Progress 08/01/08 to 07/31/13
Outputs
Target Audience: First generation STEM undergraduate Hispanic students. Changes/Problems: Due to institutional policy, we were unable to create an independent web page for the project. We could only create an imbedded web page that had to be placed in the official web site. This option was not carried out, since the information regarding the project would be difficult to access under these limitations. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Kelibeth Maldonado-Velez’s poster presentation titled, Preliminary Plasmid Screening of Multiplex Antibiotic Resistant strains of Enterococcus faecium Isolated from Puerto Rico’s Farm Lands, was selected for recognition in her session during the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students. June 2012. A faculty member offered acontinual education food safety course.Twenty two participants from Vocational Rehabilitation completed the food safety coursein Ponce, Puerto Rico. August 6, 7, and 13, 2012. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
We carried out our research project and made a poster presentation at the 48th Annual Meeting of the Caribbean Food Crops Society in Mexico, July 2012. The main author (Miguel Díaz-Camacho) was an undergraduate student funded by this grant. The title, abstract and poster presentation are as follows: PLASMID SCREENING AND ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE OF ENTEROCOCCUS SPP. ISOLATED FROM IRRIGATION WATERS IN PUERTO RICO’S FARM LANDS. Miguel Díaz-Camacho, Carolina W-Ng Liu, Wilfredo Colón-Guasp, and Nydia M. Rodríguez-Bonano, School of Science and Technology, Universidad del Este, Carolina, Puerto Rico ABSTRACT: The bacteria are ubiquitous and can be isolated from plants, soil, and water. They have also been reported in raw and processed meats, as well as in fermented foods and dairy products. E. faecium and E. faecalis are the most common species among the Enterococcus genus and are often referred to as the major environmental and food contaminants. These two species are a common cause of community-acquired and food borne related illnesses. Recent reports identified Enterococcus spp. as a fecal contaminant of irrigation waters. Therefore, we decided to analyze the Enterococcus spp. diversity in irrigation waters in several plantain fields in Puerto Rico. In this work, we were able to identify 237 isolates by using Multiplex-PCR. The species identified were E. faecalis, E. faecium, E. casseliflavus, E. avium, E. gallinarum and E. durans. Antibiotic resistance studies were performed for all isolates, testing the MIC of each antibiotic using prepared microtiter plates for susceptibility. Results showed that there was a great variability in antibiotic resistance among the isolates. Plasmid DNA Extraction is currently being study to characterize the plasmid content for each isolate. Agarose Gel Electrophoresis analysis revealed that several E. faecalis and E. faecium isolates possess a pattern with plasmids ranging from 3 to 10 Kb. The identified plasmids have a high copy number and appear to be stable under non-selective pressure conditions. Several of the isolates also have larger low copy number plasmids ranging well above 20 kb. So far, we have not seen a plasmid pattern in any of the E. casseliflavus, E. avium, E. gallinarum or E. durans isolates. These preliminary results showed that some isolates contain plasmids that may be directly related to their antibiotic resistance. This work is in progress and we will explore the possibility that the variability in antibiotic resistance among the isolates is due extrinsically to the presence of a diverse antibiotic resistance plasmid content and not intrinsic chromosomal resistance. Keywords: Multiplex-PCR, Antibiotic Resistance, Enterococcus spp. We carried out our research project and made a poster presentation at the 49th Annual Meeting of the Caribbean Food Crops Society in Trinidad and Tobago, July 2013. The main author (Kelibeth Maldonado-Vélez) was an undergraduate student funded by this grant. The title, abstract, and poster presentation are as follows: PLASMID CONTENT AND PREVALENCE AMONG STRAINS OF ENTEROCOCCUS SPP. ISOLATED FROM IRRIGATION WATERS IN PUERTO RICO. Kelibeth Maldonado-Vélez, Miguel Díaz-Camacho, Patricia Masso, Nydia Rodríguez-Bonano, and Wilfredo Colón-Guasp, School of Science and Technology, Universidad del Este, Carolina, Puerto Rico ABSTRACT: Enterococci isolated from irrigation waters (wells) in the south coast of Puerto Rico were characterized to determine their extrachromosomal DNA content. The species diversity was dominated by E. casseliflavus, E. faecalis, E. faecium, E. avium, E. gallinarum, E. durans and E. solitarius. E. faecalis, and E. faecium and exhibited the highest resistant phenotype and genotype. Among strains of E. faecalis and E. faecium, we observed resistance to tetracycline and ampicillin (MIC > 16 µg/ml for both antibiotics). This high level resistance to both tetracycline and ampicillin may indicate that R-plasmids may be responsible for the trait. DNA extractions were performed to determine the DNA content in the E. faecalis and E. faecium isolates. Our results showed the presence of plasmids and in some cases multiple plasmids contained in a single isolate. Plasmids ranged from 5 kb to >50kb in size. Many of the smaller plasmids are stable and of high copy number, meaning that they can be isolated from culture after prolonged maintenance. Our data suggest that the high stability and frequency of plasmids provide some useful information about gene flux and adaptation of Enterococcus spp. contaminating the water supply in the farm lands in