Funding tool: Basic research projects
Project-ID: LS13-006
Project start: 01. Oktober 2014
Project end: will follow
Runtime: 36 months / finished
Funding amount: € 247.000,00

Brief summary:

Foodborne diseases are still a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Fast, sensitive and reliable detection of pathogens is essential for ensuring high-quality food and thus the prevention of foodborne diseases. Conventional methods for enrichment, isolation and identification of foodborne pathogens are based on cultivation. However, in case of Y. enterocolitica there is strong scientific evidence that performance of the conventional methods is sub-opimal. In fact, European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published a scientific opinion on monitoring and identification of human enteropathogenic Yersinia spp. with recommendation that “efforts should be made at EU level to improve the current isolation methods for Y. enterocolitica and to develop a better and standardized Y. pseudotuberculosis isolation medium”.
Our hypothesis is that the enrichment, and consequently, the detection efficiency of Yersinia spp. is significantly affected by native microflora present in the foodstuffs. Accordingly, we propose that better understanding of the natural microflora composition and microbial ecology of the enrichment process will provide valuable basis for the development of more efficient enrichment/detection methods.
The aim of proposed project is to explore the effects of native food microflora on the enrichment efficiency and detection probability of Yersinia spp. For this purpose both microbiological (i.e. cultivation-based) and molecular (sequencing, qPCR) approaches will be utilized. Enrichment efficiency of spiked Yersinia spp. will be monitored in a range of food matrices that are know to be potential source of Yersinia spp. outbreaks. Most and least inhibitory food matrices will be identified and innate microbial communities of these matrices will be characterized using high-throughput sequencing technology. Furthermore, the temporal dynamics of enrichment process in naturally contaminated samples will be monitored.
The obtained insight into Yersinia spp. enrichment process will provide valuable basis for required development of improved detection methods. Consequently, this will ensure safer food and reduced risk of foodborne disease outbreaks. Furthermore, in scope of this project developed novel research tools (e.g. labeled Yersinia spp. strains, high throughput sequencing protocols) will be valuable for pursue of other related research questions.

Keywords:
Y. enterocolitica, Y. pseudotuberculosis, food safety, microbial ecology, microflora