Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 92 in total

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  1. Chaudhary MN, Lim VC, Sahimin N, Faller EM, Regmi P, Aryal N, et al.
    Travel Med Infect Dis, 2023;54:102620.
    PMID: 37487946 DOI: 10.1016/j.tmaid.2023.102620
    BACKGROUND: Annually, 600 million individuals are affected by food-borne diseases (FBD), alongside 425,000 fatalities. Improving the general public knowledge of, attitudes towards, and practices in, (KAP) food safety is necessary for minimizing FBD transmission. In Malaysia, migrant workers account for 11.1% of the workforce, with a high proportion involved in food and beverage services. Therefore, this study aimed (i) to evaluate the current food safety KAP, and (ii) to identify the strategies to promote food safety awareness, among migrant workers across occupational sectors in Klang Valley.

    METHOD: A survey was conducted with 403 migrant workers through phone interviews and online self-administered questionnaires. Piecewise structural equation modelling and multinomial regression were applied to identify predictor variables for food safety KAP and to explore differences across nationalities.

    RESULTS: The respondents were Nepalese, Filipino and Indonesian. The majority were male, working in the services industry, had completed high school, aged between 30 and 39 years and had worked in Malaysia for less than ten years. Knowledge was significantly correlated with attitudes and practices. Female respondents had lower knowledge and attitude scores while younger respondents had lower knowledge scores. Indonesian and Filipino respondents had lower knowledge and attitudes scores than Nepalese respondents. Understanding food safety information from social media was positively correlated with the respondents' food safety knowledge and practices.

    CONCLUSION: These findings highlighted: (i) the need to target female, younger, Indonesian and Filipino migrant workers, and (ii) the potential of social media to improve public awareness of food safety and hygienic practices.

