International journal of food microbiology最新文献

{"title":"Inactivation mechanisms of carvacrol on Salmonella Typhimurium and its combined inhibitory effects with blue light-405 nm for chicken meat preservation","authors":"Haiying Cui ,&nbsp;Xingjun Chen ,&nbsp;Tariq Aziz ,&nbsp;Rania Ali El Hadi Mohamed ,&nbsp;Fahad Al-Asmari ,&nbsp;Jaza Maqbl Alshammari ,&nbsp;Fakhria A. Al-Joufi ,&nbsp;Ce Shi ,&nbsp;Lin Lin","doi":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111276","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111276","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Salmonella Typhimurium</em> (<em>S. Typhimurium</em>) is a major contributor responsible for food contamination and foodborne illnesses. In this study, the antibacterial activity of natural compound carvacrol (CAR) against <em>S. Typhimurium</em> were evaluated, and the combined inhibitory effects of CAR and blue light-405 nm (BL-405 nm) were also assessed for chicken meat preservation. CAR showed efficient antibacterial activity with a minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) at 0.5 mg/mL. CAR at 2MIC significantly compromised bacterial membrane integrity, resulting in intracellular content leakage. The combined effect of CAR and BL-405 nm achieved a remarkable 5.62 log CFU/mL reduction in <em>S. Typhimurium</em> viability. The antibacterial mechanism investigations demonstrated that BL-405 nm and CAR triggered the cell oxidative stress by producing highly reactive oxygen species, such as reactive hydroxyl radicals (<img>OH), leading to cellular destruction and ultimately resulting in cell death. In practical application test, CAR combined with BL-405 nm treatment effectively extended chicken meat shelf life by maintaining moisture content, stabilizing pH, preserving color and texture, and inhibiting microbial growth and lipid oxidation. The study provided novel insights into the antibacterial mechanisms of CAR combined with BL-405 nm against <em>S. Typhimurium</em>, which could offer a new strategy for extending the shelf life of poultry meat.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":14095,"journal":{"name":"International journal of food microbiology","volume":"440 ","pages":"Article 111276"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144114873","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":"Lactic acid bacteria fermentation: A novel and promising pathway to lower the uric acid production of seaweed food (Porphyra haitanensis)","authors":"Yuting Dong ,&nbsp;Xinyao Chao ,&nbsp;Ruobing Li ,&nbsp;Jinli Chen ,&nbsp;Jinzhong Cai ,&nbsp;Yang Yang ,&nbsp;Yuanqing Lin","doi":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111277","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111277","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Porphyra haitanensis</em> is a highly nutritious and widely consumed seaweed food. However, it is a high-purine food, which can increase the risk of disease for individuals with hyperuricemia. To address this issue, three lactic acid bacteria strains, including <em>Lactiplantibacillus plantarum</em>, <em>Lacticaseibacillus paracasei</em>, and <em>Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus</em>, are utilized to investigate the effects of fermentation on <em>Porphyra haitanensis</em> to reduce the purine content and the activity of xanthine oxidase (XOD) and adenosine deaminase (ADA). All the three lactic acid bacteria strains can significantly reduce in xanthine content and effectively inhibit ADA and XOD activities. The xanthine content can be reduced by 47.80 % after <em>Lactiplantibacillus plantarum</em> fermentation. The inhibition ratio of XOD in <em>Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus</em> fermentation is as high as to 91.39 %, which is improved by 308.30 %. The inhibition ratio of ADA can be improved by 515.35 % after <em>Lactiplantibacillus plantarum</em> fermentation. Metabolomic analysis is applied to elucidate the key metabolites associated with activity inhibition and molecular docking is performed to reveal the inhibition mechanisms. Folic acid and cis-zeatin were identified as key differential metabolites for the inhibition of XOD and ADA activities, exhibiting strong binding affinities toward both of the two enzymes. This is among the first known reports that the lactic acid bacteria fermentation is utilized to lower the uric acid production of seaweed <em>Porphyra haitanensi</em>. These findings highlight the potential of lactic acid bacteria fermentation as an effective strategy for reducing purine levels in seaweed-derived functional foods, providing novel dietary interventions for hyperuricemia management.