Detection, tracking and control of foodborne pathogens: the first steps for the definition of food safety

Microbial contamination in food processing plants plays a fundamental role in food quality and safety.
Ingestion of contaminated foods can result in infections and intoxications. In this context the development of molecular methods in association with traditional microbiological analysis methods is a fundamental tool for the detection of pathogenic bacteria.

Different physiological states can influence the cultivability of microorganisms and the non culturable state can provide wrong indication on the food safety. For this reason, one of the main topics carried out in our lab is the development of new molecular methods for the detection, identification and molecular characterization of foodborne pathogens. Furthermore, the understanding of the actual characteristics of pathogenicity is needed to better comprehend the strain heterogeneity and the environmental conditions that influence microorganisms are of interest in the creation of a detailed picture of the pathogenic potential. Moreover studies of the host- pathogen interactions, evaluating the behavior of bacteria in contact with gut epithelial human cells, are increasing our knowledge on the potential pathogenicity of this group of bacteria.

The research group is involved in a European initiative (Integration of Omics in MRA) which aims at developing new methodologies (mainly metagenomics and metatranscriptomics), for a more detailed study of foodborne pathogennes. In detail, the final objective is to promote the integration of molecular data in pathogenic microorganisms risk assessment models to improve food safety and better protect the consumer.

Insights
Omics in MRA - the integration of omics in microbiological risk assessment

SAFFI: Safe Food for Infants in Europe and China

• Buzzanca D., Alessandria V., Botta C., Zadeh N.S., Ferrocino I., Houf K., Cocolin L., Rantsiou K.(2023). Transcriptome Analysis of Arcobacter butzleri Infection in a Mucus-Producing Human Intestinal In Vitro Model. Microbiology Spectrum, 11 (1) DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.02071-22
• Buzzanca D., Botta C., Ferrocino I., Alessandria V., Houf K., Rantsiou K. (2021) Functional pangenome analysis reveals high virulence plasticity of Aliarcobacter butzleri and affinity to human mucus, Genomics, 113 (4), pp. 2065 - 2076 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2021.05.001
• Botta C., Ferrocino I., Pessione A., Cocolin L., Rantsiou K.(2020) Spatiotemporal Distribution of the Environmental Microbiota in Food Processing Plants as Impacted by Cleaning and Sanitizing Procedures: the Case of Slaughterhouses and Gaseous Ozone, Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 86 (23), pp. 1 - 15 DOI: 10.1128/AEM.01861-20
• Alessandria V., Rantsiou K., Cavallero M.C., Cocolin L. (2019). Effect of atmospheric pressure plasma on Listeria monocytogenes attached to abiotic surfaces. Journal of Food Protection, 82, 233-237.
• Nogueira Viçosa G., Vieira Botelho C., Botta C., Bertolino M., Fernandes de Carvalho A., Nero L.A., Cocolin L. (2019). Impact of co-cultivation with Enterococcus faecalis over growth, enterotoxin production and gene expression of Staphylococcus aureus in broth and fresh cheeses. International Journal of Food Microbiology, 308, art. no. 108291, DOI: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2019.108291.

Department of Food Safety and Food Quality, University of Gent (Belgium)
Department of Food Science, University of Copenhagen (Denmark)
Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Agricultural University of Athens (Greece)