    Matched MeSH terms: Foodborne Diseases*
  2. Hassan NA, Hashim JH, Wan Puteh SE, Wan Mahiyuddin WR, Mohd MSF, Shaharudin SM, et al.
    PLoS One, 2023;18(10):e0283133.
    PMID: 37862373 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0283133
    This study is an attempt to investigate climate-induced increases in morbidity rates of food poisoning cases. Monthly food poisoning cases, average monthly meteorological data, and population data from 2004 to 2014 were obtained from the Malaysian Ministry of Health, Malaysian Meteorological Department, and Department of Statistics Malaysia, respectively. Poisson generalised linear models were developed to assess the association between climatic parameters and the number of reported food poisoning cases. The findings revealed that the food poisoning incidence in Malaysia during the 11 years study period was 561 cases per 100 000 population for the whole country. Among the cases, females and the ethnic Malays most frequently experienced food poisoning with incidence rates of 313 cases per 100,000 and 438 cases per 100,000 population over the period of 11 years, respectively. Most of the cases occurred within the active age of 13 to 35 years old. Temperature gave a significant impact on the incidence of food poisoning cases in Selangor (95% CI: 1.033-1.479; p = 0.020), Melaka (95% CI: 1.046-2.080; p = 0.027), Kelantan (95% CI: 1.129-1.958; p = 0.005), and Sabah (95% CI: 1.127-2.690; p = 0.012) while rainfall was a protective factor in Terengganu (95% CI: 0.996-0.999; p = 0.034) at lag 0 month. For a 1.0°C increase in temperature, the excess risk of food poisoning in each state can increase up to 74.1%, whereas for every 50 mm increase in rainfall, the risk of getting food poisoning decreased by almost 10%. The study concludes that climate does affect the distribution of food poisoning cases in Selangor, Melaka, Kelantan, Sabah, and Terengganu. Food poisoning cases in other states are not directly associated with temperature but related to monthly trends and seasonality.
    Matched MeSH terms: Foodborne Diseases*
  3. Dao HV, Uesugi A, Uchida H, Watanabe R, Matsushima R, Lim ZF, et al.
    Toxins (Basel), 2021 09 15;13(9).
    PMID: 34564661 DOI: 10.3390/toxins13090657
    In the coastal countries of Southeast Asia, fish is a staple diet and certain fish species are food delicacies to local populations or commercially important to individual communities. Although there have been several suspected cases of ciguatera fish poisoning (CFP) in Southeast Asian countries, few have been confirmed by ciguatoxins identification, resulting in limited information for the correct diagnosis of this food-borne disease. In the present study, ciguatoxin-1B (CTX-1B) in red snapper (Lutjanus bohar) implicated in a CFP case in Sabah, Malaysia, in December 2017 was determined by single-quadrupole selected ion monitoring (SIM) liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS). Continuous consumption of the toxic fish likely resulted in CFP, even when the toxin concentration in the fish consumed was low. The identification of the fish species was performed using the molecular characterization of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene marker, with a phylogenetic analysis of the genus Lutjanus. This is the first report identifying the causative toxin in fish-implicated CFP in Malaysia.
    Matched MeSH terms: Foodborne Diseases*
  4. Siddiky NA, Sarker MS, Khan MSR, Begum R, Kabir ME, Karim MR, et al.
    Microorganisms, 2021 Apr 28;9(5).
    PMID: 33924919 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9050952
    Virulent and multi drug resistant (MDR) Salmonellaenterica is a foremost cause of foodborne diseases and had serious public health concern globally. The present study was undertaken to identify the pathogenicity and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) profiles of Salmonellaenterica serovars recovered from chicken at wet markets in Dhaka, Bangladesh. A total of 870 cecal contents of broiler, sonali, and native chickens were collected from 29 wet markets. The overall prevalence of S. Typhimurium, S. Enteritidis, and untyped Salmonella spp., were found to be 3.67%, 0.57%, and 1.95% respectively. All isolates were screened by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for eight virulence genes, namely invA, agfA, IpfA, hilA, sivH, sefA, sopE, and spvC. S. Enteritidis isolates carried all virulence genes whilst S. Typhimurium isolates carried six virulence genes except sefA and spvC. A diverse phenotypic and genotypic AMR pattern was found. Harmonic descending trends of resistance patterns were observed among the broiler, sonali, and native chickens. Interestingly, virulent and MDR Salmonella enterica serovars were found in native chicken, although antimicrobials were not used in their production cycle. The research findings anticipate that virulent and MDR Salmonella enterica are roaming in the wet markets which can easily anchor to the vendor, consumers, and in the food chain.
    Matched MeSH terms: Foodborne Diseases
  5. Hayat MN, Kaka U, Sazili AQ
    Foods, 2021 Apr 16;10(4).
    PMID: 33923538 DOI: 10.3390/foods10040874
    Cold truck transportation is considered one of the most integral parts in a food processing chain. However, countless cases of product spoilage and food poisoning incidents have proven that temperature control during transport has been neglected. Literature on the impact of temperature during distribution is scarce. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of various transportation temperatures and travel duration on the meat quality and microbial population of broiler chicken breast muscle. Sixty broiler chickens (42 days old) were slaughtered and eviscerated; they then had their breast muscles removed (each bird provided two breast muscle samples: left breast and right breast), which were wrapped in plastic film. All 120 packed boneless breasts (PBBs) were then placed at -18 °C for 24 h. After 24 h, the 60 PBB samples were subjected to transportation for 1 h at 4 °C (20 PBBs), 10 °C (20 PBBs), and 15 °C (20 PBBs) while the remaining 60 samples were transported for 5 h at 4 °C (20 PBBs), 10 °C (20 PBBs), and 15 °C (20 PBBs) before analyses. The samples transported at higher temperatures exhibited higher populations of coliform and Salmonella than those transported at lower temperatures. A significant impact of the transportation duration on the Salmonella population was only observed in samples transported at 4 °C for 5 h. However, a significant impact of transportation temperature on color was only recorded for the redness (a*) values, where the samples transported at higher temperatures exhibited higher redness (a*) values. Significant increases in lightness (L*) and yellowness (b*) values as well as decreases in redness (a*) and pH values were recorded in samples subjected to longer durations of transportation across all the temperatures observed in this study.
