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Microorganisms
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Emerging Technologies for Pathogen Detection in Agriculture, Medicine, and Food...
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Emerging Technologies for Pathogen Detection in Agriculture, Medicine, and Food Safety

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2027 | Viewed by 1532

Editors

Prof. Dr. Adriana Calderaro

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
Interests: virology; parasitology; bacteria; molecular diagnosis; MALDI-ToF mass spectrometry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Fangchi Shao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
Interests: antibiotic therapy; antimicrobial resistance; combination therapy; medical diagnostics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Pathogens in agriculture, medicine, and food systems continue to pose significant risks to public health and global sustainability. Rapid, accurate, and scalable detection technologies are essential for preventing outbreaks, managing antimicrobial resistance, and ensuring the safety of food and agricultural products. In recent years, advances in molecular biology, microfluidics, biosensors, and data analytics have transformed pathogen detection, enhancing sensitivity, specificity, and time-to-result while enabling portable, field-deployable diagnostic solutions. These developments support global One Health initiatives by connecting environmental, agricultural, and clinical surveillance systems.

This Special Issue, entitled "Emerging Technologies for Pathogen Detection in Agriculture, Medicine, and Food Safety," aims to present recent advances and innovations in the development, optimization, and application of novel diagnostic technologies for pathogen detection across agricultural, medical, and food safety settings. We welcome original research articles, communications, and comprehensive reviews that bridge engineering innovation with biological insight and real-world implementation. Some of its focal points include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Molecular diagnostics based on isothermal amplification or CRISPR systems;
  • Biosensors and portable point-of-care devices;
  • Microfluidic and lab-on-a-chip systems for rapid pathogen detection;
  • Digital PCR and next-generation sequencing for pathogen profiling;
  • Artificial intelligence and machine learning in diagnostic development;
  • Antimicrobial resistance monitoring and surveillance technologies;
  • Validation, standardization, and translation of detection platforms to field or clinical use.

Reviews, original research, and communications are welcome. 

Prof. Dr. Adriana Calderaro
Guest Editor

Dr. Fangchi Shao
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Microorganisms is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • pathogen detection
  • biosensors
  • microfluidics
  • molecular diagnostics
  • antimicrobial resistance
  • point-of-care testing
  • food safety
  • artificial Intelligence

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 780 KB  
Article
In Vitro Detection of Biologically Active Staphylococcal Enterotoxins Type B and C1 as an Alternative to In Vivo Testing
by Reuven Rasooly and Naomi Balaban
Microorganisms 2026, 14(6), 1383; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms14061383 - 22 Jun 2026
Viewed by 321
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus is a major bacterial pathogen that can cause clinical infections and foodborne illnesses through the production of 25 exotoxin types. The most frequently implicated toxins in food poisoning outbreaks are Staphylococcal enterotoxins type A–E (SEA-SEE), which are the first enterotoxins discovered. [...] Read more.
Staphylococcus aureus is a major bacterial pathogen that can cause clinical infections and foodborne illnesses through the production of 25 exotoxin types. The most frequently implicated toxins in food poisoning outbreaks are Staphylococcal enterotoxins type A–E (SEA-SEE), which are the first enterotoxins discovered. While in vitro detection methods are available to identify the presence of enterotoxins, they cannot distinguish between biologically active and inactive forms of the toxins. Detection of biologically active enterotoxins currently relies on in vivo testing, using the emetic response in kittens or monkeys. Here, we show the development of an in vitro assay to detect the active forms of SEB, a potential biological warfare agent and leading cause of food poisoning, and SEC1, a frequent cause of staphylococcal food poisoning. The novel assay involves the implementation of a genetically engineered Jurkat T-cell line expressing TCR Vβ3, resulting in a dose response of IL-2 production when exposed to active toxin. We also show that at a concentration of 100 ng/mL, the biological activity of SEB is significantly decreased at temperatures over 70 °C, while pasteurization at 63 °C only slightly reduces the biological activity of the toxin. Our studies provide an alternative method to animal testing to determine the presence of active toxins and provide possible inactivation methods of the toxins. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Technologies for Pathogen Detection in Agriculture, Medicine, and Food Safety)
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10 pages, 2816 KB  
Communication
Discrimination of Bacteria Belonging to Bacillus cereus Group at Species Level by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy
by Viviana Manzulli, Miriam Cordovana, Donatella Farina, Marta Caruso, Rosa Fraccalvieri, Luigina Serrecchia, Lorenzo Pace, Valeria Rondinone, Angelica Bianco, Loredana Capozzi, Chiara Ortello, Dora Cipolletta and Domenico Galante
Microorganisms 2026, 14(2), 434; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms14020434 - 12 Feb 2026
Viewed by 732
Abstract
The Bacillus cereus group (B. cereus group) comprises several closely related species that share high genetic similarity but display markedly different phenotypic traits and pathogenic potential. Reliable and rapid discrimination at the species level remains challenging using conventional microbiological and molecular methods. [...] Read more.
The Bacillus cereus group (B. cereus group) comprises several closely related species that share high genetic similarity but display markedly different phenotypic traits and pathogenic potential. Reliable and rapid discrimination at the species level remains challenging using conventional microbiological and molecular methods. In this study, Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was evaluated as a rapid phenotypic approach to differentiate seven members of the Bacillus cereus sensu stricto (B. cereus s.s.), Bacillus anthracis (B. anthracis), Bacillus thuringiensis (B. thuringensis), Bacillus mycoides (B. mycoides), Bacillus toyonensis (B. toyonensis), Bacillus wiedmannii (B. wiedmannii) and Bacillus weihenstephanensis (B. weihenstephanensis). A collection of 190 isolates previously characterized by whole genome sequencing was analyzed using the IR Biotyper system. Spectral data were processed through multivariate analyses, including principal component analysis and linear discriminant analysis, following a hierarchical classification strategy. FTIR spectroscopy enabled clear discrimination of B. anthracis from other members of the B. cereus group and allowed the separation of several additional species based on distinct spectral signatures. A further discrimination step permitted differentiation between B. cereus sensu stricto and B. thuringiensis, with minimal overlap. These findings demonstrate that FTIR spectroscopy represents a promising and rapid tool for species-level discrimination within the B. cereus group. While the results should be considered preliminary for species represented by a limited number of isolates, this approach shows strong potential as a complementary method to molecular techniques in routine diagnostics in food safety and veterinary microbiology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Technologies for Pathogen Detection in Agriculture, Medicine, and Food Safety)
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