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":14095,"journal":{"name":"International journal of food microbiology","volume":"440 ","pages":"Article 111277"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144114875","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":"Companilactobacillus crustorum LMG 23699 and Wickerhamomyces anomalus IMDO 010110 form a candidate, stable, mixed-strain starter culture for sourdough production","authors":"Inés Pradal,&nbsp;Víctor González-Alonso,&nbsp;Yohanes Raditya Wardhana,&nbsp;Luc De Vuyst","doi":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111278","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111278","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Companilactobacillus crustorum</em> LMG 23699 is a candidate starter culture for sourdough production. White wheat and wholemeal wheat Type 3 sourdough productions started with this strain showed its competitiveness and robustness. Moreover, starter culture strain monitoring by an amplicon sequence variant approach revealed its prevalence, and unraveled a consortium with the yeast <em>Wickerhamomyces anomalus</em>. Even a temperature perturbation during sourdough storage, which caused an increase in the relative abundance of the background <em>Levilactobacillus parabrevis</em>, could not eliminate this starter culture strain. In addition, <em>Coml. crustorum</em> LMG 23699 always prevailed during wholemeal wheat Type 2 sourdough productions started with different ratios of this strain and <em>Levl. parabrevis</em> IMDO 033007 (isolated from the above-mentioned sourdoughs), with and without <em>W. anomalus</em> IMDO 010110 (isolated from the above-mentioned sourdoughs). When the yeast strain was co-inoculated, the four main flour carbohydrates and mannose were depleted and more D-lactic acid was produced, pointing toward a stable interaction between <em>Coml. crustorum</em> LMG 23699 and <em>W. anomalus</em> IMDO 010110. To conclude, the present study showed that the competitive and robust <em>Coml. crustorum</em> LMG 23699 could form with <em>W. anomalus</em> IMDO 010110 a new, stable, microbial consortium for sourdough productions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":14095,"journal":{"name":"International journal of food microbiology","volume":"440 ","pages":"Article 111278"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144114874","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":"Comparative analysis of the effects of Origanum vulgare essential oil and carvacrol nanoemulsified and non-nanoemulsified forms against Salmonella Typhimurium strains","authors":"Carolina Ramos ,&nbsp;Yhan Mutz ,&nbsp;Bruno Dutra da Silva ,&nbsp;Alan Clavelland Ochioni ,&nbsp;Ana Júlia Bento Amaral ,&nbsp;Carlos Adam Conte-Junior","doi":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111273","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111273","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates the potential of <em>Origanum vulgare</em> L. (OVEO), carvacrol (CAR), and their nanoemulsions (<em>n</em>OVEO and <em>n</em>CAR) in subinhibitory concentrations as antimicrobial agents against <em>S. typhimurium</em> strains <em>in vitro</em> and <em>in situ</em>. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) ranged from 0.59 to 0.60 mg/mL for the nanoemulsions and 0.68 to 1.5 mg/mL for their non-nanoemulsified counterparts. Growth kinetics analysis showed that all treatments at 1/4 MIC, 1/2 MIC, and MIC reduced the growth rate and prolonged the lag phase. Flow cytometry analysis revealed that these treatments caused permeabilization of the cell membranes, with OVEO standing out for its highest effect on membrane rupture, even at subinhibitory concentrations. Regarding adhesion prevention, the nanoemulsions demonstrated equal or greater efficacy compared to non-nanoemulsified compounds, with &gt;44.12 % inhibition even at the lowest tested concentration. In chicken fillets inoculated with a four-strain <em>S. typhimurium</em> cocktail, a reduction in bacterial counts was observed throughout the experiment. The highest reduction (0.82 ± 0.08 log CFU/g) was recorded on the eighth day of treatment with <em>n</em>OVEO at 2xMIC (2.86 mg/mL). Therefore, this study investigates the complexity of OVEO and CAR, highlighting their antimicrobial potential at different action targets against <em>Salmonella</em>, including biofilm adhesion inhibition and their application in contaminated food matrices. Additionally, it reveals that the reduction in droplet size in nanoemulsions can enhance the antimicrobial action of the essential oils, increasing their applicability and contributing significantly to food safety.