    Matched MeSH terms: Foodborne Diseases
  6. Li X, Tan CP, Liu YF, Xu YJ
    J Agric Food Chem, 2020 Dec 16;68(50):14728-14738.
    PMID: 33289375 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.0c07378
    The intestine is an important digestive organ of the human body, and its barrier is the guardian of the body from the external environment. The impairment of the intestinal barrier is believed to be an important determinant in various foodborne diseases. Food hazards can lead to the occurrence of many foodborne diseases represented by inflammation. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms of the impact of the food hazards on intestinal barriers is essential for promoting human health. This review examined the relationship between food hazards and the intestinal barrier in three aspects: apoptosis, imbalance of gut microbiota, and pro-inflammatory cytokines. The mechanism of dysfunctional gut microbiota caused by food hazards was also discussed. This review discusses the interaction among food hazards, intestinal barrier, and foodborne diseases and, thus, offers a new thought to deal with foodborne disease.
    Matched MeSH terms: Foodborne Diseases/etiology*; Foodborne Diseases/metabolism*
  7. Shikuku KM, Tran N, Pincus L, Hoffmann V, Lagerkvist CJ, Akintola SL, et al.
    Data Brief, 2020 Jun;30:105540.
    PMID: 32346573 DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2020.105540
    Aquatic foods, including fish, are a substantial component of animal source foods globally, and make a critical nutritional contribution to diets in many contexts. In the global North, concern among consumers and regulators over the safety and environmental sustainability of seafood, particularly in developed nations, has led to the development of increasingly stringent seafood safety standards. While such standards may constitute regularity, logistical, and economic barriers to participation in export markets by small-scale producers, they have in other contexts catalysed upgrades to production and post-harvest handling practices within value chains associated with both capture fisheries and aquaculture. The health burden of foodborne illnesses is a major concern in developing countries. As incomes rise, consumers in developing countries are increasingly willing to pay a premium for safer and environmentally sustainable foods. However, there is little empirical evidence on consumers' willingness to pay for seafood safety in developing countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Data on demand for seafood safety and environmental sustainability certification in African countries are largely unavailable in the public domain. In this paper, we describe data collected in Lagos State, Nigeria in October and November 2019. Experiments in the form of Becker-DeGroote-Marschak (BDM) auction mechanism, and post experiment surveys were conducted with 200 fish consumers in fish markets. These data can be used to assess whether consumers' demand for safe and healthy seafood from local markets can be harnessed to generate positive economic returns to producers.
    Matched MeSH terms: Foodborne Diseases
  8. Soon JM, Wahab IRA, Hamdan RH, Jamaludin MH
    PLoS One, 2020;15(7):e0235870.
    PMID: 32639978 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0235870
    Factors contributing to foodborne illnesses in Malaysia were identified as insanitary food handling procedures and lack of hygiene in food preparation area. Food safety at home is a critical point as consumers represent the final step in food preparation and prevention of foodborne diseases. This study aims to investigate the food safety knowledge, attitude and self-reported practices among consumers in Malaysia. An online survey was conducted, and data were analysed using descriptive statistics and exploratory factor analysis. A model linking food safety knowledge and attitude and their direct effects on practices were confirmed using structural equation modelling (SEM). The proposed model fulfilled the goodness of fit indices and is deemed acceptable. Respondents demonstrate good level of food safety knowledge and positive attitudes and self-reported practices. Food safety knowledge has a negative and insignificant relationship with food safety practices (β1 = -0.284, p>0.05) while attitude significantly affects food safety practices (β1 = 0.534, p<0.05). The findings clearly indicate that food safety knowledge does not directly affect food safety practices This is also the first study to provide new empirical findings on thermometer usage among consumers in Malaysia. This study establishes an important point of reference where consumers use visual appearances to determine if food is thoroughly cooked and practice washing raw chicken prior to cooking. Food safety practices at home play a critical role in protecting consumers in reducing risks of foodborne illnesses.
    Matched MeSH terms: Foodborne Diseases
  9. Abigail Li Yen Lew, Nurzafirah Mazlan, Siti Marwanis Anua, Thung Tze Young
    MyJurnal
    Introduction: The outbreaks of foodborne diseases have been linked to the consumption of contaminated seafood. This research aims to screen the bacteria from the sea cucumbers Acaudina molpadioides collected from Pulau Langkawi. Methods: A total of 22 sea cucumber samples were collected randomly from Pulau Langkawi, Kedah, Malaysia. The samples were isolated and identified for the presence of bacteria using the conventional culture-based method. Presumptive bacteria colonies were subjected to various biochemical and antimicrobial susceptibility tests. Results: There were no bacterial growth in Hektoen Enteric (HE) agar and Thiosulphate-Citrate-Bile Salt (TCBS) agar. Positive samples were isolated from MacConkey (MAC) agar with 6 samples were Staphylococcus spp. (27.27%), 14 samples were Proteus spp. (63.63%) and 2 samples were Bacillus spp. (9.01%). Among these isolates, highest resistance was found against Ampicillin (45%) followed by Tetracycline (40%). Conclusion: The results indicate that the sea cucumbers Acaudina molpadioides were contaminated with potential bacteria. There is a need for adequate consumer protection measures.
    Matched MeSH terms: Foodborne Diseases
  10. Marzo RR, Bhattacharya S, Niranjan V, Shagaran K, Mohd Idris MAB, Clement BJ, et al.
    PMID: 32318611 DOI: 10.4103/jehp.jehp_505_19
    INTRODUCTION: In this era of globalization, urbanization, and rapidly expanding unhygienic food corners across the globe, the incidence of food poisoning is very common nowadays.

