International journal of food microbiology最新文献

{"title":"The role of iron competition in the antagonistic action of Metschnikowia pulcherrima against three major pathogenic fungi on postharvest citrus fruit","authors":"Shupei Wang ,&nbsp;Chenshu Wang ,&nbsp;Wenqing Liu ,&nbsp;Fangxue Hang ,&nbsp;Meilan Chen ,&nbsp;Zhijuan Zhao ,&nbsp;Dongqing Ye ,&nbsp;Li Li ,&nbsp;Lan Zhang ,&nbsp;Xuemei He ,&nbsp;Jian Sun","doi":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111338","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111338","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study systematically investigated how <em>Metschnikowia pulcherrima</em> XX04 competes with <em>Penicillium digitatum</em>, <em>Penicillium italicum</em>, and <em>Geotrichum citri-aurantii</em> for iron ions to control these major postharvest citrus pathogens. Exogenous Fe³⁺ addition significantly reduced the inhibitory activity of the pigment-producing yeast against these pathogens on both agar medium and fruit. Pearson correlation analysis revealed a strong positive relationship between pigment production and antagonistic effectiveness of <em>M. pulcherrima</em> XX04. Comparative analysis of iron-capturing proficiency between <em>M. pulcherrima</em> XX04 and three pathogenic fungi on PDA medium and citrus wounds indicated that <em>M. pulcherrima</em> XX04 exhibited superior iron sequestration capabilities. Colony growth viability assay performed on Pulcherrimin-containing PDA (Pul-PDA) solid medium showed <em>M. pulcherrima</em> XX04 could utilize pulcherrimin-bound iron for growth and metabolism, and further evidenced by the significant upregulation of <em>PUL3</em>, a putative transporter involved in the utilization of extracellular pulcherrimin-iron complexes, whereas the pathogens exhibited limited or no ability to assimilate iron from this source. Growth assay of three pathogens under iron-limited, iron-rich, and iron-replenish conditions showed that <em>P. digitatum</em> was the most sensitive to iron deficiency, followed by <em>P. italicum</em>, while <em>G. citri-aurantii</em> displayed the highest tolerance to low-iron environments. This observation was further validated by iron chelation sensitivity assays using the agar well diffusion method with two specialized chelators, 2,2′-dipyridyl and tropolone. Overall, the pigment-producing yeast <em>M</em>. <em>pulcherrima</em> XX04 may have a greater capacity than the three tested pathogens to compete for and acquire iron in an iron-limited coexistence environment. This capability facilitates the induction of iron deprivation by <em>M. pulcherrima</em> against various fungal pathogens and represents a key determinant of its biocontrol efficacy. Our findings provide new insights into elucidating the mechanism of competitive iron consumption mediated by antagonistic yeasts. Furthermore, strategies based on inducing iron starvation could offer a promising alternative for managing postharvest diseases in citrus fruits.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":14095,"journal":{"name":"International journal of food microbiology","volume":"441 ","pages":"Article 111338"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144572658","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Antibacterial activity and mechanism of novel phage endolysin lysSEP21 against dual-species biofilm of Salmonella and Escherichia coli and its application in food preservation","authors":"Muhammad Imran Taj ,&nbsp;Peng Guan ,&nbsp;Yifeng Ding ,&nbsp;Xinyuan Zheng ,&nbsp;Weiying Kong ,&nbsp;Xiaohong Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111337","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111337","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Biofilms of <em>Salmonella</em> and <em>Escherichia coli</em> promote drug resistance and pathogenicity, as their multi-lipid structures hinder the eradication of these bacteria. Phage lytic proteins provide viable treatment strategies to eradicate biofilms. In this context, the antibiofilm efficacy of phage endolysin lysSEP21 was investigated against both species. Results of antibacterial activity showed the potent minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of ≤0.025 mg/mL, resulting in substantial 80 % lytic effects against Gram-negative and Gram-positive strains. The membrane disruption mechanism was further confirmed with increased release of β-lactamase and β-galactosidase from periplasm and cytosol, indicating effective degradation of outer and inner membranes (OM, IM), respectively. Furthermore, larger reductions up to 3.68 log₁₀ CFU/mL were quantified in 1 h treated groups, leading to a ≥ 90 % reduction in biofilm-mass after 6 h. The viability of 36–42 h mature biofilm eradication was assessed by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) in a dead/live cell staining. Importantly, quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis demonstrated that lysSEP21 significantly suppressed the relative gene expressions of key biofilm-regulating and virulence genes in <em>Salmonella</em> and <em>E. coli</em>. Moreover, this endolysin exhibited robust MDR <em>Salmonella</em> inhibition across food matrices, with reductions between 0.93 and 3.12 log₁₀ CFU/mL. Altogether, lysSEP21 efficiently degraded mature biofilms and decontaminated food surfaces. Its application represents a remarkable advancement in food safety interventions and provides an exceptional strategy to mitigate public health risks associated with <em>Salmonella</em> and <em>E. coli</em> biofilms.