the south coast of Puerto Rico. This project was supported by the grant USDA-NIFA-2008-38422-19236. We carried out our research project and made a poster presentation at the Annual Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, Denver, June 2013. The main author (Kelibeth Maldonado-Vélez) was an undergraduate student funded by this grant. The title, abstract and poster presentation are as follows: PLASMID SCREENING OF MULTIPLE ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANT STRAINS OF ENTEROCOCCUS FAECIUM ISOLATED FROM PUERTO RICO’S FARM LANDS. Kelibeth Maldonado Velez, Miguel Díaz Camacho, Patricia Silva Masso, Wilfredo Colón Guasp, Nydia Rodriguez Bonano, School of Science and Technology, Universidad del Este, Carolina, P.R ABSTRACT: Enterococci can be found in a variety of environments, probably through dissemination in animal excrements, cross-contamination, environmental persistence and irrigation waters coming from farm lands. Enterococci have also been reported in food and dairy products. E. faecium and E. faecalis are the most common species among the Enterococcus genus and are often referred to as environmental and food contaminants. Recent reports show that enterococci isolated from environmental water samples, have acquired unknown patterns of antibiotic resistance. Recently, we identified 186 E. faecium isolates from farms’ irrigation waters using a Multiplex PCR. Antibiotic resistance studies were performed for all E. faecium isolates, testing the MIC for 18 antibiotics using prepared microliter plates. Results showed that there is a great variability in antibiotic resistance among the E. faecium isolates, especially to vancomycin, tetracycline, penicillin and ampicillin. Many of the isolates exhibited resistance to daptomycin, rifampin and oxacillin as well. DNA extractions are currently being performed to each of the isolates. Preliminary results showed the presence of plasmids and in some cases multiple plasmids contained in a single isolate. This may indicate that the variability among them is possibly due to R-plasmids in some of the isolates identified as E. faecium. This work is currently in progress.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2012
Citation:
D�az-Camacho, Miguel, Carolina W-Ng Liu, Wilfredo Col�n-Guasp, and Nydia M. Rodr�guez-Bonano. 2012. PLASMID SCREENING AND ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE OF ENTEROCOCCUS SPP. ISOLATED FROM IRRIGATION WATERS IN PUERTO RICOS FARM LANDS. Proceedings of the Caribbean Food Crops Society. 48:258. 2012.
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Progress 08/01/10 to 07/31/11
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Undergraduate student participation: a. Nineteen Hispanic students completed the course FAES 440 - Food Safety and Protection (HACCP). Sixteen Hispanic students are currently enrolled in the following new food safety courses: BIOL 410 - Public Health And Risk Assessment of Foodborne Diseases and FAES 435 - Pre- and Post- Harvest Food Safety, b. Two Hispanic students are participating in a food safety research project. c. Three Hispanic students completed a summer internship at the USDA-FSIS in Puerto Rico. d.Two undergraduate students have declared a minor in food safety. Number of activities/events,conferences. a. One poster presentation on food safety research at the 47th Annual Meeting of the Food Crops Society b. One poster presentation on food safety research at the Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium at UNE. c. One poster presentation on the food safety internship experience at the Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium at UNE. d. One faculty member participated in the International Food Safety Conference in Chicago, Illinois. Number of courses, credit/course, curriculum units, workshops a. Six new food safety courses were created. b. Two food safety courses were updated and revised. c. A new professional certificate program on food safety was developed. d. A new minor on food safety was developed. Changes in the institution and the students (what was the % or # of Hispanics and underrepresented students benefiting from the project) a. Fourteen percent of the Hispanic students population (n=271) enrolled in the Bachelors of Science Program in the School of Science and Technology. PARTICIPANTS: Collaborator: Dr. Carlos A. Diaz, Front Line Supervisor, Carolina Circuit, USDA-FSIS, Atlanta District Office. Professional Development: PI Completed a Short Course on the subject of Food Safety Microbiology. 6th International Conference for Food Safety and Quality. November 7, 2011. Chicago Illinois TARGET AUDIENCES: Undergraduate STEM students. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
The following modified and new courses were approved by the institutional governing bodies as those required in order to complete a minor or professional certificate in food safety. BIOL 383. Food Microbiology, 3 Credits. Revised and modified FAES 440. Food Safety and Protection (HACCP), 3 Credits. Revised and modified BIOL 410. Public Health And Risk Assessment of Foodborne Diseases, 3 Credits. New BIOL 420. Microbiological Hazards In Food Safety And Quality Control. 