Submit to Antibiotics Review for Antibiotics Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser

Non-antibiotic Approaches to Control Food-Borne Pathogens

Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

A special issue of Antibiotics (ISSN 2079-6382).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 May 2023) | Viewed by 19823

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Yosra A. Helmy

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Veterinary Science, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40504, USA
Interests: zoonotic pathogens; drug discovery; antimicrobial resistance; gene expression during infection; control of foodborne bacterial pathogens; host responses (immunity) to infectious diseases
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Essa M. Saied

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

1. Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Suez Canal University, Ismailia 41522, Egypt
2. Institute for Chemistry, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Brook-Taylor-Str. 2, 12489 Berlin, Germany
Interests: synthetic organic chemistry; synthetic medicinal chemistry; stereochemistry; Heterocyclic Chemistry; drug synthesis and development; small molecule drug discovery by high-throughput library screening; computer aided drug design (modelling, virtual screening); chemistry of lipids; role of lipids in human diseases; development of biochemical tools to study structure and function of lipids; development of enzymatic assays
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Foodborne illnesses have a major public health impact in the US and worldwide. They affect approximately one in six Americans annually, leading to approximately 128,000 hospitalizations and 3000 deaths. The estimated annual costs of foodborne illness alone are about USD 77.7 billion per year. Currently, treatment and control of these pathogens rely mainly on the use of antibiotics. Consequently, this has resulted in an increase in the development of antimicrobial-resistant zoonotic foodborne bacterial pathogens, which can be transmitted to humans through the food chain. However, infection with antibiotic-resistant bacteria negatively impacts public health due to an increased incidence of treatment failure and severity of infection. The number of antibiotic-resistant bacteria isolated from humans and animals has increased over the last two decades due to the misuse of antibiotics in both human and food-producing animals, leading to the global emergency of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. There is an urgent need to identify and develop novel strategies that can reduce the foodborne pathogens and antibiotic resistance. These approaches include but are not limited to probiotics, antivirulence and quorum sensing inhibitors, small molecules, peptides, essential oils, nanoparticles, and vaccines.

Dr. Yosra A. Helmy
Dr. Essa Saied
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Antibiotics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Foodborne pathogens
Antibiotic alternatives
Antimicrobial resistance
Gut microbiota
Novel approaches
Control of foodborne pathogens

Published Papers (5 papers)

Download All Papers

Research

Jump to: Review

17 pages, 1463 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of the Microbiological Acceptability of White Cheese (Akkawi) in Lebanon and the Antimicrobial Resistance Profiles of Associated Escherichia coli

by Nasri Daher Hussein, Jouman W. Hassan, Marwan Osman, Khaled El-Omari, Samer A. Kharroubi, Imad Toufeili and Issmat I. Kassem

Antibiotics 2023, 12(3), 610; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/antibiotics12030610 - 19 Mar 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2409

Abstract

Dairy foods are a staple in Lebanon, a low- and middle-income country that has been experiencing serious challenges to food safety and antimicrobial stewardship among other issues. The microbiological acceptability of dairy products has been of increasing concern. This is partially due to the failing economy and prolonged power outages that affect the quality of raw material and disrupt the dairy cold chain, respectively. Therefore, we assessed the microbiological acceptability of Akkawi, a popular white-brined cheese in Lebanon. For this purpose, we quantified the densities of Escherichia coli (a fecal indicator) and Staphylococcus aureus in cheeses collected from Lebanese retail stores. Additionally, we evaluated the antibiotic resistance profiles of the E. coli isolated from the cheese. E. coli and S. aureus were detected in 40 (80%) and 16 (32%) of the 50 cheese samples, respectively. Notably, 40 (80%) and 16 (32%) of the samples exceeded the maximum permissible limit of E. coli and S. aureus, respectively. A high percentage of the 118 E. coli isolated from the cheeses showed resistance to clinically and agriculturally important antibiotics, while 89 (75%) isolates were classified as multidrug-resistant (MDR). Given that Akkawi can be consumed without cooking, our findings highlight serious food safety and antimicrobial resistance problems that require immediate interventions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Non-antibiotic Approaches to Control Food-Borne Pathogens)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 3188 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Comparison of the Immunometabolic Effect of Antibiotics and Plant Extracts in a Chicken Macrophage-like Cell Line during a Salmonella Enteritidis Challenge

by Giulia Giovagnoni, Famatta Perry, Benedetta Tugnoli, Andrea Piva, Ester Grilli and Ryan J. Arsenault

Antibiotics 2023, 12(2), 357; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/antibiotics12020357 - 08 Feb 2023

