In these two papers we focused on biofilms in breweries. We identified potential biofilm hotspots in the beer can filling production line and used near-infrared spectroscopy with ultracompact spectrometer technology for inline biofilm monitoring.

Title: "The presence of microbial contamination and biofilms at a beer can filling production line." Link to the paper

Title: "Inline Biofilm Monitoring based on NIR Spectroscopy with Ultra-Compact Spectrometer Technology." Link to the paper

Our new publication focuses on Listeria monocytogenes of sequence type 155. We characterized the genome and virulence potential of ST155 strains and detected a longer PrfA variant resulting in a non virulent phenotype.

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-020-07263-w

In this paper, published in the “International Journal of Food Microbiology”, we identified biofilm hotspots in a meat processing environment. We detected multi-species biofilms composed of spoilage bacteria in 9.3 % sites.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2020.108668

Press

We welcome Antonio Lourenço, who has arrived through a Marie Curie Skłodowska Fellowship. His research will focus on biofilms in dairies.

Eva Wagner (former Harter) defended her PhD thesis entitled “The role of hypervariable genetic hotspots in stress response and virulence of Listeria monocytogenes.” with excellent success. Congratulations- we are very proud of you.

In this paper, published in “Frontiers in Microbiology”, we describe the role of novel internalins in the pathogenicity of the quargel cheese outbreak Listeria monocytogenes strain, which was responsible for 14 listeriosis cases including 5 fatalities.
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2019.01644/full

We welcome Sarah Thalguter in our team. She will support the research activities on antibiotic resistance in frame of the COMBIS project, which is incorporated in the Austrian competence centre FFoQSI.

Kathrin Rychli received the Dr. Hermann-Zittmayr-Award for her scientific research on Listeria monocytogenes in frame of the 73^rd day of the cooperative association of Upper Austria.

Eva Harter has presented our research on Listeria monocytogenes and stress response on the science radio program of radio NJOY in frame of the Pitch-Challenge-2018.

http://wien.njoyradio.at/podcasts/

The first paper describes a longitudinal study of dairy farms and mastitis isolates with their antibiotic resistance profile in Upper Austria and was published in the Berliner und Münchener Tierärztliche Wochenschrift (https://vetline.de/veterinary-health-service-in-upper-austria-dairy-farms-and-bovine-quarter-milk-sample-analysis-from-2011-to-2014-an-overview/150/3130/109475).

In the second paper, published in the journal of Veterinary Microbiology, we investigated the relationship between mastitis severity, the occurring pathogen and the antibiotic resistant profile investigating 3020 quarter milk samples from 647 dairy cows on 166 Austrian farms, sampled over a one-year period (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetmic.2018.10.024).

This paper describes the potential use of two antimicrobial compounds gentisaldehyde and 2,3-dihydroxybenzaldehyde as antiseptics to prevent bovine mastitis and to reduce the use of antibiotics in dairy cows.

Link

The foodborne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes is able to survive a variety of stress conditions leading to the colonization of different niches like the food processing environment. In this study we characterized a new stress survival islet (SSI-2), being involved in survival under alkaline and oxidative stress conditions, which are routinely encountered in food processing environments. SSI-2 is predominately present in strains of sequence type 121, which are highly abundant and known to persist in food processing environments.

Publication

Press release Vetmeduni Vienna 

Press release APA

Press release derstandard

Luminita Ciolacu won the “Wirtschaftskammerpreis 2017” with the project entitled “The influence of food on the virulence of Listeria monocytogenes”. Congratulations!

Luminita Ciolacu (selected talk) and Eva Harter (poster) have successfully presented our work at the FEMS 2017 congress in Valencia, Spain, the greatest microbiology congress in Europe with 2700 delegates. 

In this study we investigated effect of butyrate ranging from low to high, potentially toxic concentrations on biomass and antimicrobial activity of the fungus Penicillium restrictum. Butyrate at high concentrations significantly reduced the fungal biomass, whereas at low concentration we detected high antimicrobial activity. We isolated three antimicrobial active compounds, active against Staphylococcus aureus from P. restrictum cell extract: adenine, hypoxanthine and adenosine. Furthermore we found that butyrate influences the intracellular level of the adenine nucleoside derivate cAMP, an important signalling molecule in fungi and various organisms.

Link to paper

Kathrin Rychli received the “Microbial Genomics Most Promising Science Prize” for the presentation of the poster: “ Listeria monocytogenes of sequence type 121 harbor specific adaptations supporting persistence in food production plant” at the Conference “Problems of Listeriosis ISOPOL XIX, in Paris, France.

Kathrin Rychli received the Award for the” Best Young Scientist of the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, 2015. Category: third-part funding, non-clinical.

Kathrin Rychli received funding for the project: “Hypervariable genetic hotspots in Listeria monocytogenes: The role of the hotspot lmo0443-lmo0449 in stress response and virulence.”