3 Credits. New FAES 425. Good Manufacturing Practices - GMP, 3 Credits. New FAES 435. Pre- and Post- Harvest Food Safety, 3 Credits. New FAES 445. Special Topics in Food Safety Seminar, 1 Credit. New CHEM 400. Food Safety Toxicology, 3 Credits. New During the 2010 and 2011 Fall semesters we started offering the first course of the minor, FAES 440 - Food Safety and Protection (HACCP). During the 2012 Spring semester we programmed for the first time the course, FAES 435 - Pre- and Post- Harvest Food Safety. We also carried out telephone interviews with the student that had taken the course FAES 440 - Food Safety and Protection (HACCP) during the 2010 and 2011 Fall semesters to ascertain their experience in the course and their future plans. All interviewees (n=5) responded that they had a great experience during the course and that all of their expectations was met (40% Good and 60% Very Good). As part of our efforts to diversify our funding sources for developing our food safety program, we submitted a proposal on food safety and protection to the Department of Homeland Security. The grant titled, Department of Homeland Security Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics' Scholars at Universidad del Este (DHS-STEM SCHOLARS AT UNE), Grant Award #2010-ST-062-000035 was approved for a total of $600,000 for 5 years. During the summer of 2011 we established with the USDA, FSIS, Atlanta Distric, the Student Volunteer Program. Three undergraduate students participated in the program with the FSIS office in Puerto Rico. The program lasted 8 weeks from May 30, 2011 to July 22, 2011. The participants were able to have a student experiential learning activity, where they had the opportunity to gain knowledge on how the federal agencies (USDA-FSIS) fulfill the goals of protecting the US food supply in order to prevent Foodborne illness.
Publications
- Abstract of poster presentation at 47th Annual Meeting of the Caribbean Food Crops Society in Barbados, July 2011.
- MULTIPLEX-PCR IDENTIFICATION AND ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE OF ENTEROCOCCUS SPP. ISOLATED FROM CONTAMINATED RECREATIONAL WATERS NEAR FARM LANDS IN PUERTO RICO 2011
- Miguel Diaz-Camacho, Luis Lebron-Marrero, Karla Casillas-Pagan, Carol Diaz-Diaz, Wilfredo Colon-Guasp and Nydia M. Rodriguez-Bonano, School of Science and Technology, Universidad del Este, P.O. Box 2010, Carolina, PR 00984-2010; Contact person: nrodrigu@suagm.edu 2011
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Progress 08/01/09 to 07/31/10
Outputs
During this past year we worked on the proposal for establishing the minor at our institution. We finished developing six (6) new courses. This process incorporated various faculty members. The proposal was reviewed favorably by our School's academic committee. The proposal will be submitted to the university's academic council for their review and approval. We also carried out a survey among our students and our results showed that a lot of our students are interested in pursuing a minor in food safety. The survey was also used as a dissemination tool of our program among our student body. Three (3) faculty members participated in the 2010 Food Safety Education Conference. We presented a poster at the 46th Annual Meeting of the Caribbean Food Crops Society, Dominican Republic July 11-17, 2010 titled Promoting Food Safety Among Undergraduate Students. As an indirect activity we created three continual education courses in HACCP. ServSafe, and Good Manufacturing Practices. We also filmed a 30 minute segment on food safety in tomato from the farm to the table. This segment was aired on our PBS affiliated TV Station. We also submitted a proposal for funding STEM students on Food Defense to the Department of Homeland Security. PRODUCTS: We programmed our first course of the minor in food safety, FAES 440 - Food Safety and Protection (HACCP). We created all the syllabi of the new courses for this minor, these are: Good Manufacturing Practices, 3 credits Public Health and Risk Assessment of Food borne Disease, 3 credits Pre and Post Harvest Food Safety, 3 credits Microbial Food Safety Hazards and Quality Control, 4 credits Special Topics in Food Safety Seminar, 1 credit Food Safety Toxicology, 4 credits OUTCOMES: We finished developing the proposal for establishing the minor that will be submitted to the University's Academic Council in September. The new minor should be approved by the end of this fall semester. DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: With our external evaluator (Center for Evaluation and Sociomedical Reseach at the Graduate School of Public Health, University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus) we carried out a survey among the undergraduate students. The primary objectives of this survey were to explore student's participation in activities sponsored by the School of Sciences and Technology, and to assess student's interest to pursue a minor degree in food safety and to participate in research projects in order to create and design a curriculum, programs, and materials for training as a professional in this area. Evaluation data was gathered through a self administered survey consisting of questions targeting participation in activities, interest to pursue a minor degree and to participate of a research project regarding food safety. A total of 171 students from the UNE School of Science and Technology participated in completing this survey. Overall, students had not participated of the activities sponsored by the School of Science and Technology. However, the majority of the participants demonstrated interest in obtaining a minor degree in food safety and participating in research projects addressing the topic as part of their academic preparation. Furthermore, students demonstrated high levels of awareness with the term food safety. In addition, more than half of the participants suggested that a minor degree in this area would provide better employment opportunities. FUTURE INITIATIVES: We will be developing our research plan. Our focus will be on microbial water quality used in agricultural production systems.