Viewed by 1268

Abstract

Immunometabolic modulation of macrophages can play an important role in the innate immune response of chickens triggered with a multiplicity of insults. In this study, the immunometabolic role of two antibiotics (oxytetracycline and gentamicin) and four plant extracts (thyme essential oil, grape seed extract, garlic oil, and capsicum oleoresin) were investigated on a chicken macrophage-like cell line (HD11) during a Salmonella Enteritidis infection. To study the effect of these substances, kinome peptide array analysis, Seahorse metabolic assay, and gene expression techniques were employed. Oxytetracycline, to which the bacterial strain was resistant, thyme essential oil, and capsicum oleoresin did not show any noteworthy immunometabolic effect. Garlic oil affected glycolysis, but this change was not detected by the kinome analysis. Gentamicin and grape seed extract showed the best immunometabolic profile among treatments, being able to both help the host with the activation of immune response pathways and with maintaining a less inflammatory status from a metabolic point of view. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Non-antibiotic Approaches to Control Food-Borne Pathogens)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 4224 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Antimicrobial Functionalization of Prolamine–Silica Hybrid Coatings with Fumaric Acid for Food Packaging Materials and Their Biocompatibility

by Franziska Trodtfeld, Tina Tölke and Cornelia Wiegand

Antibiotics 2022, 11(9), 1259; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/antibiotics11091259 - 16 Sep 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1737

Abstract

The interest of the food packaging industry in biodegradable, recyclable, and functional materials has steadily increased in recent years. The use of hydrogels in the food sector holds great potential for use in packaging systems or as carriers for bioactive substances. The synthesis of an oxygen barrier coating of prolaminic silica material and antimicrobial functionalization with fumaric acid for packaging materials described here is an elegant way to meet these requirements. The developed material achieved a significant antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, two common clinical pathogens. Another pre-requisite of such materials is a high biocompatibility, which can be assessed using human cell models, to help ensure consumer safety. The biocompatibility was determined by luminescence adenosine triphosphate and photometric lactate dehydrogenase assays. No cytotoxic effects on human keratinocytes in vitro were found for the test materials. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Non-antibiotic Approaches to Control Food-Borne Pathogens)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 7737 KiB

Open AccessArticle

In Situ Biosynthesis of Reduced Alpha Hematite (α-Fe₂O₃) Nanoparticles by Stevia Rebaudiana L. Leaf Extract: Insights into Antioxidant, Antimicrobial, and Anticancer Properties

by Samar Zuhair Alshawwa, Eman J. Mohammed, Nada Hashim, Mohamed Sharaf, Samy Selim, Hayaa M. Alhuthali, Hind A. Alzahrani, Alsayed E. Mekky and Mohamed G. Elharrif

Antibiotics 2022, 11(9), 1252; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/antibiotics11091252 - 15 Sep 2022

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2054

Abstract

In the present study, we utilized Stevia rebaudiana L. (SRLe) extract to in situ biosynthesize nanoscale alpha hematite (α-Fe₂O₃) nanoparticles (NPs) with potent antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anticancer properties. SRLe-α-Fe₂O₃ was characterized using physiochemical analyses, including UV/Vis, FTIR, XRD, DLS, EDX, SEM, and TEM studies. Among tested solvents, CHCl₃/MeOH (2:1 v/v) SRL extract (least polar solvent) contained the highest EY, TPC, and antioxidant capacity of ~3.5%, ~75 mg GAE/g extract, and IC₅₀ = 9.87 ± 0.7 mg/mL, respectively. FTIR confirmed the engagement of coating operation to the colloidal α-Fe₂O₃ NPs. TEM, SEM, and DLS revealed that SRLe-α-Fe₂O₃ has a spherical shape, uniform size distribution with aggregation for an average size of ~18.34 nm, and ζ = −19.4 mV, forming a repulsive barrier that helped to improve stability. The synthesized nanoparticles displayed considerable antibacterial activity against E. coli and S. aureus bacterial growth, and exhibited superior activity against the A549 lung cancer cell lines. These findings indicate that the increased availability of bioactive substances with antioxidant properties of SRLe makes it a potentially interesting material for the preparation of biologically active compounds and green synthesis of nanoparticles. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Non-antibiotic Approaches to Control Food-Borne Pathogens)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

52 pages, 2746 KiB

Open AccessReview

Antimicrobial Resistance and Recent Alternatives to Antibiotics for the Control of Bacterial Pathogens with an Emphasis on Foodborne Pathogens

by Yosra A. Helmy, Khaled Taha-Abdelaziz, Hanan Abd El-Halim Hawwas, Soumya Ghosh, Samar Sami AlKafaas, Mohamed M. M. Moawad, Essa M. Saied, Issmat I. Kassem and Asmaa M. M. Mawad

Antibiotics 2023, 12(2), 274; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/antibiotics12020274 - 30 Jan 2023

Cited by 22 | Viewed by 11305

Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the most important global public health problems. The imprudent use of antibiotics in humans and animals has resulted in the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The dissemination of these strains and their resistant determinants could endanger antibiotic efficacy. Therefore, there is an urgent need to identify and develop novel strategies to combat antibiotic resistance. This review provides insights into the evolution and the mechanisms of AMR. Additionally, it discusses alternative approaches that might be used to control AMR, including probiotics, prebiotics, antimicrobial peptides, small molecules, organic acids, essential oils, bacteriophage, fecal transplants, and nanoparticles. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Non-antibiotic Approaches to Control Food-Borne Pathogens)

► Show Figures