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":14095,"journal":{"name":"International journal of food microbiology","volume":"441 ","pages":"Article 111337"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144588597","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The microbial terroir of the Greek olive varieties","authors":"Ilario Ferrocino ,&nbsp;Davide Buzzanca ,&nbsp;Lena Pagiati ,&nbsp;Maria Kazou ,&nbsp;Marina Georgalaki ,&nbsp;Ioannis Hatzopoulos ,&nbsp;Effie Tsakalidou","doi":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111332","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111332","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The microbial terroir of Greek olive varieties remains underexplored. In this study, 62 samples of olive fruits, collected across the harvest period 2019–2020, were analyzed by high-throughput sequencing. The samples represented 38 olive varieties collected from geographically well distributed regions of Greece. Analysis of the bacterial composition revealed that the geographical area was a significant factor in discriminating samples. The core microbiota included <em>Erwinia</em>, <em>Pseudomonas</em>, and members of the <em>Enterobacteriaceae</em> family. Furthermore, a notable variation in bacterial taxa abundances associated with the geographic location was observed. The sampling area was a key discriminant factor for the mycobiota, and the core mycobiota comprised <em>Alternaria</em>, <em>Taphrina</em>, <em>Candida</em>, <em>Wickerhamomyces anomalus</em> and <em>Penicillium</em>. Finally, Redundancy Analysis (RDA) revealed a notable association between environmental characteristics and microbial composition. Specifically, tree age was associated with certain bacterial and fungal taxa (Pearson's correlation p-value adj.[FDR] &lt; 0.05).</div></div>","PeriodicalId":14095,"journal":{"name":"International journal of food microbiology","volume":"441 ","pages":"Article 111332"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144548399","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Unravelling Listeria monocytogenes persistence in frozen potato processing: Insights from whole genome sequencing analysis","authors":"Tuytschaever Tessa ,&nbsp;Mispelaere Marieke ,&nbsp;Peeters Charlotte ,&nbsp;De Canck Evelien ,&nbsp;Vandamme Peter ,&nbsp;Raes Katleen ,&nbsp;Hulpiau Paco ,&nbsp;Sampers Imca","doi":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111334","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111334","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Listeria monocytogenes</em> persistence remains an issue in the food industry, including the frozen vegetable/potato processing industry. This study demonstrates the added value of whole genome sequencing (WGS) for persistence and transmission routes within food businesses. A total of 79 isolates from environmental samples (including employees' shoes), collected over three years (2020−2022), along with two intermediate product samples, and one end product sample<em>,</em> and submitted for WGS. The isolates were taken from in and around the freezing tunnel of a potato processing plant after blanching and frying. Of the 82 isolates, 56 were confirmed as <em>L. monocytogenes</em>, 17 as <em>L. innocua</em>, two as <em>Enterococcus faecalis</em>, and seven had unclear/mixed results using both TYGS (Type Strain Genome Server) and FastANI (Fast Average Nucleotide Identity). Clusters were identified using a 99.5 % ANI value cutoff. A single large <em>L. monocytogenes</em> cluster encompassed 55 of the 56 confirmed isolates and exhibited fewer than six allelic differences in pairwise comparisons based on cgMLST results. Two <em>L. innocua</em> clusters comprised 12 and five isolates, respectively. The results indicated <em>L. monocytogenes</em> persistence for at least three years and identified employees' shoes and a tool cart's wheels as potential transmission vehicles. The isolates of intermediate product samples belonged to the <em>L. monocytogenes</em> cluster, indicating post-contamination via the freezing tunnel. However, the end product isolate did not belong to the <em>L. monocytogenes</em> cluster, suggesting other high-risk areas within the facility. Various genes related to virulence, stress response, biofilm formation, and disinfectant resistance were identified in both <em>L. monocytogenes</em> and <em>L. innocua</em> clusters and in the <em>L. monocytogenes</em> end product isolate.