior high school enrollment sampling frame of 20,000 adults born during 1981-1982 who lived on Oahu since at least first grade. Number of glasses of cow milk consumed weekly by the mother during the participant's gestation was used as a surrogate measure of heptachlor epoxide exposure. Reproductive function measures included semen analyses; reproductive hormones or their metabolites in daily urine specimens for one menstrual cycle; serum reproductive hormone levels in both sexes; and reported ages of onset for pubertal milestones.ResultsWe observed no strong associations of heptachlor epoxide exposure during gestation and lactation with reproductive endpoints. In females, heptachlor epoxide exposure was associated with longer luteal phase length and slower drop in the ratio of estradiol to progesterone metabolites after ovulation. In males, heptachlor epoxide exposure was weakly associated with higher serum follicle stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone concentrations, but no dose-response relationship was apparent.ConclusionsThe results provide limited evidence that gestational and lactational exposure to heptachlor epoxide, due to milk contamination on Oahu in 1981-1982, resulted in clinically significant disturbances of reproductive function in men or women.
- Published
- 2013
34. Quantitative Determination of Campylobacter on Broilers along 22 United Kingdom Processing Lines To Identify Potential Process Control Points and Cross-Contamination from Colonized to Uncolonized Flocks
- Author
-
M.L. Hutchison, D. Harrison, M.A. Tchòrzewska, S. González-Bodí, R.H. Madden, J.E.L. Corry, V.M. Allen, and Hutchison, M. L.
- Subjects
Meat ,Food Handling ,Carcass ,Colony Count, Microbial ,Hygiene ,Campylobacter ,Food Contamination ,Chicken ,Microbiology ,United Kingdom ,Slaughterhouse ,Food Microbiology ,Humans ,Animals ,Chickens ,Abattoir ,Abattoirs ,Food Science - Abstract
As part of a program to reduce numbers of the human pathogen Campylobacter on retail chickens, 22 broiler processing lines, representing more than 90% of UK production, were characterized by enumerating Campylobacter on pooled neck skins after exsanguination, scalding, defeathering, evisceration, crop removal, inside-outside washing, and air-chilling stages of processing. Sixteen of the processing lines investigated showed significant (P < 0.05) reductions in Campylobacter numbers because of carcass scalding. However, in all of these lines, the following defeathering stage caused a significant increase in Campylobacter contamination that effectively negated the reductions caused by scalding. On four processing lines, primary chilling also caused a significant reduction in numbers of Campylobacter. On three lines, there was a significant microbiological benefit from inside-outside washing. The stages where Campylobacter numbers were reduced require further investigation to determine the specific mechanisms responsible so that the observed pathogen reductions can be optimized and then more widely implemented. The transfer of up to 4 log CFU Campylobacter per g of neck skin from a colonized flock to a following uncolonized flock was observed. Cross-contamination was substantial and still detectable after 5,000 carcasses from an uncolonized flock had been processed. Numbers of Campylobacter recovered from the uncolonized flocks were highest on the first of the uncolonized birds to pass along the line, and in general, the numbers declined as more uncolonized birds were processed. Air sampling recovered low numbers at the processing stages monitored, indicating that airborne transmission was unlikely to be the primary transfer mechanism operating for cross-contamination between flocks.
