species are indigenous to the marine and estuarine environments around the world and are the leading cause of water- and seafood-borne illnesses due to conditions favoring the transmission and growth ...of the species. Horizontal gene transfer, recombination, and mutation enable
spp. to adapt rapidly to environmental challenges from biotic and abiotic parameters, including temperature, salinity, and nutrient status of the coastal waters. This surveillance study provides evidence of
emerging in the temperate estuaries of Canada, thereby redefining the diversity and dynamics of its coastal
population. The presence of the pathogenic context in
was also detected with an increasing trend during the study period.
Proliferation and abundance of the harmful biotypes of
spp. in the estuaries of Canada indicate the possibility of producing contaminated seafood for human consumption. The findings of this surveillance study may lead to awareness which may help efforts to reduce the occurrence of illnesses or outbreaks caused by
spp. in seafood.
The emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in foodborne bacteria is a growing concern worldwide. AMR surveillance is a key element in understanding the implications resulting from the use of ...antibiotics for therapeutic as well as prophylactic needs. The emergence and spread of AMR in foodborne human pathogens are indirect health hazards. This surveillance study reports the trend and pattern of AMR detected in
species isolated from molluscs harvested in Canada between 2006 and 2012 against 19 commonly used antibiotics. Five common antibiotics, ampicillin, cephalothin, erythromycin, kanamycin, and streptomycin, predominantly contributed to AMR, including multidrug resistance (MDR) in the molluscan
spp. isolated in 2006. A prospective follow-up analysis of these drugs showed a declining trend in the frequency of MDR/AMR
spp. in subsequent years until 2012. The observed decline appears to have been influenced by the specific downturn in resistance to the aminoglycosides, kanamycin, and streptomycin. Frequently observed MDR/AMR
spp. in seafood is a potential health concern associated with seafood consumption. Our surveillance study provides an indication of the antibiotics that challenged the marine bacteria, sourced to Canadian estuaries, during and/or prior to the study period.
Globally, the popularity of seafood consumption is increasing exponentially. To meet the demands of a growing market, the seafood industry has increasingly been innovating ways to keep their products ...fresh and safe while increasing production. Marine environments harbor several species of indigenous microorganisms, some of which, including Vibrio spp., may be harmful to humans, and all of which are part of the natural microbiota of the seafood. After harvest, seafood products are often shipped over large geographic distances, sometimes for prolonged periods, during which the food must stay fresh and pathogen proliferation must be minimized. Upon arrival there is often a strong desire, arising from both culinary and nutritional considerations, to consume seafood products raw, or minimally cooked. This supply chain along with popular preferences have increased challenges for the seafood industry. This has resulted in a desire to develop methodologies that reduce pathogenic and spoilage organisms in seafood items to comply with regulations and result in minimal changes to the taste, texture, and nutritional content of the final product. This mini-review discusses and compares several emerging technologies, such as treatment with plant derived natural compounds, phage lysis, high-pressure processing, and irradiation for their ability to control pathogenic vibrios, limit the growth of spoilage organisms, and keep the desired organoleptic properties of the seafood product intact.
Geographic food fraud - misrepresenting the geographic origin of a food item, is very difficult to detect, and therefore this type of fraud tends to go undetected. This potentially negatively impacts ...the health of Canadians and economic success of our seafood industry. Surveillance studies have shown that up to a significant portion of commercially sold seafood items in Canada are mislabeled or otherwise misrepresented in some way. The current study aimed to determine if the microbiome of fresh shellfish could be used as an accurate marker of harvest location. Total DNA was extracted from the homogenate of 25 batches of fresh soft-shell clams (
) harvested in 2015 and 2018 from two locations on the East Coast of Canada and the microbiome of each homogenate was characterized using 16S rRNA targeted amplicon sequencing. Clams harvested from Nova Scotia in both years had a higher abundance of
and
(
< 0.05), but a lower abundance of
(
< 0.05) than those from Quebec. Alpha-diversity also differed significantly between sites. Samples harvested from Nova Scotia had greater diversity (
< 0.0001) than those from Quebec. Beta-diversity analysis showed that the microbial community composition was significantly different between the samples from Nova Scotia and Quebec and indicated that 16S rRNA targeted amplicon sequencing might be an effective tool for elucidating the geographic origin of unprocessed shellfish. To evaluate if the microbiome of shellfish experiences a loss of microbial diversity during processing and storage - which would limit the ability of this technique to link retail samples to geographic origin, 10 batches of retail clams purchased from grocery stores were also examined. Microbial diversity and species richness was significantly lower in retail clams, and heavily dominated by
, a typical spoilage organism for fresh seafood, this may make determining the geographic origin of seafood items more difficult in retail clams than in freshly harvested clams.