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":14095,"journal":{"name":"International journal of food microbiology","volume":"441 ","pages":"Article 111334"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144556908","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Genomic diversity of Cronobacter sakazakii across the food system to consumers at the global scale","authors":"Mairui Gao ,&nbsp;Abani K. Pradhan ,&nbsp;Ryan A. Blaustein","doi":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111335","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111335","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding how foodborne pathogens adapt to changing environments is essential for improving food safety monitoring and control. <em>Cronobacter sakazakii</em>, a persistent opportunistic pathogen associated with powdered infant formula outbreaks, poses critical health risks to neonates and other vulnerable populations. This study tested the hypothesis that genetic variation in <em>C. sakazakii</em> correlates with specific isolation sources and geographic origins across the global food system. We conducted a pangenomics meta-analysis of <em>C. sakazakii</em> derived from food, environmental, and clinical sources spanning North America, Asia, and Europe. A robust fine-tuned Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT) model was developed to standardize the categorization of isolate metadata descriptors. <em>C. sakazakii</em> genome assemblies (n = 748) were used to build and annotate the pangenome, and genome size and accessory gene profiles were found to be significantly associated with source type and continent of origin. Isolates from powdered foods, compared to those sourced from alternative foods, had larger genomes and were enriched in functions annotated to Clusters of Orthologous Genes (COG) category L for DNA replication, recombination and repair (e.g., transposase, integrase), among other features. Random forest models using both accessory genes and the subset of virulence factor homologs accurately predicted source attributions, identifying type VI secretion system and heavy metal response genes as key indicators of isolate origins. Several antimicrobial resistance genes associated with efflux (i.e., <em>arlR</em>, <em>facT</em>, <em>oprZ</em>) also exhibited patterns for biogeography. Overall, this study uncovered the distribution of key accessory genetic elements of <em>C. sakazakii</em> throughout the food system, revealing putative adaptations for its persistence and transmission. Our reproducible and automated workflow has potential applications in molecular surveillance for emerging food safety concerns.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":14095,"journal":{"name":"International journal of food microbiology","volume":"441 ","pages":"Article 111335"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144588596","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The resistome of pasteurized and raw milk cheeses from the state of Vermont","authors":"Felipe Machado de Sant'Anna ,&nbsp;Ashma Chakrawarti ,&nbsp;Bradd J. Haley ,&nbsp;John Barlow","doi":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111333","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111333","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates the resistome dynamics in cheese production, focusing on both raw milk and pasteurized varieties comparing a standard and lytic method of DNA extraction. Metagenomic analysis revealed the presence of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) confirmed antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) in core and rind samples of cheeses at different stages of ripening. No statistical significance was found between the extraction methods for antimicrobial resistance gene (ARG) classes. In pasteurized cheese, the resistome was influenced by the initial microbial composition and ripening period, with limited ARGs detected due to pasteurization. Nonetheless, detection of class B β-lactamase and Fosfomycin B resistance genes was observed in the pasteurized cheese core, possibly harbored by <em>Bacillus cereus</em>. Raw milk cheese exhibited a distinct resistome profile, with fluctuations in macrolide and oxazolidinone resistance genes associated with changes in microbial populations during ripening. Notably, the likely presence of multi-drug resistance genes in <em>Lactococcus lactis</em> highlights the importance of understanding resistance mechanisms in starter cultures. The study emphasizes the need for antimicrobial stewardship and hygiene practices in dairy production to mitigate the spread of resistance genes. Despite sequencing biases, this research contributes valuable insights into the cheese resistome, advocating for future studies to employ enhanced sequencing methods for comprehensive analysis and to develop practical strategies for resistance management in dairy products.