Mechanisms of thermal, acid, desiccation and osmotic tolerance of spp.

spp. exhibit remarkable resilience to extreme environmental stresses, including thermal, acidic, desiccation, and osmotic conditions, posing significant challenges to food safety. Their thermotolerance relies on heat shock proteins (HSPs), thermotolerance genomic islands, enhanced DNA repair mechanisms, and metabolic adjustments, ensuring survival under high-temperature conditions.

Use of proteomics to elucidate characteristics of Cronobacter sakazakii under mild heat stress.

Cronobacter sakazakii is an opportunistic pathogen known for causing severe diseases. Mild heat treatment is commonly used in food processing, however, the pathogenic characteristics and underlying mechanisms of Cronobacter sakazakii strains remain poorly understood. In this study, we found that mild heat stress (MHS) at 52 °C can induce several deleterious effects in Cronobacter sakazakii, including damage to the cell wall, genomic DNA breakage, and misfolding of cytoplasmic proteins.

Conjugative transfer of mcr-1-bearing plasmid from Salmonella to Escherichia coli in vitro on chicken meat and in mouse gut.

Since mcr-1 was first discovered in 2015, this gene has shown excellent transmission ability and evolutionary characteristics worldwide, leading to major public health and food safety concerns. In this study, chicken meat was used as a food vehicle for the conjugation of mcr-1-bearing Salmonella at different storage temperatures (4 °C, 25 °C, and 37 °C) to simulate mcr-1 transmission during food transportation and storage and determine its efficiency and mechanism. In addition, conjugation experiments were performed in mouse gut to further confirm that mcr-1 is horizontally transferred in vivo during food consumption.