Lactococcus garvieae and Lactococcus petauri cause lactococcosis in fish. Both species have also been isolated from various food products and are considered emerging zoonotic pathogens. Here, we report the genomes of L. garvieae INF126 and L. petauri INF110, obtained from traditional Montenegrin brine cheeses.

In many dairy products, Leuconostoc spp. is a natural part of non-starter lactic acid bacteria (NSLAB) accounting for flavor development. However, data on the genomic diversity of Leuconostoc spp. isolates obtained from cheese are still scarce. The focus of this study was the genomic characterization of Leuconostoc spp. obtained from different traditional Montenegrin brine cheeses with the aim to explore their diversity and provide genetic information as a basis for the selection of strains for future cheese production. In 2019, sixteen Leuconostoc spp. isolates were obtained from white brine cheeses from nine different producers located in three municipalities in the northern region of Montenegro. All isolates were identified as Ln. mesenteroides. Classical multilocus sequence tying (MLST) and core genome (cg) MLST revealed a high diversity of the Montenegrin Ln. mesenteroides cheese isolates. All isolates carried genes of the bacteriocin biosynthetic gene clusters, eight out of 16 strains carried the citCDEFG operon, 14 carried butA, and all 16 isolates carried alsS and ilv, genes involved in forming important aromas and flavor compounds. Safety evaluation indicated that isolates carried no pathogenic factors and no virulence factors. In conclusion, Ln. mesenteroides isolates from Montenegrin traditional cheeses displayed a high genetic diversity and were unrelated to strains deposited in GenBank.

Enterococcus faecium is a multifaceted bacterial species. It is part of the natural human microbiota, it grows in a variety of traditional foods, and emerging multiresistant clones are a leading cause of nosocomial infections. Here, we present draft genomes of five E. faecium isolates originating from traditional Montenegrin brine cheeses.

Risk assessment aims at providing structured information for decision making, public health improvement, regulatory actions and research initiatives. The four very distinct steps in the risk assessment process enable risk management and risk communication, and thereby, a functional food safety system. Identification, characterization and assessment of risks demand the application of science-based, accurate and reliable methodologies. Nowadays, several different widely recognized approaches to risk assessment are applied worldwide. Novel omics technologies are benchmarking a new era of pathogen testing, providing much more than just accurate identification. These technologies have now opened the door for a more integrated approach that can enlighten transmission patterns and predictions of the transmission routes. Merging data on virulence, interaction of pathogens with different food matrices and the host, multiple data processing is resulting in reliable and science-based responses to the forthcoming challenges.