- Published
- 2022
35. Lactobacillus plantarum and Deoxynivalenol Detoxification: A Concise Review
- Author
-
Leila Maidana, Marielen de Souza, and Ana Paula F.R.L. Bracarense
- Subjects
Bacteria ,Swine ,Lactobacillales ,Humans ,Animals ,Food Contamination ,Mycotoxins ,Edible Grain ,Animal Feed ,Microbiology ,Lactobacillus plantarum ,Food Science - Abstract
Mycotoxins are toxic secondary fungal metabolites that contaminate feeds, and their levels remain stable during feed processing. The economic impact of mycotoxins on animal production happens mainly due to losses related to direct effects on animal health and trade losses related to grain rejection. Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a trichothecene mycotoxin that has contaminated approximately 60% of the grains worldwide. Ingestion of DON induces many toxic effects on human and animal health. Detoxification strategies to decrease DON levels in food and feeds include physical and chemical methods; however, they are not very effective when incorporated into the industrial production process. A valuable alternative to achieve this aim is the use of lactic acid bacteria. These bacteria can control fungal growth and thus overcome DON production or can detoxify the mycotoxin through adsorption and biotransformation. Some Lactobacillus spp. strains, such as Lactobacillus plantarum, have demonstrated preventive effects against DON toxicity in poultry and swine. This beneficial effect is associated with a binding capacity of lactic acid bacteria cell wall peptidoglycan with mycotoxins. Moreover, several antifungal compounds have been isolated from L. plantarum supernatants, including lactic, acetic, caproic, phenyl lactic, 3-hydroxylated fatty, and cyclic dipeptide acids. Biotransformation of DON by L. plantarum into other products is also hypothesized, but the mechanism remains unknown. In this concise review, we highlight the use of L. plantarum as an alternative approach to reduce DON levels and toxicity. Although the action mechanism of L. plantarum is still not fully understood, these bacteria are a safe, efficient, and low-cost strategy to reduce economic losses from mycotoxin contamination cases.
- Published
- 2022
36. Salmonella contamination and hazard analysis in a storage facility for feed materials in Japan
- Author
-
Takayuki Morita, Noboru Ohyagi, Junichi Matsuura, Tamio Kawaguchi, and Naoto Ishizaki
- Subjects
Japan ,Salmonella ,Animals ,Food Contamination ,Dust ,General Medicine ,Powders ,Animal Feed ,Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology ,Biotechnology - Abstract
Aims To reduce Salmonella contamination of animal feeds, Salmonella contamination in a feed materials storage facility was investigated, and hazard analysis was performed to acquire the basic information necessary to establish a control method for Salmonella. The result is that managers of feed materials storage facilities will be able to introduce the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) systems to quickly and efficiently. Methods and Results A total of 472 samples, including deposits, adhesions, environment samples and materials, were investigated. The detection rate in the storage facility was 5.1% (24/472) over the three-year investigation period. The serovars of detected Salmonella were Agona, Anatum, Bron (or Agbeni), Chester, Infantis, Mbandaka, Minnesota, Muenster, Sinstorf, Typhimurium, O18:– and O1,3,19:–. As a result of hazard analysis after confirming the multiplication factors and detection rate, important hazards were judged to be the outdoor equipment and dust collector. Conclusions The risk of Salmonella contamination in storage facilities was clarified. Important Salmonella hazards in storage facilities are Salmonella-contaminated feed materials, multiplication factors such as rainwater and dew condensation, and Salmonella-accumulated dust in dust collectors for fine-powder recovery. These results suggest that proper control of these hazards could reduce the risk of Salmonella in storage facilities. Significance and Impact of the Study This is the first report describing actual Salmonella contamination conditions and risk assessment using the hazard analysis at a feed materials storage facility in Japan. This study will consider implications for the feed industry because the hazard analysis clarified the sites of Salmonella contamination, the tendency of contamination and the points for implementing control measures in the feed materials storage facility.
- Published
- 2022
37. Cross-Contamination to Surfaces in Consumer Kitchens with MS2 as a Tracer Organism in Ground Turkey Patties
- Author
-
Margaret Kirchner, Savana Everhart, Lindsey Doring, Caitlin Smits, Jeremy Faircloth, Minh Duong, Rebecca M. Goulter, Lydia Goodson, Lisa Shelley, Ellen Thomas Shumaker, Sheryl Cates, Christopher Bernstein, Aaron Lavallee, Lee-Ann Jaykus, Benjamin Chapman, and Don Schaffner
- Subjects
Foodborne Diseases ,Turkeys ,Food Handling ,Food Microbiology ,Animals ,Food Contamination ,Lettuce ,Microbiology ,Food Science - Abstract
It is estimated that one in five cases of foodborne illnesses is acquired in the home. However, how pathogens move throughout a kitchen environment when consumers are preparing food is not well characterized. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and degree of cross-contamination across a variety of kitchen surfaces during a consumer meal preparation event. Consumers (n = 371) prepared a meal consisting of turkey patties containing the bacteriophage MS2 as a tracer organism and a ready-to-eat lettuce salad. Half were shown a video on proper thermometer use before the trial. After meal preparation, environmental sampling and detection were performed to assess cross-contamination with MS2. For most surfaces, positivity did not exceed 20%, with the exception of spice containers, for which 48% of the samples showed evidence of MS2 cross-contamination. Spice containers also had the highest MS2 concentrations, at a mean exceeding 6 log viral genome equivalent copies per surface. The high level of MS2 on spice containers drove the significant differences between surfaces, suggesting the significance of spice containers as a vehicle for cross-contamination, despite the absence of previous reports to this effect. The thermometer safety intervention did not affect cross-contamination. The efficiency of MS2 transfer, when expressed as a percentage, was relatively low, ranging from an average of 0.002 to 0.07%. Quantitative risk assessment work using these data would aid in further understanding the significance of cross-contamination frequency and efficiency. Overall, these data will help create more targeted consumer messaging to better influence consumer cross-contamination behaviors.
