Advances in Foodborne Pathogenic Bacteria Microcosm Mapping and Its Interrelation Within the Food Production Setting

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Microbiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2025 | Viewed by 675

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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The occurrence of foodborne pathogenic bacteria is a major concern. Each year, hundreds of thousands of incidences are reported, resulting in thousands of hospitalizations and deaths, which are accompanied by significant economic losses. Therefore, their subsistence in the food production chain has been under intensive scientific scrutiny. Their prevalence from farm to fork, the sources of contamination and the effect of the interventions employed, as well as their physiology both outside and inside the host have been thoroughly assessed in recent decades. The application of next-generation sequencing-based techniques has led to the generation of data that improved our understanding regarding the aforementioned issues and allowed us to gain valuable insights in an effort to efficiently mitigate the effect that these pathogens have on human health and enhance food safety. At the same time, the utilization of this approach to reduce the time needed for foodborne pathogenic bacteria detection and to study emerging issues, such as antimicrobial resistance, is gaining scientific interest. The aim of this Special Issue is to create a collection of high-quality articles that facilitate understanding, update current knowledge, and identify research gaps regarding foodborne pathogenic bacteria persistence within the food processing environment and across the food production chain.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Applied Microbiology.

Dr. Marios Mataragas
Dr. Nikolaos D. Andritsos
Dr. Spiros Paramithiotis
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • foodborne pathogenic bacteria
  • food processing
  • next-generation

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

20 pages, 3024 KB  
Article
The Toxin Gene tdh2 Protects Vibrio parahaemolyticus from Gastrointestinal Stress
by Qin Guo, Jia-Er Liu, Lin-Xue Liu, Jian Gao and Bin Xu
Microorganisms 2025, 13(8), 1788; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13081788 - 31 Jul 2025
Viewed by 357
Abstract
Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a major foodborne pathogen worldwide, responsible for seafood-associated poisoning. Among its toxin genes, tdh2 is the most critical. To investigate the role of tdh2 in V. parahaemolyticus under gastrointestinal conditions, we constructed tdh2 deletion and complementation strains and compared their [...] Read more.
Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a major foodborne pathogen worldwide, responsible for seafood-associated poisoning. Among its toxin genes, tdh2 is the most critical. To investigate the role of tdh2 in V. parahaemolyticus under gastrointestinal conditions, we constructed tdh2 deletion and complementation strains and compared their survival under acid (pH 3 and 4) and bile stress (2%). The results showed that tdh2 expression was significantly upregulated under cold (4 °C) and bile stress (0.9%). Survival assays and PI staining revealed that the tdh2 mutant strain (VP: △tdh2) was more sensitive to acid and bile stress than the wild-type (WT), and this sensitivity was rescued by tdh2 complementation. These findings suggest that tdh2 plays a protective role in enhancing V. parahaemolyticus tolerance to acid and bile stress. In the VP: △tdh2 strain, seven genes were significantly upregulated and six were downregulated as a result of tdh2 deletion. These genes included VPA1332 (vtrA), VPA1348 (vtrB), VP2467 (ompU), VP0301 and VP1995 (ABC transporters), VP0527 (nhaR), and VP2553 (rpoS), among others. Additionally, LC-MS/MS analysis identified 12 differential metabolites between the WT and VP: △tdh2 strains, including phosphatidylserine (PS) (17:2 (9Z,12Z) /0:0 and 20:1 (11Z) /0:0), phosphatidylglycerol (PG) (17:0/0:0), flavin mononucleotide (FMN), and various nucleotides. The protective mechanism of tdh2 may involve preserving cell membrane permeability through regulation of ompU and ABC transporters and enhancing electron transfer efficiency via regulation of nhaR. The resulting reduction in ATP, DNA, and RNA synthesis—along with changes in membrane permeability and electron transfer due to decreased FMN—likely contributed to the reduced survival of the VP: △tdh2 strain. Meanwhile, the cells actively synthesized phospholipids to repair membrane damage, leading to increased levels of PS and PG. This study provides important insights into strategies for preventing and controlling food poisoning caused by tdh+ V. parahaemolyticus. Full article
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