Seabirds are often cited as sentinels of the marine environment, but are rarely used in traditional ocean and coastal contaminant monitoring. Four classes of persistent organic pollutants (POPs, n=68) and three trace elements (mercury, selenium, and arsenic) were measured in the eggs of California least terns (Sterna antillarum browni), caspian terns (Hydroprogne caspia), double-crested cormora...

The structure of aquatic food webs has changed dramatically at the global scale. Overfishing, persistent chemical contamination, and the rapid spread of non-indigenous species have caused the loss of the “big fish”—traditional predator species that once formed the basis of the fishing industry. This decline in pelagic diversity, coupled with the effect of invasive species like the zebra mussel,...

Food handlers, an important factor in food quality, may contain bacteria that are able to cause foodborne disease. The present study aimed to research coagulase-negative (CNS) and -positive staphylococci (CPS) in 82 food handlers, analyzing nasal and hand swabs, with identification of 62 CNS (75.6%) and 20 CPS strains (24.4%). Staphylococcal enterotoxins genes were investigated by PCR. In 20 CP...

Nucleic acid aptamers are emerging as useful molecular recognition tools for food safety monitoring. However, practical and technical challenges limit the number and diversity of available aptamer probes that can be incorporated into novel sensing schemes. This work describes the selection of novel DNA aptamers that bind to the important food contaminant ochratoxin A (OTA). Following 15 rounds ...

The intestinal epithelium is a functional and physical barrier formed by cell monolayer that constantly differentiates from stem in the crypt. This first target for food contaminants, especially mycotoxins. Deoxynivalenol (DON) one of most prevalent study compared effects DON (0–100 ?M) on proliferative differentiated epithelial cells. Three viability assays (LDH release, ATP content neutral re...