- Published
- 2022
38. Hygiene Indicators and Salmonellae on Surfaces of Swine Carcasses from Two Slaughterhouses in Northern Portugal
- Author
-
Márcio Moura-Alves, Marta Carvalho, Deise Helena Baggio Ribeiro, Joana Barbosa, Leonor Silveira, Ângela Pista, Helena Patrícia Pinto, Cristina Saraiva, Paula Teixeira, and Alexandra Esteves
- Subjects
Meat ,Portugal ,Swine ,Slaughter Operations ,food and beverages ,Hygiene ,Food Contamination ,Pulsed-field Gel Electrophoresis Profiles ,Antimicrobial susceptibility ,Microbiology ,Swine Carcass ,Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis profiles ,Infecções Gastrointestinais ,Enterobacteriaceae ,Contamination ,Salmonella ,Antimicrobial Susceptibility ,Escherichia coli ,Prevalence ,Slaughter operations ,Swine carcass ,Humans ,Animals ,Abattoirs ,Food Science - Abstract
The monitoring of carcass surface contamination along the slaughter line enables verification of slaughter operation hygiene and the use of good manufacturing practices. Pork meat is a common source of human nontyphoidal salmonellosis, one of the most frequently reported foodborne illnesses worldwide. This study was conducted to gather data on microbial loads before and after evisceration on the surfaces of swine carcasses in two slaughterhouses. The presence of Salmonella enterica was evaluated only after evisceration on carcass surfaces and in livers and floor drains (environmental samples) because pigs are common carriers of this pathogen. The contamination of carcass surfaces was evaluated by delimitation of surface area with sterilized templates (100 cm2), and surface samples were collected with gauze swabs. Total aerobic mesophilic bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae, and Escherichia coli were enumerated. Significant differences (P < 0.05) in counts of mesophilic bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae, and E. coli were found on the external carcass surfaces, with higher counts after evisceration. The neck and abdominal areas had higher levels of mesophilic bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae, and E. coli and a high prevalence of Salmonella. Salmonella was detected in only one of the studied slaughterhouses; 19 (7.3%) of 259 analyzed carcass samples were positive for Salmonella, and Salmonella was detected in two livers and two floor drains. A total of 52 Salmonella isolates (44 from carcasses, 5 from livers, and 3 from drains) were recovered. Three Salmonella serovars (Typhimurium 4,5:i- , Wernigerone, and Derby) were identified, and 53.8% of the 52 isolates were multidrug resistant. The results reveal the need for continuous improvement of slaughtering operations and implementation of good manufacturing practices to ensure the safety of pork produced in Portugal. Highlights: Higher counts of indicator microorganisms were obtained after swine evisceration; Salmonella was detected in 7.3% of swine carcass surface samples; Three Salmonella serovars were identified: Typhimurium 4,5:i− , Wernigerone, and Derby; Of the 52 Salmonella isolates, 53.8% were multidrug resistant. This work was funded by project UIDB/CVT/00772/2020 supported by the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT). The authors are grateful for scientific collaboration under FCT project UID/Multi/50016/2019 and the financial support for J. Barbosa from a postdoctoral fellowship from FCT (SFRH/BPD/113303/2015) info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
- Published
- 2022
39. Comparison of near-infrared and dielectric spectra for quantitative identification of bovine colostrum adulterated with mature milk
- Author
-
Ke Yang, Changqing An, Jieliang Zhu, Wenchuan Guo, Chang Lu, and Xinhua Zhu
