TY - JOUR
T1 - Microbial composition and dynamics in environmental samples from a ready-to-eat food production facility with a long-term colonisation of Listeria monocytogenes
AU - Diaz, Maria
AU - Aird, Heather
AU - Le Viet, Thanh
AU - Gutiérrez, Ana Victoria
AU - Larke-Mejia, Nasmille
AU - Omelchenko, Oleksii
AU - Moragues Solanas, Lluis
AU - Fritscher, Joachim
AU - Som, Nicolle
AU - McLauchlin, Jim
AU - Hildebrand, Falk
AU - Jørgensen, Frieda
AU - Gilmour, Matthew
N1 - Data Availability Statement: The datasets supporting the conclusions of this article are available in the NCBI repository, under the BioProjects PRJNA1060911 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/bioproject/PRJNA1060911) and PRJNA1061071 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/bioproject/PRJNA1061071).
Funding information: The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) Institute Strategic Programme Microbes and Food Safety BB/X011011/1 and its constituent project BBS/E/F/000PR13636 (Theme 3, Flexible capabilities to reduce food safety threats and respond to national needs), the Institute Strategic Programme Microbes in the Food Chain BB/R012504/1 and its constituent projects BBS/E/F/000PR10349 (Theme 2, Microbial Survival in the Food Chain) and BBS/E/F/000PR10351 (Theme 3, Microbial Communities in the Food Chain) and the UKRI impact acceleration account project BB/S506679/1. TLV was supported by the Quadram Institute Bioscience BBSRC funded Core Capability Grant (project number BB/CCG2260/1). FH and JF were supported by Earlham Institute Strategic Programme Grant Decoding Biodiversity BBX011089/1 and its constituent work packages BBS/E/ER/230002A and BBS/E/ER/230002B. FH was also supported by European Research Council H2020 StG (erc-stg-948219, EPYC). JF was also supported by the UKRI Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council Norwich Research Park Biosciences Doctoral Training Partnership, BB/T008717/1. LMS was funded by the MRC Doctoral Antimicrobial Research Training (DART) Industrial CASE Programme Project grant number MR/R015937/1. OO was also funded by the FSA - UKRI Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council Norwich Research Park Biosciences Doctoral Training Partnership BB/T008717/1. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish or preparation of the manuscript.
PY - 2024/10/5
Y1 - 2024/10/5
N2 - Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen of significant concern for the food industry due to its remarkable ability to persist through safety control efforts, posing a subsequent health threat to consumers. Understanding the microbial communities coexisting with L. monocytogenes in food processing environments provides insights into its persistence mechanisms. We investigated the microbial communities on non-food contact surfaces in a facility producing ready-to-eat foods, known to harbour a ST121 L. monocytogenes strain over multiple years. A 10-week sampling period was coordinated with the company and public health authorities. Metagenomic analysis revealed a stable microbial composition dominated by Pseudomonas fluorescens. While highly related populations were present in high-care production zones, distinctive taxa characteristic of specific areas were observed (e.g., Sphingomonas aerolata). Although Listeria spp. were not detected in metagenomes, they were detected in cultured samples, suggesting low relative abundance in factory settings. The findings suggest that a stable resident microbiota, with distinct adaptations to different areas within the factory, was selected for by their collective ability to survive control efforts in this environment. Listeria spp. was a member of this microbial community, albeit at low abundance, and may likewise benefit from the mutualism of the overall microbial community.
AB - Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen of significant concern for the food industry due to its remarkable ability to persist through safety control efforts, posing a subsequent health threat to consumers. Understanding the microbial communities coexisting with L. monocytogenes in food processing environments provides insights into its persistence mechanisms. We investigated the microbial communities on non-food contact surfaces in a facility producing ready-to-eat foods, known to harbour a ST121 L. monocytogenes strain over multiple years. A 10-week sampling period was coordinated with the company and public health authorities. Metagenomic analysis revealed a stable microbial composition dominated by Pseudomonas fluorescens. While highly related populations were present in high-care production zones, distinctive taxa characteristic of specific areas were observed (e.g., Sphingomonas aerolata). Although Listeria spp. were not detected in metagenomes, they were detected in cultured samples, suggesting low relative abundance in factory settings. The findings suggest that a stable resident microbiota, with distinct adaptations to different areas within the factory, was selected for by their collective ability to survive control efforts in this environment. Listeria spp. was a member of this microbial community, albeit at low abundance, and may likewise benefit from the mutualism of the overall microbial community.
KW - Food processing environments
KW - Food safety
KW - Listeria monocytogenes
KW - metagenomics
KW - microbial ecology
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85205986798&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.fm.2024.104649
DO - 10.1016/j.fm.2024.104649
M3 - Article
VL - 125
JO - Food Microbiology
JF - Food Microbiology
SN - 0740-0020
M1 - 104649
ER -