Survey of foodborne pathogenic Vibrio species in commercial Tasmanian bivalve shellfish and predictors of risk at harvest.

There has been an increase in foodborne vibriosis outbreaks globally, with Vibrio parahaemolyticus emerging as a foodborne issue in temperate commercial shellfish growing regions, including southern Australia. The food safety concerns associated with these microorganisms have led to the need for specific guidance on potential risk management strategies for their control. This is the first Australian multi-seasonal survey of V.

Detection of non-pathogenic and pathogenic populations of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in various samples by the conventional, quantitative and droplet digital PCRs.

In this study, three generations of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays: (i) conventional PCR, (ii) qPCR and (iii) droplet digital PCR (ddPCR), were systematically tested for their abilities to detect non-pathogenic and pathogenic populations of Vibrio parahaemolyticus. The limit of detection (LOD) for the ddPCR was 1.1 pg/µL of purified DNA, followed by the qPCR (5.

Efficacy of commercial peroxyacetic acid on Vibrio parahaemolyticus planktonic cells and biofilms on stainless steel and Greenshell™ mussel (Perna canaliculus) surfaces.

The potential of using commercial peroxyacetic acid (PAA) for Vibrio parahaemolyticus sanitization was evaluated. Commercial PAA of 0.005 % (v/v, PAA: 2.

Comparative genomics uncovered differences between clinical and environmental populations of in New Zealand.

has been identified as an emerging human pathogen worldwide with cases undergoing a global expansion over recent decades in phase with climate change. New Zealand had remained free of outbreaks until 2019, but different outbreaks have been reported consecutively since then. To provide new insights into the recent emergence of cases associated with outbreak clones over recent years, a comparative genomic study was carried out using a selection of clinical (mostly outbreak) and environmental isolates of obtained in New Zealand between 1973 and 2021.

Comparative genome identification of accessory genes associated with strong biofilm formation in Vibrio parahaemolyticus.

Vibrio parahaemolyticus biofilms on the seafood processing plant surfaces are a potential source of seafood contamination and subsequent food poisoning. Strains differ in their ability to form biofilm, but little is known about the genetic characteristics responsible for biofilm development. In this study, pangenome and comparative genome analysis of V.

The Anti-Listeria Activity of Isolated from the Horticultural Environment in New Zealand.

Beneficial bacteria with antibacterial properties are attractive alternatives to chemical-based antibacterial or bactericidal agents. Our study sourced such bacteria from horticultural produce and environments to explore the mechanisms of their antimicrobial properties. Five strains of were studied that possessed antibacterial activity against the pathogen .

Biofilm formation, sodium hypochlorite susceptibility and genetic diversity of Vibrio parahaemolyticus.

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a marine oriented pathogen; and biofilm formation enables its survival and persistence on seafood processing plant, complicating the hygienic practice. The objectives of this study are to assess the ability of V. parahaemolyticus isolated from seafood related environments to form biofilms, to determine the effective sodium hypochlorite concentrations required to inactivate planktonic and biofilm cells, and to evaluate the genetic diversity required for strong biofilm formation.

Differential effects of magnesium, calcium, and sodium on biofilm formation.

is a gram-positive foodborne pathogen that causes outbreaks of listeriosis associated with a diverse range of foods forms biofilms as a strategy to enhance its survival in the environment. These biofilms then provide a source of contamination in processing plant environments. Cations like magnesium, calcium, and sodium are commonly found in the environment and are important to bacteria to maintain their homeostasis.

Prediction of correlation energies using variational subspace valence bond.

In the variational subspace valence bond (VSVB) [G. D. Fletcher, J.

The spindle assembly checkpoint is a therapeutic vulnerability of CDK4/6 inhibitor-resistant ER breast cancer with mitotic aberrations.

Inhibitors of cyclin-dependent kinases 4 and 6 (CDK4/6i) are standard first-line treatments for metastatic ER breast cancer. However, acquired resistance to CDK4/6i invariably develops, and the molecular phenotypes and exploitable vulnerabilities associated with resistance are not yet fully characterized. We developed a panel of CDK4/6i-resistant breast cancer cell lines and patient-derived organoids and demonstrate that a subset of resistant models accumulates mitotic segregation errors and micronuclei, displaying increased sensitivity to inhibitors of mitotic checkpoint regulators TTK and Aurora kinase A/B.

Lifestyle of and food safety: Emerging listericidal technologies in the food industry.

, a causative agent of listeriosis, is a major foodborne pathogen. Among pathogens, stands out for its unique ecological and physiological characteristics. This distinct lifestyle of has a significant impact on food safety and public health, mainly through the ability of this pathogen to multiply at refrigeration temperature and to persist in the food processing environment.

analysis revealing CsrA roles in motility-sessility switching and tuning VBNC cells in .

The formation of biofilms is a survival strategy employed by bacteria to help protect them from changing or unfavourable environments. In this research, 319 genes which govern biofilm formation in as reported in 1,625 publications, were analysed using protein-protein-interaction (PPI) network analysis. CsrA was identified as a motility-sessility switch and biofilm formation regulator.

Genomic diversity of Listeria monocytogenes isolates from seafood, horticulture and factory environments in New Zealand.

Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne human pathogen that causes systemic infection, fetal-placental infection in pregnant women causing abortion and stillbirth and meningoencephalitis in elderly and immunocompromised individuals. This study aimed to analyse L. monocytogenes from different sources from New Zealand (NZ) and to compare them with international strains.

Biofilm Formation by 15G01, a Persistent Isolate from a Seafood-Processing Plant, Is Influenced by Inactivation of Multiple Genes Belonging to Different Functional Groups.

is a ubiquitous foodborne pathogen that results in a high rate of mortality in sensitive and immunocompromised people. Contamination of food with is thought to occur during food processing, most often as a result of the pathogen producing a biofilm that persists in the environment and acting as the source for subsequent dispersal of cells onto food. A survey of seafood-processing plants in New Zealand identified the persistent strain 15G01, which has a high capacity to form biofilms.

Elastic Light Scatter Pattern Analysis for the Expedited Detection of Species in Pork Mince: Proof of Concept.

Isolation of the pathogens and from foods typically rely on slow (10-21 day) "cold enrichment" protocols before confirmed results are obtained. We describe an approach that yields results in 39 h that combines an alternative enrichment method with culture on a non-selective medium, and subsequent identification of suspect colonies using elastic light scatter (ELS) analysis. A prototype database of ELS profiles from five species and six other bacterial genera found in pork mince was established, and used to compare similar profiles of colonies obtained from enrichment cultures from pork mince samples seeded with representative strains of and The presumptive identification by ELS using computerised or visual analyses of 83/90 colonies in these experiments as the target species was confirmed by partial 16S rDNA sequencing.

Decline of Listeria monocytogenes on fresh apples during long-term, low-temperature simulated international sea-freight transport.

Listeria monocytogenes has caused outbreaks of foodborne illness from apples in the USA, and is also a major issue for regulatory compliance worldwide. Due to apple's significance as an important export product from New Zealand, we aimed to determine the effect of long-term, low-temperature sea-freight from New Zealand to the USA (July) and Europe (March-April), two key New Zealand markets, on the survival and/or growth of L. monocytogenes on fresh apples.

Influence of farming methods and seawater depth on Vibrio species in New Zealand Pacific oysters.

Studies conducted in seawaters around New Zealand have shown the numbers of human pathogenic Vibrio spp. are usually low, but high numbers sometimes occur during warmer summer/autumn months (January - April). In this study, Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) were grown at Kaipara Harbour and Mahurangi Harbour in New Zealand at different heights from the seafloor in different ways: fixed positons intertidally and subtidally, and as floating long lines over the 2013 and 2014 summer periods.

Identifying Suitable Strains as Surrogates for for Horticultural Products.

A laboratory-based study testing 9 strains independently and a cocktail of 11 strains was carried out. The aim was to identify suitable strain(s) to model in inactivation experiments. Three separate inactivation procedures and a hurdle combination of the three were employed: thermal inactivation (55°C), UV-C irradiation (245 nm), and chemical sanitizer (Tsunami 100, a mixture of acetic acid, peroxyacetic acid, and hydrogen peroxide).

Safety and tolerability of CFI-400945, a first-in-class, selective PLK4 inhibitor in advanced solid tumours: a phase 1 dose-escalation trial.

Background: CFI-400945 is a first-in-class oral inhibitor of polo-like kinase 4 (PLK4) that regulates centriole duplication. Primary objectives of this first-in-human phase 1 trial were to establish the safety and tolerability of CFI-400945 in patients with advanced solid tumours. Secondary objectives included pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, efficacy, and recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D).

Valence : A Massively Parallel Implementation of the Variational Subspace Valence Bond Method.

This work describes the software package, Valence, for the calculation of molecular energies using the variational subspace valence bond (VSVB) method. VSVB is an ab initio electronic structure method based on nonorthogonal orbitals. Important features of practical value include high parallel scalability, wave functions that can be constructed automatically by combining orbitals from previous calculations, and ground and excited states that can be modeled with a single configuration or determinant.

Effects of running retraining on biomechanical factors associated with lower limb injury.

Injury risk is an important concern for runners; however, limited evidence exists regarding changes to injury risk following running style retraining. Biomechanical factors, such as absolute peak free moment, knee abduction impulse, peak foot eversion and foot eversion excursion, have been shown to predict lower limb injury. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of Pose running retraining on biomechanical factors associated with lower limb running injury.

Persistent Listeria monocytogenes strains isolated from mussel production facilities form more biofilm but are not linked to specific genetic markers.

Contamination of mussels with the human pathogen Listeria monocytogenes occurs during processing in the factory, possibly from bacteria persisting in the factory's indoor and outdoor areas. In this study, a selection of persistent (n=8) and sporadic (n=8) L. monocytogenes isolates associated with mussel-processing premises in New Zealand were investigated for their phenotypic and genomic characteristics.

Functional characterization of CFI-402257, a potent and selective Mps1/TTK kinase inhibitor, for the treatment of cancer.

Loss of cell-cycle control is a hallmark of human cancer. Cell-cycle checkpoints are essential for maintaining genome integrity and balanced growth and division. They are specifically deregulated in cancer cells and contain regulators that represent potential therapeutic targets.