- Subjects
Milk ,Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared ,Pregnancy ,Colostrum ,Genetics ,Animals ,Female ,Cattle ,Food Contamination ,Animal Science and Zoology ,Least-Squares Analysis ,Food Science - Abstract
The nonhomogeneity of bovine colostrum leads to strong scattering effects for electromagnetic waves, which affects the application of electromagnetic spectroscopy in detecting colostrum. This work aimed to compare the performance of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and dielectric spectroscopy (DS) in quantitatively predicting the content of mature milk as an adulterant in colostrum. The near-infrared spectra in the range of 833 to 2,500 nm and the dielectric spectra in the range of 20 to 4,500 MHz of 150 adulterated colostrum samples containing 0 to 50% mature milk were analyzed. The different proportions of mature milk in colostrum significantly changed near-infrared and dielectric spectra. The principal component analysis score plot showed that both NIRS and DS could identify the proportion of mature milk in colostrum, but the 2 methods had different characteristics. Linear partial least squares regression and nonlinear least squares support vector machine (LSSVM) models based on near-infrared and dielectric spectra were established to identify doping proportions. The results showed that DS had better identification performance with a root-mean-square error of prediction of 4.9% and a residual prediction deviation of 3.441 by successive projection algorithm LSSVM, whereas NIRS was relatively weak with a root-mean-square error of prediction of 7.3% and a residual prediction deviation of 2.301 by full-spectra LSSVM. This work provides important insights for the quantitative prediction of nonhomogeneous liquid food by DS.
- Published
- 2022
40. Product Quality Risk Perceptions and Decisions: Contaminated Pet Food and Lead‐Painted Toys
- Author
-
Feng, Tianjun, Keller, L Robin, Wang, Liangyan, and Wang, Yitong
- Subjects
Prevention ,Clinical Research ,Animal Feed ,Animals ,Decision Making ,Dog Diseases ,Dogs ,Environmental Exposure ,Food Contamination ,Health Status Indicators ,Humans ,Lead ,Male ,Play and Playthings ,Psychometrics ,Regression Analysis ,Risk Assessment ,Decisions ,lead-painted toys ,pet food ,product quality risks ,risk perception ,Strategic ,Defence & Security Studies - Abstract
In the context of the recent recalls of contaminated pet food and lead-painted toys in the United States, we examine patterns of risk perceptions and decisions when facing consumer product-caused quality risks. Two approaches were used to explore risk perceptions of the product recalls. In the first approach, we elicited judged probabilities and found that people appear to have greatly overestimated the actual risks for both product scenarios. In the second approach, we applied the psychometric paradigm to examine risk perception dimensions concerning these two specific products through factor analysis. There was a similar risk perception pattern for both products: they are seen as unknown risks and are relatively not dread risks. This pattern was also similar to what prior research found for lead paint. Further, we studied people's potential actions to deal with the recalls of these two products. Several factors were found to be significant predictors of respondents' cautious actions for both product scenarios. Policy considerations regarding product quality risks are discussed. For example, risk communicators could reframe information messages to prompt people to consider total risks packed together from different causes, even when the risk message has been initiated due to a specific recall event.
