Ahmet Koluman

Antimicrobial resistance of emerging foodborne pathogens: Status quo and global trends

Emerging foodborne pathogens are challenging subjects of food microbiology with their antibiotic resistance and their impact on public health. Campylobacter jejuni, Salmonella spp. and Verotoxigenic Escherichia coli (VTEC) are significant emerging food pathogens, globally. The decrease in supply and increase in demand lead developed countries to produce animal products with a higher efficiency. The massive production has caused the increase of the significant foodborne diseases. The strict control of food starting from farm to fork has been held by different regulations. Official measures have been applied to combat these pathogens. In 2005 EU declared that, an EU-wide ban on the use of antibiotics as growth promoters in animal feed would be applied on 1 January 2006. The ban is the final step in the phasing out of antibiotics used for non-medical purposes. It is a part of the Commission’s strategy to tackle the emergence of bacteria and other microbes resistant to antibiotics, due to their overexploitation or misuse. As the awareness raises more countries banned application of antibiotics as growth promoter, but the resistance of the emerging foodborne pathogens do not represent decrease. Currently, the main concern of food safety is counter measures against resistant bugs.

Clostridium botulinum in honey: prevalence and antibiotic susceptibility of isolated strains

Ahmet KOLUMAN*, Berfin MELİKOĞLU GÖLCÜ, Okan DERİN, Sibel ÖZKÖK, Fabrizio ANNIBALLI Department of Microbiology, National Food Reference Laboratory, Ankara, Turkey Department of Veterinary History and Deontology, Veterinary Faculty, Ondokuz Mayıs University, Samsun, Turkey Infection Clinic, Şişli Etfal Research and Training Hospital, İstanbul, Turkey Department of Veterinary Public Health and Food Safety, National Reference Center for Botulism, National Institute of Health, Rome, Italy

Effects of acidified sodium chlorite, cetylpyridinium chloride and hot water on populations of Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus on beef

Aims:  The present study was designed to determine the individual and combined effects of acidified sodium chlorite (ASC, 0·1%, 24 ± 1°C), cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC, 0·5%, 24 ± 1°C) and hot water (HW, 93 ± 1°C) treatments on the survival of Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus.

Antibacterial Activities Of Ankaferd Hemostat (ABS) On 'Shiga Toxin Producing Escherichia Coli' And Other Pathogens Significant In Foodborne Diseases.

Objective: Ankaferd hemostat (Ankaferd Blood Stopper®, ABS)-induced pharmacological modulation of essential erythroid proteins can cause vital erythroid aggregation via acting on fibrinogen gamma. Topical endoscopic ABS application is effective in the controlling of gastrointestinal (GI) system hemorrhages and/or infected GI wounds. Escherichia coli O157:H7, the predominant serotype of enterohemorrhagic E. coli, is a cause of both outbreaks and sporadic cases of hemorrhagic colitis. The aim of this study is to examine the effects of ABS on 6 different Shiga toxigenic E. coli serotypes including O26, O103, O104, O111, O145, and O157 and on other pathogens significant in foodborne diseases, such as Salmonella Typhimurium, Campylobacter jejuni, and Listeria monocytogenes, were also assessed. Materials and Methods: All strains were applied with different amounts of ABS and antimicrobial effect was screened. S. Typhimurium groups were screened for survival using the fluorescence in situ hybridization technique. Results: The relative efficacy of ABS solutions to achieve significant logarithmic reduction in foodborne pathogens E. coli O157:H7 and non-O157 serogroups and other emerging foodborne pathogens is demonstrated in this study. ABS has antibacterial effects. Conclusion: Our present study indicated for the first time that ABS may act against E. coli O157:H7, which is a cause of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, hemolytic-uremic syndrome, and hemorrhagic colitis. The interrelationships between colitis, infection, and hemostasis within the context of ABS application should be further investigated in future studies.

Qualitative/Chemical Analyses of Ankaferd Hemostat and Its Antioxidant Content in Synthetic Gastric Fluids

Introduction. Ankaferd hemostat (ABS) is the first topical haemostatic agent involving the red blood cell-fibrinogen interactions. The antihemorrhagic efficacy of ABS has been tested in controlled clinical trials. The drug induces the formation of an encapsulated complex protein web with vital erythroid aggregation. The aim of this study is to detect the essential toxicity profile and the antioxidant molecules inside ABS. Methods. The pesticides were analyzed by GC-MS and LC-MS. The determination by ICP-MS after pressure digestion was performed for the heavy metals. HPLC was used for the detection of mycotoxins. Dioxin Response Chemically Activated Luciferase Gene Expression method was used for the dioxin evaluation. TOF-MS and spectra data were evaluated to detect the antioxidants and other molecules. Results. TOF-MS spectra revealed the presence of several antioxidant molecules (including tocotrienols, vitamin E, tryptophan, estriol, galangin, apigenin, oenin, 3,4-divanillyltetrahydrofuran, TBHQ, thymol, BHA, BHT, lycopene, glycyrrhetinic acid, and tomatine), which may have clinical implications in the pharmacobiological actions of ABS. Conclusion. The safety of ABS regarding the presence of heavy metals, pesticides, mycotoxins, GMO and dioxins, and PCBs was demonstrated. Thus the present toxicological results indicated the safety of ABS. The antioxidant content of ABS should be investigated in future studies.

Effect of Nisin and Gamma Irradiation Treatments on Listeria monocytogenes on Some High Economic Valued Aquaculture Products

Küresel tüketimde balık ve diğer su ürünleri önemli rol oynamaktadır. Deniz ürünleri diğer ürünlerle kıyasla daha fazla Listeria monocytogenes kontaminasyonu riski taşımaktadır. L. monocytogenes riski belirli üretim yöntemleri ile düşürülmelidir. Çeşitli çalışmalar Nisin uygulamasının tek veya kombine olarak farklı koşullardaki farklı gıdalarda etkili olduğunu göstermiştir. Bunlara ek olarak, gama ışınlama su ürünlerinde raf ömrünün uzatılması ve patojenlerin dekontaminasyonu için belirgin bir potansiyele sahiptir. Farklı dört adet ekonomik değeri yüksek ürüne gama ışınlaması Nisin içerecek veya içermeyecek şekilde uygulandı. Sonuçlara göre Nisin uygulanmamış gruplarda L. monocytogenes 5 kGy ışın dozu ile eradike edilebilirken, Nisin kombinasyonu uygulanması gereken dozu 3 kGy seviyesine çekmiştir. Buna bağlı olarak farklı su ürünlerinde, Nisin ve ışınlama kombinasyonlarının L. monocytogenes kontaminasyonunun giderilmesinde beraber uygulanmasının verimli olacağı düşünülmüştür.