Identification of Microorganisms in Food Ecosystems and Characterization of Physical and Molecular Events Involved in Biofilm Development
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IDENTIFICATION OF MICROORGANISMS IN FOOD ECOSYSTEMS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF PHYSICAL AND MOLECULAR EVENTS INVOLVED IN BIOFILM DEVELOPMENT DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Hongliang Luo, M.S. * * * * * The Ohio State University 2005 Dissertation Committee: Dr. Hua Wang, Co-Adviser Approved by Dr. Ahmed Yousef, Co-Adviser Dr. David Min Dr. Mike Mangino Co-Advisers Dr. Joshua Bomser Graduate Program in Food Science and Nutrition ABSTRACT Most foods can be considered as ecosystems containing various microorganisms including pathogenic, spoilage, commensal microbes and fermentation starter cultures. Microbial biofilm ecosystems also form on the surfaces of processing equipment. The interactions among microbes and between microbes and various surfaces play an important role in the persistence and the prevalence of these microbes in the food environment. Diversity of food matrices adds complexity to and directly shapes the composition of the microbiota in these ecosystems. Proper identification and quantification of microbes, evaluation of potential risks in the food ecosystems, and characterization of the physical and molecular events involved in ecosystems, including biofilm development, are among the primary tasks for food microbiologists. The objectives of this study are to develop a rapid detection system for foodborne microorganisms using molecular approaches, to characterize component(s) involved in biofilm development, and to examine the contribution of commensal organisms in ecosystem development and horizontal gene transfer. A real-time PCR system was developed to rapidly detect Alicyclobacillus spp. and Listeria monocytogenes in food. Detection of less than 10 bacterial cells per reaction was achieved within 4-7 hours. CluA, a surface protein related to cell clumping, was found to ii be an important component in the development of Lactococcus lactis biofilm. Biofilm attributes can be disseminated within the ecosystem by conjugation, and a lactococcal strain carrying the intrinsic high frequency gene transfer mechanism could increase the transfer of pAM β1 by 10,000-fold. The study demonstrated, for the first time, that conjugation facilitated biofilm formation in Gram-positive bacteria, and that commensal organisms not only served as a gene pool but also as enhancers facilitating horizontal gene transfer, including the dissemination of the drug resistance genes. Finally, our data showed that commensal organisms, such as Pseudomonas , enhanced mixed-culture biofilm formation involving other microorganisms such as Staphylococcus , suggesting the contribution of commensal organisms in pathogen persistence. The rapid detection system developed in this study, has direct applications in both food industry and basic scientific research. Results from this study advanced the knowledge in biofilm development and gene transfer mechanisms. iii Dedicated to Qingyue Guo, my husband, for his love and support. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to thank my adviser, Dr. Hua Wang, for her advice, encouragement, and intellectual support throughout the four years of my study in her laboratory. I also wish to thank her for many other helps outside the lab, which makes my life at OSU an enjoyable experience. I would like to thank Dr. Ahmed Yousef for his help and advice throughout my Ph.D. degree program. I would also like to thank the rest of my committee, Dr. David Min, Dr. Mike Mangino, and Dr. Joshua Bomser, for providing assistance inside and outside the classroom. Thank you, Kai Wan, Scott Hanna, Chris Connor, Emily Marsh, Mark Lehman, and Michele Manuzon, my labmates! Thanks for your wonderful teamwork and your friendship. I specially would like to thank my family members. Without their help and sacrifice, this work cannot be done. v VITA July 10, 1973………………………. Born - Xiangxiang, Hunan, China 1993……………………………….. B.S. Microbiology, Fudan University, Shanghai, China 1996……………………………….. M.S. Microbiology, Fudan University, Shanghai, China 2001 – present………………………Graduate Research and Teaching Associate, The Ohio State University, United States PUBLICATIONS Peer-reviewed articles: Wang, H.H., Manuzon, M., Lehman, M., Wan, K., Luo, H ., Yousef, A., Wittum, T.E. and Bakaltz, L.O. (2005) Food commensal microbes as a potentially important avenue in transmitting antibiotic resistance genes. FEMS Microbiology Letters (In press). Luo, H. , Wan, K. and Wang, H.H. (2005) High-frequency conjugation system facilitates biofilm formation and pAM β1 transmission by Lactococcus lactis . Applied and Environmental Microbiology 71, 