RESUMEN
Enterococcus spp. are commensals of the gastrointestinal tracts of humans and animals and colonize a variety of niches such as water, soil, and food. Over the last three decades, enterococci have evolved as opportunistic pathogens, being considered ESKAPE pathogens responsible for hospital-associated infections. Enterococci's ubiquitous nature, excellent adaptative capacity, and ability to acquire virulence and resistance genes make them excellent sentinel proxies for assessing the presence/spread of pathogenic and virulent clones and hazardous determinants across settings of the human-animal-environment triad, allowing for a more comprehensive analysis of the One Health continuum. This review provides an overview of enterococcal fitness and pathogenic traits; the most common clonal complexes identified in clinical, veterinary, food, and environmental sources; as well as the dissemination of pathogenic genomic traits (virulome, resistome, and mobilome) found in high-risk clones worldwide, across the One Health continuum.
RESUMEN
The spread of pathogenic and food spoilage microorganisms through the food chain still faces major mitigation challenges, despite modern advances. Although multiple cleaning and disinfection procedures are available for microbial load reduction in food-related settings, microbes can still remain on surfaces, equipment, or machinery, especially if they have the ability to form biofilms. The present study assessed the biofilm-forming properties of pure and mixed cultures of foodborne and spoilage bacteria (Listeria monocytogenes, Enterococcus faecalis, Aeromonas hydrophila, Brochothrix thermosphacta), using polystyrene and stainless steel contact surfaces. Subsequently, the antimicrobial and antibiofilm properties of Thymus vulgaris and Cymbopogon flexuosus essential oils-EOs-were evaluated against these bacteria. Moreover, in silico prediction of the absorption and toxicity values of the EOs' major constituents was also performed, perceiving the putative application in food-related settings. Overall, biofilm formation was observed for all microbes under study, at different temperatures and both contact surfaces. In polystyrene, at 25 °C, when comparing pure with mixed cultures, the combination Listeria-Aeromonas achieved the highest biofilm biomass. Moreover, at 4 °C, increased biofilm formation was detected in stainless steel. Regarding thyme, this EO showed promising antimicrobial features (especially against A. hydrophila, with a MIC of 0.60 µg/µL) and antibiofilm abilities (MBEC of 110.79 µg/µL against L. monocytogenes, a major concern in food settings). As for lemongrass EO, the highest antimicrobial activity, with a MIC of 0.49 µg/µL, was also observed against L. monocytogenes. Overall, despite promising results, the in situ effectiveness of these essential oils, alone or in combination with other antimicrobial compounds, should be further explored.