David F. Gilmore

Current and emerging technologies for rapid detection and characterization of Salmonella in poultry and poultry products

Salmonella is the leading cause of foodborne illnesses in the United States, and one of the main contributors to salmonellosis is the consumption of contaminated poultry and poultry products. Since deleterious effects of Salmonella on public health and the economy continue to occur, there is an ongoing need to develop more advanced detection methods that can identify Salmonella accurately and rapidly in foods before they reach consumers. Rapid detection and identification methods for Salmonella are considered to be an important component of strategies designed to prevent poultry and poultry product-associated illnesses. In the past three decades, there have been increasing efforts towards developing and improving rapid pathogen detection and characterization methodologies for application to poultry and poultry products. In this review, we discuss molecular methods for detection, identification and genetic characterization of Salmonella associated with poultry and poultry products. In addition, the advantages and disadvantages of the established and emerging rapid detection and characterization methods are addressed for Salmonella in poultry and poultry products. The methods with potential application to the industry are highlighted in this review.

Characterization of Staphylococcus aureus isolates from retail chicken carcasses and pet workers in Northwest Arkansas.

Staphylococcus aureus can be carried on the skin and nasal passages of humans and animals as a commensal. A case of human methicillin-resistant S. aureus infection resulting from contact with pork has been reported. Poultry carcasses are sold at retail with the skin intact, but pork and beef typically are not. Thus, the risk of methicillin-resistant S. aureus human infection from whole raw poultry carcasses may be greater than that of exposure from pork or beef. The objective of this study was to isolate and characterize S. aureus from whole retail poultry carcasses and compare the isolates to S. aureus isolates from humans. A total of 25 S. aureus isolates were collected from 222 whole poultry carcasses. The isolates were characterized phenotypically with antibiotic resistance disc diffusion assays and genotypically using multilocus sequence typing. A total of 17 S. aureus isolates obtained from healthy humans were included and characterized in the same way as the poultry isolates. Staphylococcus spp. were recovered from all poultry carcasses. Only 25 poultry carcasses (11.2%) were contaminated with S. aureus. Of these 25 isolates, 36% were resistant to at least one of the antibiotics tested and 20% were resistant to two or more antibiotics tested. However, 100% of the human isolates were resistant to at least one of the antibiotics and 94% were resistant to two or more antibiotics. The results of the multilocus sequence typing indicate that most of the isolates grouped according to source. These results indicate a low prevalence of S. aureus present in poultry, and the isolates were not phenotypically similar to human isolates. The low number of S. aureus isolates from this study indicates that chicken carcasses would appear to not be a significant source of this bacterium.

Statistical Experimental Design for Bioprocess Modeling and Optimization Analysis Repeated-Measures Method for Dynamic Biotechnology Process

The statistical design of experiments (DOE) is a collection of predetermined settings of the process variables of interest, which provides an efficient procedure for planning experiments. Experiments on biological processes typically produce long sequences of successive observations on each experimental unit (plant, animal, bioreactor, fermenter, or flask) in response to several treatments (combination of factors). Cell culture and other biotech-related experiments used to be performed by repeated-measures method of experimental design coupled with different levels of several process factors to investigate dynamic biological process. Data collected from this design can be analyzed by several kinds of general linear model (GLM) statistical methods such as multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), univariate ANOVA (timesplit-plot analysis with randomization restriction), and analysis of orthogonal polynomial contrasts of repeated factor (linear coefficient analysis). Last, regression model was introduced to describe responses over time to the different treatments along with model residual analysis. Statistical analysis of biprocess with repeated measurements can help investigate environmental factors and effects affecting physiological and bioprocesses in analyzing and optimizing biotechnology production.

Sebaceous Lipid Profiling of Bat Integumentary Tissues: Quantitative Analysis of Free Fatty Acids, Monoacylglycerides, Squalene, and Sterols

White‐nose syndrome (WNS) is a fungal disease caused by Pseudogymnoascus destructans and is devastating North American bat populations. Sebaceous lipids secreted from host integumentary tissues are implicated in the initial attachment and recognition of host tissues by pathogenic fungi. We are interested in determining if ratios of lipid classes in sebum can be used as biomarkers to diagnose severity of fungal infection in bats. To first establish lipid compositions in bats, we isolated secreted and integral lipid fractions from the hair and wing tissues of three species: big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus), Eastern red bats (Lasiurus borealis), and evening bats (Nycticeius humeralis). Sterols, FFAs, MAGs, and squalene were derivatized as trimethylsilyl esters, separated by gas chromatography, and identified by mass spectrometry. Ratios of sterol to squalene in different tissues were determined, and cholesterol as a disease biomarker was assessed. Free sterol was the dominant lipid class of bat integument. Squalene/sterol ratio is highest in wing sebum. Secreted wing lipid contained higher proportions of saturated FFAs and MAGs than integral wing or secreted hair lipid. These compounds are targets for investigating responses of P. destructans to specific host lipid compounds and as biomarkers to diagnose WNS.