    AIM: The aim of our study was to investigate the perceptions and readiness of schoolteachers to accept notifications on food poisoning as a part of education to the students.

    METHODOLOGY: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out with the help of a validated questionnaire for data collection. Our research involved schoolteachers from both primary and secondary schools in Muar. The questionnaire was pretested among the eligible trainee teachers and yielded an internal consistency reliability coefficient (c = Cronbach's alpha) of 0.082. This study was conducted from October 29, 2017, to December 14, 2018, in Muar. Our sample size was 259. Ethical consent was obtained from the Institution Ethical Committee.

    RESULTS: A total of 259 schoolteachers from both primary and secondary schools in Muar were included in this study. In our study, 81.1% of the teachers responded that they can easily educate their students about food poisoning. Most of them (93.1%) were ready to receive notifications on food poisoning in any mode, and about 72% of the teachers preferred WhatsApp as their mode of receiving notification. The least (1.2%) preferred mode of notification was LINE (a social app). Teachers' willingness to disseminate the information regarding food poisoning was also higher (98.5%).

    CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that majority of the schoolteachers had a good perception and were ready to receive the notifications on food poisoning through WhatsApp as a part of education to the students.

    Matched MeSH terms: Foodborne Diseases
  11. Hamzah FH, Mohd Hairon S, Yaacob NM, Musa KI
    PMID: 31295907 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16142453
    Prompt investigation of food poisoning outbreak are essential, as it usually involves a short incubation period. Utilizing the advancement in mobile technology, a mobile application named MyMAFI (My Mobile Apps for Field Investigation) was developed with the aim to be an alternative and better tool for current practices of field investigation of food poisoning outbreak. A randomized cross-over trial with two arms and two treatment periods was conducted to assess the effectiveness of the newly developed mobile application as compared to the standard paper-based format approach. Thirty-six public health inspectors from all districts in Kelantan participated in this study and they were randomized into two equal sized groups. Group A started the trial as control group using the paper-format investigation form via simulated outbreaks and group B used the mobile application. After a one-month 'washout period', the group was crossed over. The primary outcome measured was the time taken to complete the outbreak investigation. The treatment effects, the period effects and the period-by-treatment interaction were analyzed using Pkcross command in Stata software. There was a significant treatment effect with mean square 21840.5 and its corresponding F statistic 4.47 (p-value = 0.038), which indicated that the mobile application had significantly improve the reporting timeliness. The results also showed that there was a significant period effect (p-value = 0.025); however, the treatment by period interaction was not significant (p-value = 0.830). The newly developed mobile application-MyMAFI-can improve the timeliness in reporting for investigation of food poisoning outbreak.
    Matched MeSH terms: Foodborne Diseases/diagnosis; Foodborne Diseases/etiology; Foodborne Diseases/epidemiology*
  12. Barkham T, Zadoks RN, Azmai MNA, Baker S, Bich VTN, Chalker V, et al.
    PLoS Negl Trop Dis, 2019 06;13(6):e0007421.
    PMID: 31246981 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0007421
    BACKGROUND: In 2015, Singapore had the first and only reported foodborne outbreak of invasive disease caused by the group B Streptococcus (GBS; Streptococcus agalactiae). Disease, predominantly septic arthritis and meningitis, was associated with sequence type (ST)283, acquired from eating raw farmed freshwater fish. Although GBS sepsis is well-described in neonates and older adults with co-morbidities, this outbreak affected non-pregnant and younger adults with fewer co-morbidities, suggesting greater virulence. Before 2015 ST283 had only been reported from twenty humans in Hong Kong and two in France, and from one fish in Thailand. We hypothesised that ST283 was causing region-wide infection in Southeast Asia.

    METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We performed a literature review, whole genome sequencing on 145 GBS isolates collected from six Southeast Asian countries, and phylogenetic analysis on 7,468 GBS sequences including 227 variants of ST283 from humans and animals. Although almost absent outside Asia, ST283 was found in all invasive Asian collections analysed, from 1995 to 2017. It accounted for 29/38 (76%) human isolates in Lao PDR, 102/139 (73%) in Thailand, 4/13 (31%) in Vietnam, and 167/739 (23%) in Singapore. ST283 and its variants were found in 62/62 (100%) tilapia from 14 outbreak sites in Malaysia and Vietnam, in seven fish species in Singapore markets, and a diseased frog in China.

    CONCLUSIONS: GBS ST283 is widespread in Southeast Asia, where it accounts for a large proportion of bacteraemic GBS, and causes disease and economic loss in aquaculture. If human ST283 is fishborne, as in the Singapore outbreak, then GBS sepsis in Thailand and Lao PDR is predominantly a foodborne disease. However, whether transmission is from aquaculture to humans, or vice versa, or involves an unidentified reservoir remains unknown. Creation of cross-border collaborations in human and animal health are needed to complete the epidemiological picture.

    Matched MeSH terms: Foodborne Diseases/microbiology; Foodborne Diseases/epidemiology
  13. Zyoud S, Shalabi J, Imran K, Ayaseh L, Radwany N, Salameh R, et al.
    BMC Public Health, 2019 May 16;19(1):586.
    PMID: 31096949 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-019-6955-2
    BACKGROUND: Food serves as a vehicle for many pathogenic and toxigenic agents that cause food-borne diseases. Knowledge, attitude, and practices are key factors in reducing the incidence of food-borne diseases in food service areas. The main objective of this study was to evaluate knowledge, attitude, and practices related to food poisoning among parents of children in Nablus, Palestine.

    METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in primary healthcare centers in Nablus district from May to July 2015. Data were collected using structured questionnaire interviews with parents to collect information on food safety knowledge, attitudes, and practices, alongside sociodemographic characteristics.

    RESULTS: Four-hundred and twelve parents were interviewed, 92.7% were mothers. The median knowledge score was 12.0 with an interquartile range (IQR) of 11.0-14.0. The median attitude score was 11.0 with IQR of 10.0-13.0, while the median practice score was 18.0 with IQR of 16.0-19.0. Significant modest positive correlations were found between respondents' knowledge and attitude scores regarding food poisoning (r = 0.24, p 