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":14095,"journal":{"name":"International journal of food microbiology","volume":"441 ","pages":"Article 111333"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144517714","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Characterization and application of novel bacteriophage PS2 for controlling pathogenic Escherichia coli in different food matrices","authors":"Song Zhang ,&nbsp;Kanghee Ryu ,&nbsp;Jin-Chul Kim ,&nbsp;Juhee Ahn","doi":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111330","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111330","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study was aimed to investigate a novel <em>Escherichia</em> phage, vB_EcoS_PS2, which was isolated from sewage and identified as a member of the <em>Dhillonvirus</em> genus within the <em>Caudoviricetes</em> class based on its isometric head and long, non-contractile tail morphology. Whole-genome analysis confirmed the absence of genes associated with antibiotic resistance, lysogeny, and virulence factors in its 44,264 bp genome. Phage PS2 exhibited high specificity against <em>E. coli</em> strains at various serotypes, including O157:H7, O6, and O78:K80:H12. The biological property showed that phage PS2 had a short latent period (20 min) and large burst size (410 PFU/cell), and maintained stability when exposed to a broad range of temperatures (4–60 °C) and pH levels (4–10). In broth, phage PS2 effectively inhibited bacterial growth and delayed regrowth for up to 20 h. Additionally, phage PS2 effectively eradicated preformed biofilms, achieving a 4.8 log reduction in viable cell counts. Phage PS2 was evaluated for its biocontrol efficacy in milk, rice gruel, and packaged pork sausage at 4 °C and 25 °C. At higher MOIs, it significantly reduced bacterial populations, achieving up to 6.20 log reduction in milk, 5.94 log in rice gruel, and 5.26 log in sausage, showing its effective biocontrol potential. Compared to the control, phage PS2 treatment significantly reduced pathogenic <em>E. coli</em> populations with sustained inhibition across all tested food models. The solid food model showed varying efficacy depending on the MOI, highlighting the need for optimized application strategies in complex food matrices. To conclude, <em>Escherichia</em> phage PS2 exhibited excellent stability, strong lytic activity, and broad efficacy against various <em>E. coli</em> serotypes, establishing it as a promising biocontrol agent for enhancing food safety.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":14095,"journal":{"name":"International journal of food microbiology","volume":"441 ","pages":"Article 111330"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144517717","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of pH and temperature in dairy processing on the infectivity of H5N1 avian influenza viruses","authors":"Nicole Lenz-Ajuh ,&nbsp;Leonie Rau ,&nbsp;Lisa Butticaz ,&nbsp;Étori Aguiar Moreira ,&nbsp;Bettina Zimmer ,&nbsp;Vincent Beuret ,&nbsp;Florian Loosli ,&nbsp;Jan-Erik Ingenhoff ,&nbsp;Barbara Wieland ,&nbsp;Gert Zimmer","doi":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111328","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111328","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses of subtype H5N1 (clade 2.3.4.4b) can cause a mastitis-like disease in dairy cows. The presence of high amounts of infectious H5N1 virus in milk has raised significant concerns about the safety of raw milk products. In this study, the effect of temperature and pH on the stability of H5N1 viruses was investigated. We found that both bovine and avian H5N1 viruses remained infectious when incubated in milk at 4 °C for four weeks. When the viruses were incubated in milk at 21 °C, infectivity of avian H5N1 decreased only slightly and of bovine H5N1 moderately. The avian H5N1 virus was stable at 50 °C for 30 min but was inactivated at higher temperatures (55 °C for 10 min, 60 °C for 1 min, or 72 °C for 30 s). Bovine and avian H5N1 viruses were stable at pH levels between 6.0 and 10.0, but were partially inactivated at pH 5.0 and completely inactivated at pH 4.0. Both H5N1 viruses were completely inactivated when incubated with yoghurt at pH 4.2. Incubation of the avian H5N1 virus with soft and semi-hard cheese at pH 5.0–5.3 reduced infectious titers by 5.1 and 3.9 log₁₀, respectively. In contrast, the infectivity of bovine H5N1 was only minimally reduced following incubation with semi-hard cheese. In conclusion, H5N1 viruses are efficiently inactivated by pasteurization and most thermisation procedures. However, in untreated raw milk bovine H5N1 virus may survive cheese-making processes if the production temperature stays below 50 °C.