Glycerophospholipid Analysis of Eastern Red Bat (Lasiurus Borealis) Hair by Electrospray Ionization Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Pilosebaceous units found in the mammalian integument are composed of a hair follicle, the proximal portion of the hair shaft, a sebaceous gland, and the erector pili muscle. Pilosebaceous units release protective oils, or sebum, by holocrine secretion onto skin and hair through rupturing of sebocytes. Sebum is composed largely of polar and neutral lipids including glycerolipids, free fatty acids, sterols, wax esters, sterol esters, and squalene. In addition to these lipid classes, there is a small proportion of ionic/anionic glycerophospholipids (GPs). Composition of GPs on hair is rarely addressed despite their broad biological activities as signaling molecules and membrane stability. Furthermore, knowledge on GP composition in bats is lacking. Bat GP composition is important to document due to GP roles ranging from decreasing drag during migration to interaction with the integumentary microbiome. In this study, we analyzed GP molecular composition with liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry and compared GP content to previous literature. A total of 152 GPs were detected. Broad GP classes identified include lysophosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylcholine (PC), lysophosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylserine, phosphatidic acid, and phosphatidylglycerol, with PC being the most abundant class. The acyl components were consistent with fatty acid methyl esters and triacylglyceride moieties found in Eastern red bat sebum. Glycerophospholipid proportions of the hair surface were different from a previous study on bat lung surfactants. This study determined the broad class and molecular species of bat sebum GPs that may be used in future ecological studies in vespertilionid bats.

Modeling and optimization of biopolymer (Polyhydroxyalkanoates) production from ice cream residue by novel statistical experimental design

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are thermoplastic polyesters synthesized by Ralstonia eutropha and other bacteria as a form of intracellular carbon and energy storage and are accumulated as lipid inclusions in the cytoplasm of these bacteria. The modeling and optimization of PHA production by fermentation from industrial waste (ice cream residue) was studied by employing statistical experimental design methods. A series of iterative experimental designs was used to find optimal factor conditions (medium components and fermentation process time) in the order of fractional factorial design, path of steepest ascent, and full factorial augmented with axial design (rotational central composite design). An optimal range characterized by lipid (15 mg/mL) and % lipid (88%) values was found and further investigated to verify the optimal conditions for PHA production from ice cream (56.68 mL of ice cream or 56.68% ice cream in water [v/v], 5.03 mL of buffer, 1 mL of mineral salts solution, 100 μL of trace element solution, 100 mL of seed culture, and 213.76 h of fermentation time).

Synthesis and antimicrobial studies of novel derivatives of 4-(4-formyl-3-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)benzoic acid as potent anti-Acinetobacter baumannii agents

Microbial resistance to antibiotics is a global concern. The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified antimicrobial resistance as one the three greatest threats for human beings in the 21st century. Without urgent and coordinated action, the world is moving toward a post-antibiotic era, in which normal infections or minor injuries may become fatal. In an effort to find new agents, we report the synthesis and antimicrobial activities of 40 novel 1,3-diphenyl pyrazole derivatives. These compounds have shown zones of growth inhibition up to 85mm against Acinetobacter baumannii. We tested the active compounds against this Gram-negative bacterium in minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) tests and found activity with concentration as low as 4μg/mL.

Synthesis and antimicrobial studies of azomethine and N-arylamine derivatives of 4-(4-formyl-3-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)benzoic acid as potent anti-methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus agents

Antimicrobial resistance to antibiotics is a global concern. Without urgent and coordinated action, the world is moving towards a post-antibiotic era, in which normal infections or minor injuries may become fatal. In an effort to find new agents to combat this resistance, we report the synthesis and antimicrobial activities of 1,3-diphenyl pyrazole derivatives. Several compounds have shown growth inhibition up to 24 mm in size against Staphylococcus aureus inhibition studies. We tested the active compounds against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in minimum inhibitory concentration tests and found activity as low as 16 μg/mL.

Synthesis and antimicrobial studies of hydrazone derivatives of 4-[3-(2,4-difluorophenyl)-4-formyl-1H-pyrazol-1-yl]benzoic acid and 4-[3-(3,4-difluorophenyl)-4-formyl-1H-pyrazol-1-yl]benzoic acid

Microbial resistance to antibiotics is an unresolved global concern, which needs urgent and coordinated action. One of the guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) to combat antibiotic resistance is the development of new antibiotics to treat drug-resistant bacteria. In our effort to find new antibiotics, we report the synthesis and antimicrobial studies of 30 new pyrazole derivatives. These novel molecules have been synthesized by using readily available starting materials and benign reaction conditions. Some of these molecules have shown activity with MIC values as low as 0.78 µg/mL against four bacterial strains; Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant S. aureus, Bacillus subtilis, and Acinetobacter baumannii. Furthermore, active molecules are non-toxic to mammalian cell line.