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":14095,"journal":{"name":"International journal of food microbiology","volume":"440 ","pages":"Article 111273"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144124305","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 use of autochthonous Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains as a strategy to enhance aroma variability and typicity of Savatiano wines; RNAseq-based transcriptome comparison of indigenous strains under winemaking conditions","authors":"Despina Lola ,&nbsp;Chrysanthi Kalloniati ,&nbsp;Aikaterini Tzamourani ,&nbsp;Spiros Paramithiotis ,&nbsp;Maria Dimopoulou ,&nbsp;Emmanouil Flemetakis ,&nbsp;Yorgos Kotseridis","doi":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111249","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111249","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The connection between wine microbiota and terroir has become increasingly significant in the wine industry in recent years. Indigenous yeasts have emerged as a valuable tool for imparting unique qualities to wine, enhancing the aroma characteristics specific to a given wine-producing region. This study aimed to isolate indigenous <em>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</em> strains from spontaneous fermentations and assess their impact on the fermentative performance, chemical composition, and wine aroma profiles, using two commercial strains serving as controls. Fermentation kinetics, organic acids, ethanol, and glycerol content were monitored daily using HPLC. The produced wines were evaluated for their organoleptic properties and underwent volatile compound profiling using GC–MS. Additionally, the gene transcription patterns of the isolated yeasts and their connection to the resulting oenological traits were further explored, employing RNAseq during fermentation. Our study revealed that native strains supported volatilome, promoted ester and terpene formation, enhanced fruity, floral, and sweet attributes, and contributed to a distinct wine aroma compared to the control ones. Of particular interest were the differences in organic acid metabolism and glycerol formation. Transcriptomes of the indigenous yeasts identified different genomic responses and explained the variations in metabolite production between strains. In conclusion, the data obtained highlights the different transcriptomic and metabolic profiles of the indigenous yeasts isolated during this study. Besides, the importance of understanding yeast genomics and metabolism to achieve promising sensory characteristics and unique wine styles was emphasized, and these insights could contribute to the development of new products while preserving the identity of a region.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":14095,"journal":{"name":"International journal of food microbiology","volume":"440 ","pages":"Article 111249"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144131741","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":"Insights into Alternaria in apple fruit causing mouldy core, external infection and mycotoxin production under retail and storage conditions","authors":"María Agustina Pavicich ,&nbsp;María Luisa Maldonado ,&nbsp;Truong Nhat Nguyen ,&nbsp;Marthe De Boevre ,&nbsp;Sarah De Saeger ,&nbsp;Andrea Patriarca","doi":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111272","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111272","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Apple fruit is widely consumed worldwide, but fungal contamination in the postharvest stage presents a significant food safety concern. This study evaluates the production and accumulation of <em>Alternaria</em> mycotoxins, including alternariol (AOH), alternariol monomethyl-ether (AME), and the modified forms (AOH-3-S, AME-3-S, AOH-3-G, AME-3-G), altenuene (ALT), tenuazonic acid (TeA), tentoxin (TEN), altertoxin I and II (ATX<img>I, ATX-II), in Red Delicious apples under simulated retail and post-harvest conditions. Three <em>Alternaria tenuissima</em> strains (isolates 02, 31 and 36) were inoculated in apple fruit at two sites separately (core and exterior) and incubated at two temperatures (25 °C and 4 °C) for 1 and 9 months. Mycotoxin production was quantified using LC-MS/MS, revealing significant variability across strains and conditions. Isolates 02 and 36 exhibited significant temperature and site-dependent variability in mycotoxin production. Higher levels of AOH, AME, ALT, and ATX-I were produced at 25 °C and in the core. Long-term cold storage delayed fungal growth but did not prevent mycotoxin accumulation, raising concerns about the safety of processed apple products. These findings highlight the need for stricter monitoring of mycotoxins during post-harvest storage to mitigate health risks. The findings provide insights into their toxigenic capacity <em>in vivo</em> and highlight potential risks for food safety.