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":14095,"journal":{"name":"International journal of food microbiology","volume":"441 ","pages":"Article 111328"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144522912","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Synergism between nisin and citronellal against Fusarium graminearum and their application in maize preservation","authors":"Shiqi He,&nbsp;Yingxin Wei,&nbsp;Zhanyi Yang,&nbsp;Licong Zhang,&nbsp;Anshan Shan","doi":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111331","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111331","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Fusarium graminearum</em> (<em>F. graminearum</em>), responsible for Fusarium head blight in cereals, causes significant yield losses and produces mycotoxins contaminating food and feed. The combined effects of nisin and citronellal against <em>F. graminearum</em> were investigated in this study. The combination of nisin and citronellal not only exhibited a synergistic effect against <em>F. graminearum</em> spores (FICI &lt;0.3125), but also significantly inhibited mycelial growth, with inhibition rates of (76.93 ± 6.74) % and (95.24 ± 4.33) % for mycelial diameter and weight, respectively. The nisin/citronellal combination maintained stable antifungal activity independent of salts, high temperature, and acid–base conditions. Mechanistically, citronellal strongly inhibited energy metabolism, nisin significantly reduced the ergosterol content (to our knowledge, the first report of nisin suppressing ergosterol in <em>F. graminearum</em>), and the combination of citronellal and nisin further enhanced disruption of fungal cell membranes. Moreover, due to the reduced dosage and involvement of multiple mechanisms, the nisin/citronellal combination did not induce resistance in <em>F. graminearum</em> after 30 generations, with MIC fold changes of 0.25 to 2. Finally, the combination effectively suppressed fungal contamination in maize. Overall, nisin and citronellal could be used together for controlling <em>F. graminearum</em> in food and feed industries. Although the production costs of nisin and citronellal remain higher than those of synthetic fungicides, the continuous development of biotechnology is driving their application in post-harvest grain storage.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":14095,"journal":{"name":"International journal of food microbiology","volume":"441 ","pages":"Article 111331"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144534190","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"LtrA is critical for biofilm formation and colonization of Vibrio parahaemolyticus on food-related surfaces","authors":"Shuhui Xiong ,&nbsp;Nan Zhang ,&nbsp;Hui Sun ,&nbsp;Miaomiao Zhang ,&nbsp;Xue Li ,&nbsp;Xi Luo ,&nbsp;Yiquan Zhang ,&nbsp;Renfei Lu","doi":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111327","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111327","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Vibrio parahaemolyticus</em> is the leading causative agent of seafood-associated acute gastroenteritis. The formation of biofilms is one of the key reasons for its resistance to adverse environments and its persistence in seafood. Investigating the regulatory mechanisms of biofilm formation is beneficial for the development of new intervention methods to reduce <em>V. parahaemolyticus</em> contamination during seafood processing and storage. In this study, we identified a global regulator, LtrA (VPA0519), which is involved in regulating biofilm formation in <em>V. parahaemolyticus</em>. The deletion of <em>ltrA</em> led to a significant alteration in the transcription levels of 706 genes, including those associated with type III and VI secretion systems and biofilm formation. LtrA positively regulated biofilm formation by enhancing the production of exopolysaccharides, extracellular proteins, extracellular DNA, and cyclic di-GMP (<em>c</em>-di-GMP), as well as by decreasing swimming and swarming motility. The deletion of the <em>ltrA</em> gene also led to a reduction in the metabolic activity of biofilm cells but did not affect the production of capsular polysaccharide. Furthermore, the deletion of the <em>ltrA</em> gene resulted in a decrease in the biofilm formation ability of <em>V. parahaemolyticus</em> on the surfaces of shrimp (<em>Parapenaeopsis hardwickii</em>), crab (<em>Portunus trituberculatus</em>), polypropylene plastic, glass, and stainless steel. The findings in this study extend our understanding of the roles of LtrA and the genetic determinants involved in biofilm formation by <em>V. parahaemolyticus</em>.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":14095,"journal":{"name":"International journal of food microbiology","volume":"441 ","pages":"Article 111327"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144490822","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}