- Published
- 2010
41. Risk of Mercury exposure during childhood: a review of Sri Lankan situation.
- Author
-
Galappaththi, Himan K. A. and Suraweera, Inoka
- Subjects
FOOD contamination ,MERCURY ,POLLUTANTS ,ENVIRONMENTAL monitoring ,ENVIRONMENTAL exposure ,ANIMALS - Abstract
Sri Lanka had ratified the Minamata convention in the year 2017 and is planning to phase out Mercury by 2020. Mercury thermometers and compact fluorescent light bulbs are abundant at hospitals, households and schools. Limitations in safe disposal and containment mechanisms have enhanced the unregulated e-waste collection and extraction. Sri Lanka has plentiful lagoons, fishing bays, and inland irrigation systems. Fish consumption is high, especially around the coastal belt. Mercury can bioaccumulate in humans by the consumption of fish from contaminated sources. Children are at risk of exposure in their living environments and via food. A multicountry study done across three oceans on Mercury threat to women & children revealed, lagoon pollution from industrial Mercury emissions in Sri Lanka, possessing high Mercury among local females who consume fish from that lagoon. The mean hair Mercury level in coastal areas with high fish consumption exceeded the reference dose even among children. Aquatic life and crop studies revealed a mixed picture of Mercury levels which some are lower and some are higher than the permissible levels. Studies on environmental Mercury levels and correlations with health effects among children will help to fill the data gap. Public awareness of the health effects of Mercury and mechanisms of Mercury disposal should be established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
42. Occurrence and toxicity of a fusarium mycotoxin, zearalenone.
- Author
-
Rai, Ankita, Das, Mukul, and Tripathi, Anurag
- Subjects
- *
CEREALS as food , *MYCOTOXINS , *LABORATORY animals , *FOOD contamination , *FUSARIUM toxins , *FUNGI , *ANIMALS ,DEVELOPING countries ,DEVELOPED countries - Abstract
Zearalenone (ZEA) is a mycotoxin produced by the fungi of Fusarium genera, which contaminates the cereals and food stuffs worldwide. Fusarium mycotoxins are considered as important metabolites related to animal and human health. Evidences indicate that ZEA has been found to be present in different food stuffs from developed countries like USA, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, etc. and developing nations like Egypt, Thailand, Iran, Croatia, Philippines, etc. The toxicokinetic studies reveal that following oral exposure of ZEA, the compound is absorbed through gastrointestinal tract (GIT), gets metabolized and distributed to different body parts. ZEA has been shown to cause reproductive disorders in laboratory animals. Although the toxicity of ZEA in humans have not been conclusively established nonetheless, limited evidences indicate that ZEA can cause hyper estrogenic syndrome. Though, ZEA causes low acute toxicity, but reports are available confirming the systemic toxicity caused by ZEA. There is no review available that addresses the occurrence, systemic toxicity and the probable mechanisms of ZEA toxicity. This review shall address the world-wide occurrence and in vivo & in vitro toxicity studies of ZEA over the past 20 years. The review shall also discuss the toxicokinetics of ZEA and metabolites; illustrates the systemic toxicity and probable mechanisms of action leading to the risk associated with ZEA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
43. A systematic review of plant-conjugated masked mycotoxins: Occurrence, toxicology, and metabolism.
- Author
-
Zhang, Zhiqi, Nie, Dongxia, Fan, Kai, Yang, Junhua, Guo, Wenbo, Meng, Jiajia, Zhao, Zhihui, and Han, Zheng
- Subjects
- *
MYCOTOXINS , *CEREALS as food , *PLANT defenses , *META-analysis , *URIDINE diphosphate , *TOXICOLOGY , *PLANT metabolites , *FOOD contamination , *SYSTEMATIC reviews , *PLANTS , *ANIMALS - Abstract
Masked mycotoxins are biologically modified phase II metabolites formed by plant defense mechanisms through glucosylation catalyzed by uridine diphosphate -glucosyltransferases. Most of the current reports focus on the occurrence of masked mycotoxins in Europe, America, Africa, and cover other geographic regions, e.g. China and Japan. High proportions of masked mycotoxins co-occurring with their parent forms in various cereal-based food and feedstuff could clearly increase total exposures and pose additional health risks to humans and animals. In contrast to the parent mycotoxins, the data on the toxicity of masked mycotoxins are still scarce, however, the poor existing information showed that masked mycotoxins generally exhibit significant in vitro and in vivo toxicities lower than those of their parent forms, especially for deoxynivalenol-3-glucoside, which is the only thoroughly investigated masked mycotoxin. Although the lower toxicity level of masked mycotoxins, these are probably hydrolyzed into their free forms by intestinal microorganisms in the digestive tract of mammals and thus contribute to unpredicted toxicity. The metabolic characteristics of reported masked mycotoxins are species-specific. The most relevant animal model of human sensitivity, the pig, is most sensitive to masked mycotoxins. This review focuses on updates in the current knowledge on country-specific natural-occurrence data in global surveys, as well as in vitro and in vivo toxicology and metabolic investigations of masked mycotoxins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
44. A Review of the Health Implications of Heavy Metals in Food Chain in Nigeria.
- Author
-
Nkwunonwo, Ugonna C., Odika, Precious O., and Onyia, Nneka I.
