and spp.: From Food Spoilage to Beneficial Food Applications.

The genera and comprise thermophilic, spore-forming bacteria. The extraordinary heat resistance of their spores, together with their ability to form biofilms and produce thermostable enzymes, makes them a relevant cause of spoilage in shelf-stable, heat-treated products like dairy and canned foods. However, these same biological traits offer valuable opportunities for the food industry.

Occurrence and Molecular Characterization of spp. in Swine Farms in Northeastern Spain.

spp. are protozoan parasites that cause cryptosporidiosis, an enteric disease that can affect a wide range of vertebrate hosts. Pigs play a potential role in the transmission of spp.

Germination and Heat Resistance of and spp. Spores.

and spores are major spoilage agents in thermally treated, shelf-stable foods, particularly milk products, due to their high heat resistance. This study aimed to investigate how spore purification, maturation time, and sporulation temperature influence the germination and heat resistance of , , and spores, with the goal of improving the reliability of microbial risk assessment. All three species germinate efficiently in milk, likely triggered by lactose and glucose.

Sporulation at reduced water activity impairs germination kinetics of spores.

While the effect of sporulation temperature on spore germination has been extensively studied, the effect of other relevant environmental factors such as water activity () has been overlooked, despite the fact that sporulation niches with lower humidity than ideal culture media, such as soil, are common in nature. In this work, we characterized the germination kinetics of 168 spores produced at reduced (0.98) using either glycerol (S spores) or NaCl (S spores) in comparison to spores prepared under optimal conditions (S spores, ~0.

Variability in infection dynamics emerges from the interplay between unique host and pathogen characteristics.

Variation in infection dynamics across host species can profoundly influence parasite epidemiology, ecology, and evolution. However, because experiments involving multiple hosts and multiple parasite species that capture the full infection dynamics within hosts are rare, the underlying mechanisms of host heterogeneity effects across different parasite species remain largely unknown. We dissected the specific roles of host and pathogen effects in shaping within-host infection dynamics using a model system comprising three coexisting rodent species from Israel's northwestern Negev Desert and their predominant bacterial pathogens, Bartonella krasnovii A2 and Mycoplasma haemomuris-like bacterium.

Post-vaccination evaluation of an erysipelas/parvovirus bivalent vaccine administered to sows during lactation on follicular development and piglet growth.

Vaccines against (ER) and porcine parvovirus (PPV) are employed in sow farms worldwide. This study evaluated the impact of administering a bivalent ER/PPV vaccine during lactation. Multiparous sows ( = 83) of two different farms (A (herd size 900 sows) and B (1000 sows)) were allocated in two different groups: 1) sows inoculated with saline solution (non-vaccinated group); 2) sows inoculated with the bivalent vaccine against ER/PPV (vaccinated group).

Seroepidemiological study of Leishmania infantum, Toxoplasma gondii and Dirofilaria immitis in pet ferrets (Mustela putorius furo) in Spain.

Ferrets are susceptible to infections with Leishmania infantum, Toxoplasma gondii, and Dirofilaria immitis; however, epidemiological data on these infections are limited in Europe. A total of 448 serum samples from household ferrets were collected between December 2019 and December 2023 in Spain. In this study, we assessed the seroprevalence of L.

Influence of Sporulation Temperature on Germination and Growth of Strains in Specific Nutrients and in an Extended Shelf-Life Refrigerated Matrix Under Commercial Pasteurization and Storage Conditions.

Extended shelf-life (ESL) refrigerated ready-to-eat foods are thermally pasteurized to ensure food safety and stability. However, surviving psychrotrophic spores can still pose a challenge. Studies predicting their behavior often overlook sporulation conditions.

Detection and subtyping of influenza A virus in porcine clinical samples from Spain in 2020.

A total of 1019 samples collected on 726 Spanish swine farms suffering from outbreaks of respiratory disease were screened for influenza A viruses (IAVs) using a RT-qPCR method. A subset of positive samples was further analyzed using a subtype-specific RT-qPCR method (n: 142) and Sanger sequencing (n: 64). A total of 19.

Black Truffle Aroma Evaluation: SPME-GC-MS vs. Sensory Experts.

Nowadays, the truffle aroma attribute is not included as a quality parameter in the current recommendation that explains the truffle quality (UNECE standard 53 FFV3) and establishes the truffle commercial categories. However, the aroma is the main reason why truffles are worldwide appreciated. Indeed, more than 30 aromatic molecules compose it, and this is the reason why the human evaluation and identification of these odorants, without previous training, is quite subjective.

Impact of sporulation temperature on germination of Bacillus subtilis spores under optimal and adverse environmental conditions.

Bacillus subtilis spores are important food spoilage agents and are occasionally involved in food poisoning. In foods that are not processed with intense heat, such bacterial spores are controlled by a combination of different hurdles, such as refrigeration, acidification, and low water activity (a), which inhibit or delay germination and/or growth. Sporulation temperature has long been regarded as a relevant factor for the assessment of germination in chemically defined media, but little is known about its impact on food preservation environments.

