Once feared as a deadly intracellular bacterium with the extraordinary capacity to survive a wide array of arduous external stressors, Listeria monocytogenes is increasingly recognized as a preferred vector for delivering anti-infective and anti-cancer vaccine molecules. A reliable, single-source reference on the fundamental aspects of

Revised and updated to reflect the latest research and advances available, Food Biotechnology, Second Edition demonstrates the effect that biotechnology has on food production and processing. It is an authoritative and exhaustive compilation that discusses the bioconversion of raw food materials to processed products, the improvement of food

Completely revised, the new edition of this bestseller incorporates recent findings to present readers with a complete and current overview of foodborne listeriosis, including information on listeriosis in animals and humans, pathogenesis, methods of detection, and subtyping. Two new chapters deal with risk assessment, cost of outbreaks, regulatory control in various countries, and future directions for research. The text covers many high-risk foods including fermented and unfermented dairy products, meat, poultry, fish, seafood, and products of plant origin. This authoritative resource has proven in to be a critical tool for those involved with preventing and curbing outbreaks of this dangerous pathogen.

Molecular typing of foodborne pathogens has become an indispensable tool in epidemiological studies. Thanks to these techniques, we now have a better understanding of the distribution and appearance of bacterial foodborne diseases and have a deeper knowledge of the type of food products associated with the major foodborne pathogens. Within the molecular techniques, DNA-based techniques have prospered for more than 40 years and have been incorporated in the first surveillance systems to monitor bacterial foodborne pathogens in the United States and other countries. However, DNA techniques vary widely and many microbiology laboratory personnel working with food and/or water face the dilemma of which method to incorporate. DNA Methods in Food Safety: Molecular Typing of Foodborne and Waterborne Bacterial Pathogens succinctly reviews more than 25 years of data on a variety of DNA typing techniques, summarizing the different mathematical models for analysis and interpretation of results, and detailing their efficacy in typing different foodborne and waterborne bacterial pathogens, such as Campylobacter, Clostridium perfringens, Listeria, Salmonella, among others. Section I describes the different DNA techniques used in the typing of bacterial foodborne pathogens, whilst Section II deals with the application of these techniques to type the most important bacterial foodborne pathogens. In Section II the emphasis is placed on the pathogen, and each chapter describes some of the most appropriate techniques for typing each bacterial pathogen. The techniques presented in this book are the most significant in the study of the molecular epidemiology of bacterial foodborne pathogens to date. It therefore provides a unique reference for students and professionals in the field of microbiology, food and water safety and epidemiology and molecular epidemiology.

Listeria monocytogenes is an important Gram-positive foodborne pathogen responsible for causing diseases with a high mortality rate in the elderly, pregnant women, neonates, and immunocompromised populations. L. monocytogenes is ubiquitously present in nature and has been isolated from various types of foods. It is especially a challenge in ready-to-eat (RTE) or minimally processed foods that support listerial growth. DNA-based detection and molecular subtyping methods provide important resources for tracking L. monocytogenes contamination throughout the RTE food chain. Combinations of interventions, such as testing and sanitation of food contact surfaces, control of storage temperatures and periods, and use of growth inhibitors in RTE foods that support L. monocytogenes growth are suggested to control L. monocytogenes contamination in the RTE food chain. In addition, a better understanding of the ecology and biology of L. monocytogenes, with a focus on virulence and stress response systems that facilitate transmission through diverse environments encountered by L. monocytogenes, will further facilitate the control of this important foodborne pathogen.

Molecular Typing in Bacterial Infections covers common bacterial pathogenic agents, with the most effective methods for their identification and classification in the light of their specific epidemiology. The book will be a valuable resource for molecular typing of infectious diseases agents encountered in both the research and hospital clinical lab settings, as well as culture collections. Each chapter provides an overview of molecular approaches to typing bacterial pathogens. Part I gives a general overview of typing methods used in the traditional microbiology laboratory in comparison to molecular methods of epidemiology. In Part II, the relative strengths and weaknesses of the different methods applicable to the specific agents of infectious diseases are emphasized. Specific emphasis is placed on recent changes and updates in molecular typing.

The Practical Handbook of Microbiology presents basic knowledge about working with microorganisms in a clear and concise form. It also provides in-depth information on important aspects of the field-from classical microbiology to genomics-in one easily accessible volume.This new edition retains the easy-to-use format of previous editions, with a lo

During the past twenty years Listeria monocytogenes has emerged as one of the most intensely studied bacterial pathogens. New windows are constantly being opened into the complexity of host cell biology and the interplay of the signals connecting the various cells and organs involved in the host response. This volume includes research from studies at the molecular level on the pathogenesis of Listeria monocytogenes and the response of the host to its infections.