- Subjects
HEAVY metals ,FOOD chains ,BIOACCUMULATION ,FOOD security ,IRON ,FOOD contamination ,PUBLIC health surveillance ,ENVIRONMENTAL monitoring ,HAZARDOUS substances ,RISK assessment ,HEALTH impact assessment ,BIOTIC communities ,ANIMALS - Abstract
Heavy metals such as Zn, Pb, Fe, and Cu are abundant in the environment and contribute largely to the sustainability and equilibrium of ecosystem processes. However, because of their bioaccumulation, nondegradability, and the excessive amounts in which they exist, these metals contaminate the food chain and subsequently become a source of toxicity to human beings and the entire ecological function. This is a major issue of concern within the study of environmental science and geochemistry. Although there is a global significance to the issue, it seems more immediate for the developing countries (DCs) such as Nigeria, where the pressure of the teeming population escalates the exigency for human sustainability, food security, and total eradication of hunger. Within the Nigerian context, many studies have examined this all-important issue, but most of these studies are fragmented and limited within the purview of mostly individual states and localities within the country. Taken on a wider geographical scale, the discussions and perspectives of these studies on heavy metal contamination of the food chain offer insufficient insight and expose merely a snapshot of the actual situation. As a result of this, a country-wide knowledge base of the implications of heavy metals on the food chain is lacking. Thus, the present study synthesises existing literature and their findings to create a knowledge base on the vulnerability of the food chain in Nigeria. Aquatic foods, fruits, vegetables, and major staple food such as tubers are the major host of carcinogenic and mutagenic components of heavy metals in Nigeria. This study motivates the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), along with other food and agricultural agencies, to intensify their efforts in monitoring and analysing food components, and we advise consumers to eat with certain degrees of caveat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
45. Investigation of ochratoxin A in commercial cheeses and pork meat products by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry
- Author
-
Daniela Delfino, Dario Lucchetti, Tabita Mauti, Marta Mancuso, Paolo Di Giustino, Daniela Triolone, Stefano Vaccari, Rossana Claudia Bonanni, Bruno Neri, and Katia Russo
- Subjects
Swine ,Food Contamination ,Mycotoxins ,Ochratoxins ,Meat Products ,Red Meat ,Tandem Mass Spectrometry ,Cheese ,Pork Meat ,Solvents ,Animals ,Food Analysis ,Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ,Chromatography, Liquid ,Food Science - Abstract
Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a mycotoxin produced by several species of Aspergillus and Penicillium and commonly detected in a wide range of foodstuffs. The purpose of this work was to monitor the presence of OTA in cheeses and pork meat products. A simple and accurate "dilute and shoot" method with no need of immunoaffinity column and isotopic labeled internal standard, by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, was validated in accordance with the criteria set out in Commission Regulation (EC) No. 401/2006. The method showed good linearity in solvent and in matrix (R
- Published
- 2022
46. Radiotracer studies to isolate in-house receptors from poultry liver for multi-chemical hazard analysis in selected food and feed
- Author
-
Uzma, Maqbool, James, Sasanya, Muhammad Salahuddin, Shah, Muhammad Ismail, Chughtai, and Ghulam, Hussain
- Subjects
Food Contamination ,Oxytetracycline ,General Medicine ,Animal Feed ,Pollution ,Poultry ,Chloramphenicol ,Aflatoxins ,Liver ,Aflatoxin M1 ,Animals ,Cattle ,Gentamicins ,Food Science - Abstract
In-house receptors (IHRs) were isolated from non-immunized poultry liver to analyze selected contaminants and residues in targeted food and feed using
- Published
- 2022
47. Bacteriological Survey of Fresh Minced Beef on Sale at Retail Outlets in Scotland in 2019: Three Foodborne Pathogens, Hygiene Process Indicators, and Phenotypic Antimicrobial Resistance
- Author
-
H. Bishop, J. Evans, J.I. Eze, C. Webster, R.W. Humphry, R. Beattie, J. White, J. Couper, L. Allison, D. Brown, and S.C. Tongue
- Subjects
Campylobacter ,Food Contamination ,Hygiene ,Escherichia coli O157 ,Microbiology ,Anti-Bacterial Agents ,Shiga Toxin ,Red Meat ,Scotland ,Salmonella ,Drug Resistance, Bacterial ,Food Microbiology ,Animals ,Cattle ,Food Science - Abstract