2970-2978. Connor, C.C., Luo, H. , McSpadden-Gardener, B.B. and Wang, H.H. (2005) Development of a real-time PCR-based system targeting the 16S rRNA gene sequence for rapid detection of Alicyclobacillus spp. in juice products. International Journal of Food Microbiology 99, 229-235. Luo, H. , Yousef, A.E. and Wang, H.H. (2004) A real-time polymerase chain reaction- based method for rapid and specific detection of spoilage Alicyclobacillus spp. in apple juice. Letters in Applied Microbiology 39, 376–382. vi Marsh, E.J., Luo, H. and Wang, H.H. (2003) A three-tiered approach to differentiate Listeria monocytogenes biofilm forming abilities. FEMS Microbiology Letters 228 , 203- 210. Luo, H. and Zheng, Z. (1998) Cloning and expression of α-ANP in E. coli and purification of the products. Journal of Fudan University 37 , 428-432. Guo, Z., Chen, H., Luo, H. and Guo, J. (1996) Effect of sterilization using low temperature steam and formaldehyde on citric acid fermentation by Aspergillus niger . Industrial Microbiology 26 , 33-35. Presentations at national conferences: Luo, H . and Wang, H. (2004) Mixed culture ecosystem: a possible surviving mechanism for non-biofilm formers? IFT 2004 annual meeting book of abstract, Las Vegas, NV. Page 268, 99D-30. Wan, K., Luo, H. and Wang, H. (2004) Rapid and specific detection of molds using a real-time Taqman PCR-based system. IFT 2004 annual meeting book of abstract, Las Vegas, NV. Page 253, 99A-29. Luo, H. , Yousef, A. and Wang, H. (2003) Rapid detection of Alicyclobacillus spp . in pure culture and apple juice using real-time PCR. IFT 2003 annual meeting book of abstract, Chicago, IL. Page 256, 104A-15. Connor, C., Luo, H., McSpadden Gardener, B.B. and Wang, H. (2003) Development of a second rapid detection system for Alicyclobacillus spp. using real-time PCR. IFT 2003 annual meeting book of abstract, Chicago, IL. Page 254, 104A-2. Kim, M., Luo, H. and Wang, H. (2003) Detecting Listeria monocytogenes in artificially contaminated meat using a real-time PCR system. IFT 2003 annual meeting book of abstract, Chicago, IL. Page194, 76E-1. Marsh, E., Luo, H. and Wang, H. (2003) Biofilm development in Listeria monocytogenes. IFT 2003 annual meeting book of abstract, Chicago, IL. Page196, 76E-10. vii Luo, H., Yousef, A. and Wang, H. (2002) Developing a rapid detection system for Listeria monocytogenes using real-time PCR. IFT 2002 Annual meeting, Anaheim, CA. Pending patents: Wang, H. , Luo, H. , Wan, K., Connor, C.J., Yousef, A.E., Schwartz, S. (2003) Rapid detection of microorganisms (Pending Patent, Docket Number 22727/04148). FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: Food Science and Nutrition viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract .............................................................................................................................ii Dedication ......................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgments.............................................................................................................. v Vita.................................................................................................................................... .vi List of Tables ...................................................................................................................xii List of Figures.................................................................................................................xiii Chapters 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................. 1 2. Literature review......................................................................................................... 6 2.1 Conventional detection methods for specific microorganisms in foods .............. 6 2.2 Immunoassay........................................................................................................ 7 2.3 Nucleic acid probe based techniques ................................................................. 11 2.4 Conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR)................................................ 13 2.5 Real-time PCR.................................................................................................... 14 2.6 Taqman Real-time PCR ..................................................................................... 17 2.7 Alicycobacillus sp. and juice spoilage................................................................ 19 2.8 Detection of Alicyclobacillus ............................................................................. 21 2.9 Squalene-hopene-catalyse (SHC) in Alicyclobacillus ........................................ 22 2.10 Listeria monocytogenes and food safety.......................................................... 23 2.11 Detection of Listeria monocytogenes ..............................................................