Impacts
Once this project is fully operational we will be contributing in the development of the workforce that can take leadership roles in food and agriculture related positions.
Publications
- Colon-Guasp, W., N. M. Rodriguez-Bonano, M.E. Perez-Velez and R. Goytia-Colon. 2010. Promoting Food Safety Among Undergraduate Students (Abstract) 46th Annual Meeting of the Caribbean Food Crops Society, Dominican Republic July 11-17, 2010
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Progress 08/01/08 to 07/31/09
Outputs
During the month of June 2009 we worked on achieving the following objectives: 1. Design a minor in Food Safety 2. Develop bilingual food safety courses for undergraduate STEM majors seeking a minor in food safety at UNE. 3. Prepare a draft of the syllabi of each course. 4. Advance faculty development in food safety research issues. 5. Prepare a draft of the Food Safety Research Plan. 6. Concluded a study on undergraduate student perception on food safety. PRODUCTS: Our major product is the bilingual minor in food safety. That is, the courses, pre-requisites, and course schedule. We will begin offering our first food safety course in January fo 2010. OUTCOMES: We established the Caribbean Food Safety Research Center. The mission of the Caribbean Food Safety Research Center is dedicated to human capacity building at the higher and continual education level. The CFSRC also carries out applied research aimed at contributing to the food safety issues that occur from the farm to the table. The vision of the Caribbean Food Safety Research Center will be known for its excellence and dedication to human capacity building of food safety related professionals and sustainable research projects. The CFSRC is located in the School of Science and Technology at the Universidad del Este (www.suagm.edu/une) main campus in Carolina, Puerto Rico. The CFSRC has a fully equipped 750 ft2 research lab. This campus is located within the San Juan metropolitan area which has a combined population of over one million people. DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: We disseminated information regarding this project at the Annual Meeting of he Caribbean Food Crops Society, St. Kitts and Nevis, July 12-17, 2009. We also organized a information session for undergraduate students interested in the program. We visited the CDC in Atlanta, the Center for Food Safety of the University of Georgia in Griffin, and the USDA-FSIS Food Safety Lab in Athens, Georgia. During these visit we shared our project with the directors and scientist staff at these sites. We meet with the local USDA-FSIS staff in Puerto Rico and shared with them the objectives of our project. FUTURE INITIATIVES: We will submit for approval the new minor in Food Safety to the institutional committees in our university. We will program the first food safety course in January of 2010. We will begin our first undergraduate research projects in January 2010. We will continue our efforts in developing the Caribbean Food Safety Research Center.
Impacts
The CFSRC Project Director is Dr. Wilfredo Colon, Dean and Professor. Other participating faculty is, Dr. Nydia Rodriguez, Associate Professor in Microbiology, Dr. Mariel Perez, Assistant Professor in Microbiology, and Mrs. Rita Goytia, Consultant in Environmental Health. The activities programmed for the CFSRC are divided in 3 areas, these are: 1. The Academic Component: Through a grant from the grant, Development of a Bilingual Minor in Food Safety (USDA Award No. 2008-38422-19236) we will be developing a Bilingual Minor in Food Safety. 2. The Research Component: Through a grant from the Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (Grant no. C76HF05760) we established a 750 ft2 food safety research laboratory. The CFSRC research areas will be Microbial Genetics and Resistance to Antibiotics; Food Allergens and Detection of Microbial Pathogens using Molecular Techniques, and Chemical Water Quality. In addition to the infrastructure grant, the USDA grant (Award No. 2008-38422-19236) provides funds so undergraduate students can carry out research projects under the mentorship of the participating faculty. 3. The Extension Component: We developed an extension component to provide human capacity development in food safety issues to food and health related professionals from Puerto Rico, the Caribbean and Latin America. Another important objective is to educate and integrate the retail food industry in food safety issues in order to contribute to its economical stability.
Publications
- (ABSTRACT) UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT PERCEPTION OF FOOD SAFETY Wilfredo Colon, Nydia Rodriguez and Mariel Perez, School of Science and Technology, Universidad del Este, Puerto Rico. Presented at the 45th Annual Meeting of he Caribbean Food Crops Society, St. Kitts and Nevis, July 12-17, 2009
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