Vibrio parahaemolyticus and V. vulnificus are bacterial foodborne pathogens that can cause illnesses in humans after ingestion or exposure to contaminated seafood or coastal waters. A procedure that ...combines microbiological, biochemical, and molecular methods was designed and optimized for the detection, enumeration, isolation, and characterization of these clinically significant Vibrio spp. Initially, microbiological culturing is used to resuscitate and isolate presumptive Vibrio spp. from chilled seafood samples. Biochemical tests are then used to analyze and select presumptive isolates at the species level, and, lastly, molecular methods, such as PCR targeting species-specific hemolysin genes, are used to confirm identification and assess the potential pathogenicity of presumptive isolates. By using artificially contaminated molluscan homogenates with known numbers of V. parahaemolyticus, this method yielded, on average, 90% recovery on complete agar media and 88% recovery on selective media. For V. vulnificus, the recovery rates were 86% (complete media) and 84% (selective media). Linearity of recovery of Vibrio spp. from artificially contaminated seafood homogenates supported the applicability of this method. Overall, this performance-tested protocol is easy to use, cost-effective, and fit-for-purpose, with potential for routine use in basic microbiological facilities.
Vibrio parahaemolyticus is the leading bacterial cause of food-borne illness due to the consumption of contaminated seafood. The aim of the present study was to determine the population of its ...subtypes and establish a better understanding of the various types of V. parahaemolyticus strains that are causing human illness in Canada. The subtypes for 100 human clinical isolates of V. parahaemolyticus collected between 2000 and 2009 were determined by performing serotyping, ribotyping, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, and multilocus sequence typing. Within this panel of strains, there was a high level of diversity (between 22 and 53 subtypes per method), but the presence of predominant clones with congruent subtypes between the various methods was also observed. For example, all 32 isolates belonging to sequence type 36 (ST36) were from serogroup O4, while 31 of them were ribotype EcoVib235-287, and 24 of the 32 were SfiI pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) pattern VPSF1.0001. With regard to the presence of known virulence genes, 74 of the 100 isolates were PCR positive for the presence of the thermostable direct hemolysin (tdh); and 59 of these 74 strains also contained the second virulence marker, the tdh-related hemolysin (trh). The detection of trh was more predominant (81%) among the clinical isolates, and only four (4%) of the clinical isolates tested negative for the presence of both tdh and trh. This database, comprising 100 clinical isolates of V. parahaemolyticus strains from Canada, forms a baseline understanding of subtype diversity for future source attribution and other epidemiologic studies.
Food forensics is crucial due to the risk of foodborne illnesses caused by bacteria, toxins, pesticides, and other pollutants. Traditional detection techniques like microscopy, nucleic acid analysis, ...and immunoassays are used, but array-based sensing approaches are gaining popularity due to their reliability and accuracy. Advances in multivariate analytical techniques and machine learning-based methodologies allow for rapid and reliable food testing. Food forensics have a significant role in detecting and identifying food pollutants, ensuring the safety of the global food supply. Adulteration, the intentional contamination of food with substandard or inexpensive chemicals, can lead to long-term poisoning, illnesses, and even deaths. Accreditation is essential for food forensics, which involves rigorous auditing by internationally registered bodies to ensure quality compliance. The study explored food forensics, a scientific procedure identifying authentic and counterfeit food items through chemical analysis. It highlighted the literature concerned about the risk of adulteration in locally sourced products and how mass spectrometry enhances reliability, information, and analysis compared to conventional methods.
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a hormonal disorder causing menstrual irregularities, insulin resistance, and infertility. Treatment options include medical treatments and lifestyle ...modifications. The guideline suggests various balanced strategies, including diet, exercise, behavioral interventions, and sleep. This article aimed to review the multiple diets, nutrients, and other factors responsible for PCOS-induced infertility, which is growing nowadays. The primary motive to recover PCOS is to reduce the risk of infertility among women. PCOS treatment involves birth control pills, diabetes medication, and estrogen receptor modulators. Lifestyle changes like resistance training and yoga can improve body composition and reduce fat. Traditional lifestyles, such as alcohol and tobacco, can hinder fertility. Weight loss improves PCOS status regardless of dietary composition. Low glycemic index diets reduce weight gain, improve insulin sensitivity, and reduce risk factors. The DASH diet, rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, legumes, and low-fat dairy, is recommended for managing PCOS. In conclusion, PCOS should be taken care of for young women with the help of diet, exercise, and medication, if needed, to avoid infertility under the supervision of a dietitian and physician.
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