The health and economic burden of foodborne illness is high, with approximately 2.4 million cases occurring annually in the United Kingdom. A survey to understand the baseline microbial quality and prevalence of food-related hazards of fresh beef mince on retail sale could inform risk assessment, management, and communication to ensure the safety of this commodity. In such a survey, a two-stage sampling design was used to reflect variations in population density and the market share of five categories of retail outlets in Scotland. From January to December 2019, 1,009 fresh minced beef samples were collected from 15 geographic areas. The microbial quality of each sample was assessed using aerobic colony count and Escherichia coli count. Samples were cultured for Campylobacter and Salmonella, and PCR was used to detect target genes (stx1 all variants, stx2 a to g, and rfbO157) for Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC). The presence of viable E. coli O157 and STEC in samples with a positive PCR signal was confirmed via culture and isolation. Phenotypic antimicrobial sensitivity patterns of cultured pathogens and 100 E. coli isolates were determined, mostly via disk diffusion. The median aerobic colony count and E. coli counts were 6.4 × 105 (interquartile range, 6.9 × 104 to 9.6 × 106) and10 CFU/g (interquartile range,10 to 10) of minced beef, respectively. The prevalence was 0.1% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0 to 0.7%) for Campylobacter, 0.3% (95% CI, 0 to 1%) for Salmonella, 22% (95% CI, 20 to 25%) for PCR-positive STEC, and 4% (95% CI, 2 to 5%) for culture-positive STEC. The evidence for phenotypic antimicrobial resistance detected did not give cause for concern, mainly occurring in a few E. coli isolates as single nonsusceptibilities to first-line active substances. The low prevalence of pathogens and phenotypic antimicrobial resistance is encouraging, but ongoing consumer food safety education is necessary to mitigate the residual public health risk.
- Published
- 2022
48. Development of a Modeling Tool To Assess and Reduce Regulatory and Recall Risks for Cold-Smoked Salmon Due to Listeria monocytogenes Contamination
- Author
-
Ruixi Chen, Renato H. Orsi, Veronica Guariglia-Oropeza, and Martin Wiedmann
- Subjects
Seafood ,Salmon ,Food Preservation ,Colony Count, Microbial ,Food Microbiology ,Animals ,Food Contamination ,Listeria monocytogenes ,Microbiology ,Food Science - Abstract
Although public health risk assessments for Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) have been published for various foods, firm-level decision making on interventions targeting Lm involves considerations of both public health and enterprise risks. Smoked seafood is a ready-to-eat product with a high incidence of Lm contamination and has been associated with several recalls. We used cold-smoked salmon as a model product to develop a decision support tool (the regulatory and recall risk [3R] model) to estimate (i) baseline regulatory and recall (RR) risks (i.e., overall risks of a lot sampled and found positive for Lm, e.g., by food regulatory agencies) due to Lm contamination and (ii) the RR risk reduction that can be achieved through interventions with underlying mechanisms such as reducing the prevalence and/or level of Lm and retarding or preventing Lm growth. Given that a set number of samples (e.g., 10) are tested for a given lot, the RR risk equals the likelihood of detecting Lm in at least one sample. Under the baseline scenario, which assumes a 4% Lm prevalence and no interventions, the median predicted RR risk for a given production lot was 0.333 (95% credible interval: 0.288, 0.384) when 10 25-g samples were tested. Nisin treatments, which reduce both the prevalence and initial level of Lm, reduced RR risks in a concentration-dependent manner to 0.109 (0.074, 0.146) with 5 ppm, 0.049 (0.024, 0.083) with 10 ppm, and 0.017 (0.007, 0.033) with 20 ppm. In general, more effective reduction in RR risks can be achieved by reducing Lm prevalence than by retarding Lm growth; the RR risk was reduced to 0.182 (0.153, 0.213) by a 50% prevalence reduction but to only 0.313 (0.268, 0.367) by bacteriostatic growth inhibitors. Sensitivity analysis indicated that prevalence and initial level of Lm and storage temperature have the greatest impact on predicting RR risks, suggesting that reliable data for these parameters will improve model performance.