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":14095,"journal":{"name":"International journal of food microbiology","volume":"439 ","pages":"Article 111272"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144071471","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":"Prophage transduction promotes the transmission of phage resistance interfering with adsorption among Chinese foodborne Staphylococcus aureus","authors":"Wenyuan Zhou ,&nbsp;Yeling Han ,&nbsp;Wenjuan Li ,&nbsp;Aiping Deng ,&nbsp;Yajie Li ,&nbsp;Jiaqian Xu ,&nbsp;Guoqiang Zhu ,&nbsp;Zhenquan Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111271","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111271","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Although bacteriophages have proven to be efficient biocontrol agents for foodborne <em>Staphylococcus aureus</em>, the transmission of phage resistance resulting in the reduced efficacy of phage therapy remains to be explored. In this study, phage resistance and adsorption of 91 Chinese foodborne <em>S. aureus</em> isolates by 18 phages were estimated, and the distribution and transmission of phage resistance genes were investigated. The isolated 91 <em>S. aureus</em> comprised 50 multidrug-resistance isolates, all of which showed sensitivity to more than two phages. However, 9.9 % (9/91) of <em>S. aureus</em> isolates were resistant to all 18 phages, and the majority of phages (83.3 %, 15/18) did not adsorb to all foodborne <em>S. aureus</em> strains. Whole-genome analysis revealed that the 91 isolates comprised 101 phage resistance genes, including 24 genes were found in prophages (intact prophages, 19.8 %, 20/101; incomplete prophages, 16.8 %, 17/101). Notably, a temperate phage SapYZUs631 was successfully induced and exhibited better biological characteristics compared to other isolated <em>S. aureus</em> temperate phages, including higher titre (6.2 × 10⁹ PFU/mL), stronger pH (4–11) and thermal (60 °C for 60 min) stability, and a wider host range (80.2 %, 73/91). The SapYZUs631 genome contained phage resistance gene <em>tarP</em> interfering with adsorption and virulence genes. The lysogeny of SapYZUs631 into <em>S. aureus</em> strains YZUstau27, YZUstau31, and YZUstau35 resulted in increased phage resistance and decreased adsorption. Therefore, our analysis suggests that the interruption of adsorption is the main reason for the phage resistance of foodborne <em>S. aureus</em> in China, which resulted from the transmission of phage resistance by prophage transduction.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":14095,"journal":{"name":"International journal of food microbiology","volume":"440 ","pages":"Article 111271"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144098635","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":"Campylobacter in the domestic kitchen: Linking human and microbiological behaviour","authors":"Wieke P. van der Vossen-Wijmenga ,&nbsp;Heidy M.W. den Besten ,&nbsp;Wilma C. Hazeleger ,&nbsp;Marcel H. Zwietering","doi":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111270","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111270","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Campylobacter</em> is a major cause of foodborne illness worldwide, and poultry products are considered as the main source of campylobacteriosis. This study provides insight into the hygienic practices of handling raw chicken at home in the Netherlands and quantifies the impact of these practices on the incidence of campylobacteriosis in a quantitative microbiological risk assessment (QMRA), with a specific focus on the number of illness cases rather than the risk per serving. A survey was conducted among Dutch consumers (<em>n</em> = 1974) to assess their raw chicken handling practices. The results showed that 95 % of consumers reported always or often thoroughly cooking chicken, indicating high compliance with safe practices. However, less safe practices were also reported, such as washing chicken before preparation (36 %) or replacing dishcloths once a week or less (23 %). Demographic analyses showed that females followed safe food-handling practices better than males, and respondents from households with children or with pregnant household members adhered better to safe practices than households without these characteristics. Quantitative experiments were conducted to measure the cross-contamination and transfer rate of <em>Campylobacter jejuni</em> from raw chicken fillet to cucumber. Replacing the cutting board resulted in a 75 % decrease in the transfer rate, while replacing the knife led to a 57 % reduction, both compared to the worst-case scenario of no replacement of cutleries. The QMRA predicted that the primary factor contributing to the risk of campylobacteriosis was the initial concentration. Scenario analysis highlighted thorough cooking as the most impactful intervention at home for reducing <em>Campylobacter</em> infection, followed by hand washing after handling raw chicken meat and replacing cutting boards. Sustained efforts to lower initial contamination levels, combined with targeted communication and improved consumer practices on hygienic measures, can effectively reduce the incidence and public health impact of foodborne illnesses associated with chicken consumption.