    Matched MeSH terms: Foodborne Diseases/psychology*
  14. Odeyemi OA, Sani NA, Obadina AO, Saba CKS, Bamidele FA, Abughoush M, et al.
    Food Res Int, 2019 02;116:1386-1390.
    PMID: 30716930 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2018.10.030
    An international survey among consumers in developing countries from Asia and Africa on food safety knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) was carried out using structured questionnaires. Data were collected from 453 consumers comprising 265 from Africa and 188 from Asia. Significant difference (p 
    Matched MeSH terms: Foodborne Diseases
  15. Mohd Safwan Ibrahim, Noriah Hajib, Mohd Fadhli Mohd Fauzi, Erma Nur Shadila Mahamad Najadi
    MyJurnal
    Introduction: Food poisoning may occur as single sporadic cases or massive outbreak in any institution, including boarding schools. Early this year, Cheras District Health Office had implemented set of interactive games on food safety programme at two boarding schools in Cheras which had repeated incidences of food poisoning outbreak. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of interactive games on knowledge of food safety among school children in Cheras. Methods: This study is a retrospective study based on secondary data. Two boarding school with total of 135 students were. The students were divided into 4 groups and participates in all 4 modules of interactive games. There were 10 items pre and post questionnaire on food safety knowledge collected during the program with score ranged zero to ten. The data were analysed descriptively and analytically with paired t test. Results: The response rate of this study was 100 %. Majority of the respondents were Malays (68.1%) and male (66.7%). The mean score at pre and post were 6.78 and 7.72 respectively. Paired t test showed that there was a significant increase of 0.94 mean score of knowledge after the programme (p-value < 0.05, CI 95%= -1.212, -0.664). Conclusion: The knowledge scores on food safety of the students increased significantly after the interactive game. However, without control group, the improvement cannot be said solely due to the program itself.
    Matched MeSH terms: Foodborne Diseases
  16. Syed Sharizman Syed Abdul Rahim
    MyJurnal
    Introduction: Food poisoning usually occurs with the consumption of contaminated food. Some related factors are unsafe water supply, poor sanitation, unhygienic waste disposal and unhygienic practices or poor personal hygiene by food handlers. The purpose of this study is to describe the spatial epidemiology of food poisoning cases in the four districts of Sabah. Methods: This review consists of all food poisoning cases reported from 2011 to 2014 from Kota Kinabalu, Penampang, Putatan and Papar, Sabah. The coordinates used for locations of cases are based on home addresses. Tools such as SPSS v20, ArcGIS v10 and CrimeStat IV were used for data analysis and mapping. Results: A total of 1,787 cases of food poisoning were reported during this review period. In 2011, only Kota Kinabalu and Pa-par illustrated significant food poisoning clusters. Meanwhile, in the year 2012 to 2014, Kota Kinabalu, Penampang and Putatan had clustering of cases. Analysis of nearest neighbour hierarchical clustering analysis showed 32 food poisoning clusters. There were 4 food poisoning points at 500 meters radius around a market place, 2 food poisoning points near a sewage plant and 1 food poisoning point near a water treatment plant. No cases were near a municipal landfill. For rivers and coastline, there were 37 points of food poisoning cases in the proximity of 500 meters. Con-clusion: Food poisoning usually occurs in clusters with possible associated environmental factors.
    Matched MeSH terms: Foodborne Diseases
  17. Mohd Yusof AM, Rahman NAA, Haque M
    J Pharm Bioallied Sci, 2018 12 21;10(4):232-239.
    PMID: 30568381 DOI: 10.4103/JPBS.JPBS_141_18
    Background: Food poisoning (FP) commonly occurs because of consuming contaminated food, which can be fatal. Many people are not aware of the dangers of FP. Thus, the purpose of this study is to analyze the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of FP among dietetic students (DS) and food handlers (FH) in a public university in Malaysia.

    Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was designed, and a self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 106 respondents. The survey comprised four sections including sociodemographic, knowledge, attitude, and practice.

    Results: Total percentage scores for KAP for FH were 86.06%, 32.40%, and 19.91%, respectively, whereas the KAP scores for DS were 89.36%, 34.26%, and 19.94%, respectively. This study revealed that the respondents had good knowledge but poor attitude and practice toward FP. Total mean percentage of KAP scores for DS was higher than FH. Besides, no significant difference was observed in KAP toward FP across different genders, age, education, and income levels among FH. However, for DS, significant difference (p = 0.008) was observed in knowledge toward FP between genders. Significant association (p = 0.048) was also reported in practice toward FP with age among DS. This study also found a significant association between knowledge and attitude (p = 0.032) and knowledge and practice (p = 0.017) toward FP among FH.

    Conclusion: Nevertheless, among DS, no significant association was observed between knowledge, attitude and practice toward FP. The findings may help them to plan effective methods to promote better understanding about FP and improving their knowledge and awareness.

