First outbreak of food poisoning caused by Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar Berta in Italy

Food Safety Knowledge and Hygienic Practices among Different Groups of Restaurants in Muscat, Oman

Food safety is vital to human beings as well as to the food industry. Therefore, knowledge and hygiene practice of food safety among food handlers are particularly important. Evaluation of food safety knowledge and hygienic practices among 18 restaurants in three different regions (i.e., districts) in the Governorate of Muscat was performed. In order to determine the quality level of restaurants, grouping (i.e., Region 1, Region 2, and Region 3; e.g., Group I, Group II, and Group III) was adopted from the regulations and assigned by the municipality based on the number of complaints against the restaurants. A questionnaire was designed to assess the knowledge of hygiene, food poisoning, food handling, cooking, and local regulations/rules of the food handlers in selected restaurants. The food handlers in the Region 1 restaurants showed significantly higher (p < 0.05) overall knowledge (58.6%) in food safety as compared to Region 2 (52.1%) and Region 3 (53.2%). Overall knowledge of food handlers in Group I restaurants was significantly higher (p < 0.05) (64.4%) as compared to Group II (53.1%) and Group III (48.1%). The hygiene practices in Group I restaurants were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than those in Groups II and III. A small but significant inverse association (r ² = -0.38) between total knowledge scores and hygiene practices was found. In conclusion, higher knowledge in the field is associated with better hygiene practices, and these are more likely to prevent food poisoning originating from restaurants. We recommend implementing specialized education courses and workshops for the food handlers as a requirement before embarking on service to decrease the risks of foodborne diseases.

Prevalence and potential risk of Salmonella enterica in migratory birds from South Korea

Salmonella is a type of zoonotic bacteria that represents an economic and public health concern worldwide. Difficulties in sample collection from migratory birds mean little is known about their importance as a reservoir of Salmonella. The present study evaluated the prevalence and potential risk of Salmonella enterica in migratory birds. From 2012-2017, 3661 cloacal swabs from migratory birds were collected in South Korea and tested to isolate S. enterica. Strains were tested for antimicrobial resistance and the presence of virulence genes. Thirty-six S. enterica strains, including S. enterica serovar Typhimurium (n = 19), S. Berta (n = 16), and S. Virchow (n = 1), were isolated from 34 birds. Two migratory birds were simultaneously co-infected with two serotypes. S. enterica was isolated from the Mallard duck, Northern pintail, Eurasian wigeon, Spot-billed duck, Eastern great egret, and Intermediate egret. S. Virchow was resistant to ciprofloxacin, with a point mutation (Ser-83-Phe) in the gyrA gene. Ten virulence genes were detected; sixteen strains were positive for all ten virulence genes. Salmonella was isolated from different migratory bird species and geographic locations with up to 100 % similarity of PFGE type. Eight S. Virchow strains taken from migratory birds, poultry farms, and chicken meat showed the same PFGE type. Salmonella was transmitted across species, space, and time in migratory birds. These birds may play a role in the dispersal of pathogenic and antimicrobial-resistant Salmonella and sporadic Salmonella infections in poultry; therefore, they may represent a direct or indirect public health threat.

Draft Genome Sequences of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica Serovar Berta ATCC 8392 and a Nalidixic Acid-Resistant Isolate of This Strain

Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar Berta has been isolated in multiple animal species and has been implicated in human disease. Here, we report a 4.7-Mbp draft genome sequence of S. enterica serovar Berta (ATCC strain 8392) and a nalidixic acid-resistant isolate derived from this strain.

First total synthesis of hunanamycin A

The first total synthesis of hunanamycin A, an antibiotic natural product with a pyrido[1,2,3-de]quinoxaline-2,3-dione core from a marine-derived Bacillus hunanensis, is disclosed. The present effort provides access to sufficient amounts of scarce hunanamycin A for further biological evaluation and confirmation of the assigned absolute configuration. In addition, four new analogues of the natural product are reported.