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":14095,"journal":{"name":"International journal of food microbiology","volume":"441 ","pages":"Article 111270"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144366723","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":"Epidemiological and genomic characterization of a rare foodborne outbreak caused by Bacillus paranthracis in Huzhou, China, 2024","authors":"Peng Zhang ,&nbsp;Huimin Yao ,&nbsp;Lei Ji ,&nbsp;Fenfen Dong ,&nbsp;Deshun Xu ,&nbsp;Wei Yan","doi":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111265","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111265","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Bacillus paranthracis</em> belongs to <em>Bacillus cereus</em> group, Gram-positive and spore-forming bacteria, has the potential to induce foodborne diseases. However, globally reported outbreaks caused by <em>B. paranthracis</em> remain exceptionally rare and the genomic characteristics of outbreak isolates are seldom characterized. We applied epidemiological and genomic investigation to understand the cause of a foodborne outbreak in Huzhou, China, in 2024. Real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR was used for scanning the potential infectious agents, and 10 <em>B. paranthracis</em> isolates were identified, including 4 from patient samples and 6 from food samples. Epidemiological and genomics investigations showed that the <em>B. paranthracis</em> isolate of ST26 from uncooked rice was responsible for this outbreak. Genomic analysis indicated that the 8 strains of ST26 associated with the outbreak had high consistency in drug susceptibility phenotypes, antimicrobial resistance genes, virulence genes, and had very minimal genetic difference. This study underscores that need to implement systematic surveillance of <em>B. paranthracis</em> infections to safeguard public health.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":14095,"journal":{"name":"International journal of food microbiology","volume":"439 ","pages":"Article 111265"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144067924","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":"Whole-genome sequencing of soil- and foodborne Bacillus cereus sensu lato indicates no clear association between their virulence repertoire, genomic diversity and food matrix","authors":"Bram Jacobs ,&nbsp;Bert Bogaerts ,&nbsp;Marie Verhaegen ,&nbsp;Kevin Vanneste ,&nbsp;Sigrid C.J. De Keersmaecker ,&nbsp;Nancy H.C. Roosens ,&nbsp;Andreja Rajkovic ,&nbsp;Jacques Mahillon ,&nbsp;Tom Van Nieuwenhuysen ,&nbsp;Koenraad Van Hoorde","doi":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111266","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111266","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Bacillus cereus</em> sensu lato is frequently involved in foodborne toxico-infections and is found in various foodstuff. It is unclear whether certain strains have a higher affinity for specific food matrices, which can be of interest for risk assessment. This study reports the characterization by whole-genome sequencing of 169 <em>B. cereus</em> isolates, isolated from 12 food types and soil over two decades. Any potential links between the food matrix of isolation, the isolate's genetic lineage and/or their (putative) virulence gene reservoir were investigated. More than 20 % of the strains contained the genes for the main potential enterotoxins (<em>nheABC</em>, <em>hblCDA</em> and <em>cytK</em>_2). Cereulide biosynthesis genes and genes encoding hemolysins and phospholipases, were detected in multiple isolates. Strain typing revealed a high diversity, as illustrated by 84 distinct sequence types, including 26 not previously described. This diversity was also reflected in the detection of all seven <em>panC</em> types and 71 unique virulence gene profiles. Core-genome MLST was used for phylogenomic investigation of the entire collection and SNP-based clustering was performed on the four most abundant sequence types, which did not reveal a clear affinity for specific <em>B. cereus</em> lineages or (putative) virulence genes for certain food matrices. Additionally, minimal genetic overlap was observed between soil and foodborne isolates. Clusters of closely-related isolates with common epidemiological metadata were detected. However, some isolates from different food matrices or collected several years apart were found to be genetically identical. This study provides elements that can be used for risk assessment of <em>B. cereus</em> in food.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":14095,"journal":{"name":"International journal of food microbiology","volume":"439 ","pages":"Article 111266"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144067925","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}