    Matched MeSH terms: Foodborne Diseases
  18. Ghazavi N, Rahimi E, Esfandiari Z, Shakerian A
    Trop Biomed, 2018 Dec 01;35(4):880-892.
    PMID: 33601838
    Resistant and enterotoxigenic Staphylococcus aureus strains are considered to be one of the major causes of foodborne diseases due to the consumption of sweet. The present research was done to study the distribution of enterotoxin types, enterotoxigenic genes and antibiotic resistance pattern of S. aureus strains isolated from traditional sweet samples. Eight-hundred and fifteen sweet samples were cultured and S. aureus strains were identified. Antibiotic resistance, enterotoxigenicity and enterotoxigenic gene profile were studied using disk diffusion, Enzyme Link Immunosorbent Assay and PCR, respectively. One-hundred and seven out of 815 (13.12%) sweet samples were positive for S. aureus. Prevalence of S. aureus in dried and semi-dried sweet samples were 15.08% and 11.13%, respectively (P <0.05). Forty-six out of 107 S. aureus strains (42.99%) were determined as enterotoxigenic. A (41.30%) and C (17.39%) were the most commonly detected enterotoxin types. Sea (20.56%), sec (14.95%) and seb (11.21%) were the most commonly detected enterotoxigenic genes. There were no positive sample for the sej enterotoxin gene. S. aureus strains harbored the highest prevalence of resistance against penicillin (88.78%), tetracycline (83.17%), ceftaroline (75.70%) and doxycycline (71.02%). Simultaneous presence of enterotoxins and enterotoxigenic genes in multi-drug resistant S. aureus strains indicates important public health issue regarding the consumption of contaminated traditional sweet samples.
    Matched MeSH terms: Foodborne Diseases
  19. Malcolm TTH, Chang WS, Loo YY, Cheah YK, Radzi CWJWM, Kantilal HK, et al.
    Int J Food Microbiol, 2018 Nov 02;284:112-119.
    PMID: 30142576 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2018.08.012
    Kitchen mishandling practices contribute to a large number of foodborne illnesses. In this study, the transfer and cross-contamination potential of Vibrio parahaemolyticus from bloody clams to ready-to-eat food (lettuce) was assessed. Three scenarios were investigated: 1) direct cross-contamination, the transfer of V. parahaemolyticus from bloody clams to non-food contact surfaces (hands and kitchen utensils) to lettuce (via slicing), was evaluated; 2) perfunctory decontamination, the efficacy of two superficial cleaning treatments: a) rinsing in a pail of water, and b) wiping with a kitchen towel, were determined; and 3) secondary cross-contamination, the microbial transfer from cleaning residuals (wash water or stained kitchen towel) to lettuce was assessed. The mean of percent transfer rates through direct contact was 3.6%, and an average of 3.5% of total V. parahaemolyticus was recovered from sliced lettuce. The attempted treatments reduced the transferred population by 99.0% (rinsing) and 94.5% (wiping), and the relative amount of V. parahaemolyticus on sliced lettuce was reduced to 0.008%. V. parahaemolyticus exposure via secondary cross-contamination was marginal. The relative amount of V. parahaemolyticus recovered from washed lettuce was 0.07%, and the transfers from stained kitchen towel to lettuce were insubstantial. Our study highlights that V. parahaemolyticus was readily spread in the kitchen, potentially through sharing of non-food contact surfaces. Results from this study can be used to better understand and potentially raising the awareness of proper handling practices to avert the spread of foodborne pathogens.
    Matched MeSH terms: Foodborne Diseases/microbiology; Foodborne Diseases/prevention & control*
  20. Puah SM, Tan JAMA, Chew CH, Chua KH
    J Food Sci, 2018 Sep;83(9):2337-2342.
    PMID: 30101982 DOI: 10.1111/1750-3841.14300
    Staphylococcus aureus is able to form multilayer biofilms embedded within a glycocalyx or slime layer. Biofilm formation poses food contamination risks and can subsequently increase the risk of food poisoning. Identification of food-related S. aureus strains will provide additional data on staphylococcal food poisoning involved in biofilm formation. A total of 52 S. aureus strains isolated from sushi and sashimi was investigated to study their ability for biofilm formation using crystal violet staining. The presence of accessory gene regulator (agr) groups and 15 adhesion genes was screened and their associations in biofilm formation were studied. All 52 S. aureus strains showed biofilm production on the tested hydrophobic surface with 44% (23/52) strains classified as strong, 33% (17/52) as moderate, and 23% (12/52) as weak biofilm producers. The frequency of agr-positive strains was 71% (agr group 1 = 21 strains; agr group 2 = 2 strains; agr group 3 = 12 strains; agr group 4 = 2 strains) whereas agr-negative strains were 29% (15/52). Twelve adhesion genes were detected and 98% of the S. aureus strains carried at least one adhesion gene. The ebps was significantly (p < .05) associated with strong biofilm producing strains. In addition, eno, clfA, icaAD, sasG, fnbB, cna, and sasC were significantly higher in the agr-positive group compared to the agr-negative group. The results of this study suggest that the presence of ebps, eno, clfA, icaAD, sasG, fnbB, cna, and sasC may play an important role in enhancing the stage of biofilm-related infections and warrants further investigation.

    PRACTICAL APPLICATION: This work contributes to the knowledge on the biofilm formation and the distribution of agr groups in S. aureus strains as well as microbial surface components in recognizing adherence matrix molecules of organisms isolated from ready-to-eat sushi and sashimi. The findings provide valuable information to further study the roles of specific genes in causing biofilm-related infections.

    Matched MeSH terms: Foodborne Diseases/microbiology
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