- Published
- 2022
49. Deoxynivalenol exposure during pregnancy has adverse effects on placental structure and immunity in mice model
- Author
-
Toutounchi, Negisa Seyed, Braber, Saskia, Land, Belinda van‘t, Thijssen, Suzan, Garssen, Johan, Folkerts, Gert, Hogenkamp, Astrid, Afd Pharmacology, Pharmacology, Afd Pharmacology, and Pharmacology
- Subjects
Mice ,Mycotoxin ,Reproductive toxicity ,Pregnancy ,Placenta ,Animals ,Humans ,Female ,Food Contamination ,Trichothecenes ,Toxicology ,Deoxynivalenol ,Diet - Abstract
Deoxynivalenol (DON), a highly prevalent food contaminant, is known to induce reproductive and immunotoxicity in humans upon exposure. The present study focused on the consequences of exposure to DON during pregnancy for placental barrier and immune function, as well as fetal survival. Female mice received diets contaminated with DON (6.25 and 12.5 mg/kg of diet), starting immediately after mating until the end of the experiment. On day 17 of pregnancy the animals were killed, and maternal and fetal samples were collected for further analysis. Feeding on DON-contaminated diets decreased fetal survival, and DON was detected at significant levels in the fetus. Placentae from DON-exposed mice revealed a reduction in expression of junctional proteins, ZO-1, E-cadherin and claudins, upregulation of AHR mRNA expressions, and increase in IFN-ꝩ, IL-6 and IL-4 production. In conclusion, results of this study demonstrate harmful effects of DON on the course of pregnancy and fetal survival, which might be due to immunological changes in maternal immune organs and placenta. Altogether, these data underline the importance of the quality of maternal diet during pregnancy as they clearly demonstrate the potential harmful effects of a commonly present food-contaminant.
- Published
- 2022
50. Transfer of Non-Dioxin-Like Polychlorinated Biphenyls (ndl-PCBs) from Feed and Soil into Hen Eggs
- Author
-
B. Ohlhoff, D. Savvateeva, J. Leisner, F. Hartmann, K.-H. Südekum, T. Bernsmann, M. Spolders, A. Jahnke, A. Lüth, I. Röhe, J. Numata, and R. Pieper
- Subjects
Soil ,Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins ,Eggs ,Animals ,Humans ,Female ,Food Contamination ,General Chemistry ,Dioxins ,General Agricultural and Biological Sciences ,Chickens ,Polychlorinated Biphenyls - Abstract
Understanding the transfer of non-dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (ndl-PCBs) into foods of animal origin is crucial for human health risk assessment. In two experiments, we investigated the transfer of ndl-PCBs from contaminated feed and soil into eggs and meat of laying hens. The transfer from the feed was investigated with 30 laying hens. The treated hens were divided into two groups fed a contaminated diet (12.8 μg/kg sum of indicator ndl-PCBs; 88% dry matter (DM)) for 28 and 63 days, respectively, and then experienced a depuration period of 100 days with control feed. The transfer from soil was investigated with 72 laying hens kept in three separate outdoor pens (with three levels of ndl-PCB soil contamination) for 168 days. In both experiments, eggs were collected and analyzed for ndl-PCBs. In the second experiment, animals (
- Published
- 2022
Catalog
Discovery Service for Jio Institute Digital Library
For full access to our library's resources, please sign in.