The emergence of antibiotic resistance in pathogenic bacteria has led to renewed interest in exploring the potential of plant-derived antimicrobials (PDAs) as an alternative therapeutic strategy to combat microbial infections. Historically, plant extracts have been used as a safe, effective, and natural remedy for ailments and diseases in traditional medicine. Extensive research in the last two decades has identified a plethora of PDAs with a wide spectrum of activity against a variety of fungal and bacterial pathogens causing infections in humans and animals. Active components of many plant extracts have been characterized and are commercially available; however, research delineating the mechanistic basis of their antimicrobial action is scanty. This review highlights the potential of various plant-derived compounds to control pathogenic bacteria, especially the diverse effects exerted by plant compounds on various virulence factors that are critical for pathogenicity inside the host. In addition, the potential effect of PDAs on gut microbiota is discussed.

Salmonella enterica is one of the most ubiquitous enteropathogenic bacterial species on earth, and comprises more than 2500 serovars. Widely known for causing non-typhoidal foodborne infections (95%), and enteric (typhoid) fever in humans, Salmonella colonizes almost all warm- and cold-blooded animals, in addition to its extra-animal environmental strongholds. The last few decades have witnessed the emergence of highly virulent and antibiotic-resistant Salmonella, causing greater morbidity and mortality in humans. The emergence of several Salmonella serotypes resistant to multiple antibiotics in food animals underscores a significant food safety hazard. In this review, we discuss the various antibiotic-resistant Salmonella serotypes in food animals and the food supply, factors that contributed to their emergence, their antibiotic resistance mechanisms, the public health implications of their spread through the food supply, and the potential antibiotic alternatives for controlling them.

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ABSTRACTThe efficacies oftrans-cinnamaldehyde (TC) and eugenol (EG) for reducingSalmonella entericaserovar Enteritidis colonization in broiler chickens were investigated. In three experiments for each compound, 1-day-old chicks (n= 75/experiment) were randomly assigned to five treatment groups (n= 15/treatment group): negative control (-veS. Enteritidis, -ve TC, or EG), compound control (-veS. Enteritidis, +ve 0.75% [vol/wt] TC or 1% [vol/wt] EG), positive control (+veS. Enteritidis, -ve TC, or EG), low-dose treatment (+veS. Enteritidis, +ve 0.5% TC, or 0.75% EG), and high-dose treatment (+veS. Enteritidis, +ve 0.75% TC, or 1% EG). On day 0, birds were tested for the presence of any inherentSalmonella(n= 5/experiment). On day 8, birds were inoculated with ∼8.0 log10CFUS. Enteritidis, and cecal colonization byS. Enteritidis was ascertained (n= 10 chicks/experiment) after 24 h (day 9). Six birds from each treatment group were euthanized on days 7 and 10 after inoculation, and cecalS. Enteritidis numbers were determined. TC at 0.5 or 0.75% and EG at 0.75 or 1% consistently reduced (P< 0.05)S. Enteritidis in the cecum (≥3 log10CFU/g) after 10 days of infection in all experiments. Feed intake and body weight were not different for TC treatments (P> 0.05); however, EG supplementation led to significantly lower (P< 0.05) body weights. Follow-upin vitroexperiments revealed that the subinhibitory concentrations (SICs, the concentrations that did not inhibitSalmonellagrowth) of TC and EG reduced the motility and invasive abilities ofS. Enteritidis and downregulated expression of the motility genesflhCandmotAand invasion geneshilA,hilD, andinvF. The results suggest that supplementation with TC and EG through feed can reduceS. Enteritidis colonization in chickens.

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Campylobacter is a leading worldwide cause of foodborne illness associated with consumption of poultry products. Unfortunately, most preharvest treatments fail to reduce this enteric foodborne pathogen in poultry. The efficacy of natural plant extracts, such as thymol and carvacrol, has efficacy against other enteric pathogens but has not been evaluated against Campylobacter. To accomplish this, day old broiler chicks (n = 10 chicks/dose) were fed 0% (controls) or thymol or carvacrol or combinations of these compounds in feed in four different trials. Birds were orally challenged with Campylobacter jejuni at day 3 and at day 10, cecal samples were collected for Campylobacter enumeration. Campylobacter counts were reduced for 0.25% thymol (trial 1), 1% carvacrol or 2% thymol (trial 2) treatments, or a combination of both thymol and carvacrol at 0.5% (trial 3) in this study (P < 0.05). These results support supplementation of these compounds in feed to reduce Campylobacter colonization in chickens. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSCampylobacter is one of the major causes of foodborne enteritis worldwide, and the majority of human campylobacteriosis cases were reported to be associated with improper handling and/or consumption of undercooked poultry . Because poultry are the major contributors for human infections, eliminating or reducing Campylobacter in poultry would greatly reduce the risk of campylobacteriosis in humans. Many strategies have been tried to eliminate Campylobacter with limited success. Considering the increasing consumer demand for natural, safer food products, free from synthetic residues, use of natural compounds with proven antimicrobial efficacy appears to be a promising strategy to control Campylobacter in poultry. In the present study we evaluated the in vivo efficacy of different concentrations and combinations of two natural compounds, thymol and carvacrol, against Campylobacter colonization in broiler chickens. bs_bs_banner Journal of Food Safety

Acinetobacter baumannii is a multidrug resistant pathogen capable of causing a wide spectrum of clinical conditions in humans. Acinetobacter spp. is ubiquitously found in different water sources. Chlorine being the most commonly used disinfectant in water, the study investigated the effect of chlorine on the survival of A. baumannii in water and transcription of genes conferring antibiotic resistance. Eight clinical isolates of A. baumannii, including a fatal meningitis isolate (ATCC 17978) (~108 CFU/mL) were separately exposed to free chlorine concentrations (0.2, 1, 2, 3 and 4 ppm) with a contact time of 30, 60, 90 and 120 second. The surviving pathogen counts at each specified contact time were determined using broth dilution assay. In addition, real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) analysis of the antibiotic resistance genes (efflux pump genes and those encoding resistance to specific antibiotics) of three selected A. baumannii strains following exposure to chlorine was performed. Results revealed that all eight A. baumannii isolates survived the tested chlorine levels during all exposure times (p > 0.05). Additionally, there was an up-regulation of all or some of the antibiotic resistance genes in A. baumannii, indicating a chlorine-associated induction of antibiotic resistance in the pathogen.