New Insights into Endogenous Retrovirus-K Transcripts in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

Retroviral reverse transcriptase activity and the increased expression of human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We were interested in confirming overexpression in the ALS brain, its use as an accessory diagnostic marker for ALS, and its potential interplay with neuroinflammation. Using qPCR to analyze expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and in postmortem brain samples from ALS patients, no significant differences were observed between patients and control subjects.

Nurturing a Respectful Connection: Exploring the Relationship between University Educators and Students in a Spanish Veterinary Faculty.

The respect of the teacher for the student is essential for effective teaching from the perspective of the students, even in comparison to the knowledge and communication capacity of the teacher. Consequently, the optimal development of this characteristic fosters a more effective and efficient student-teacher relationship. We initiated this research following a conversation with a group of university students, who expressed their discontent regarding the lack of respect shown towards them by some teachers.

Assessing consumers' preferences for beef and lamb meat linked to wildfire prevention services.

Meat from silvopastoral systems, due to its provision of numerous ecosystem services such as wildfire risk reduction in Mediterranean forests, can address societal growing demands for meat produced with lower environmental impacts. Differentiation of meat from these systems may contribute to their economic sustainability and hence to reverse their decline in the Mediterranean. This study investigated consumer preferences and willingness-to-pay (WTP) for beef and lamb meat from silvopastoral systems associated to the provision of wildfire prevention service and explored two alternative ways of labelling this service.

Comparative study on the impact of equally stressful environmental sporulation conditions on thermal inactivation kinetics of B. subtilis spores.

Control of bacterial spores continues to be one of the main challenges for the food industry due to their wide dissemination and extremely high resistance to processing methods. Furthermore, the large variability in heat resistance in spores that contaminate foods makes it difficult to establish general processing conditions. Such heterogeneity not only derives from inherent differences among species and strains, but also from differences in sporulation environments that are generally ignored in spores encountered in foods.

Pulsed electric field processing as an alternative to sulfites (SO) for controlling saccharomyces cerevisiae involved in the fermentation of Chardonnay white wine.

The use of sulfites (SO) for microbial control in the winemaking process is currently being questioned due to its potential toxicity. Pulsed Electric Fields (PEF) are capable of inactivating microorganisms at low temperatures, thus avoiding the negative effects of heat on food properties. In this study, the capacity of PEF technology for the decontamination of yeasts involved in the fermentation process of Chardonnay wine from a winery was evaluated.

Evaluation of an immunochromatographic serologic test to detect the presence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in cats.

Background: Toxoplasmosis is a protozoan disease caused by Toxoplasma gondii. Different T. gondii confirmatory techniques, including serologic methods, are available to detect the presence of the parasite.

Hurdle Technology Approach to Control Using Rhamnolipid Biosurfactant.

This study evaluates the combination of mild heat with a natural surfactant for the inactivation of Scott A in low-water-activity (a) model systems. Glycerol or NaCl was used to reduce the a to 0.92, and different concentrations of rhamnolipid (RL) biosurfactant were added before heat treatment (60 °C, 5 min).

Isolation and characterization of feline dental pulp stem cells.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to isolate feline dental pulp stem cells (fDPSCs) and characterize their clonogenic and proliferative abilities, as well as their multipotency, immunophenotype and cytogenetic stability.

Methods: Dental pulp was isolated by explant culture from two cats <1 year old at post mortem. Their clonogenicity was characterized using a colony-forming unit fibroblast assay, and their proliferative ability was quantified with a doubling time assay in passages 2, 4 and 6 (P, P and P, respectively).

Dynamics of high hydrostatic pressure resistance development in RpoS-deficient Escherichia coli.

High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) treatment is one of the most widely accepted non-thermal food processing methods, but HHP-resistance development in pathogenic or spoilage bacteria might compromise the safety and stability of HHP-treated foods. Charting the possible routes and mechanisms of HHP resistance development in foodborne bacteria is therefore essential to anticipate or prevent the appearance of resistant variants. While upregulation of the RpoS-governed general stress response is a well-established route for increased HHP resistance in Escherichia coli, previous work revealed that mutations causing attenuated cAMP/CRP activity or aggregation-prone TnaA variants can evolve to overcome the HHP-hypersensitivity of an E.

and Co-Infections with Other Major Pathogens Causing Abortion in Small Ruminant Flocks in the Iberian Peninsula.

Coxiella burnetii is an intracellular bacterium causing human Q fever and reproductive disorders in domestic ruminants. We analyzed the occurrence of C. burnetii and co-infections with six other major pathogens causing abortion in sheep (1242 cases) and goat (371 cases) flocks from Spain and Portugal.

Preferences and acceptance of Czech and Spanish consumers regarding beef with varying intramuscular fat content.

Understanding the factors affecting meat eating quality and consumer demand is essential for estimating future trends in meat consumption. The objective of the study was therefore to compare Czech and Spanish consumer attitudes and preferences in relation to beef intramuscular fat content. Three hundred and one consumers participated in the study; they completed a sociodemographic questionnaire and evaluated grilled beef samples of three varying intramuscular fat contents (low, medium, high).