Bongkrekic Acid and Burkholderia gladioli pathovar cocovenenans: Formidable Foe and Ascending Threat to Food Safety

Abstract

Bongkrekic acid (BKA) poisoning, induced by the contamination of Burkholderia gladioli pathovar cocovenenans, has a long-standing history of causing severe outbreaks of foodborne illness. In recent years, it has emerged as a lethal food safety concern, presenting significant challenges to public health. This review article highlights the recent incidents of BKA poisoning and current research discoveries on the pathogenicity of B. gladioli pv. cocovenenans and underlying biochemical mechanisms for BKA synthesis. Moreover, the characterization of B. gladioli pv. cocovenenans and the identification of the bon gene cluster provide a crucial foundation for developing targeted interventions to prevent BKA accumulation in food matrices. The prevalence of the bon gene cluster, which is the determining factor distinguishing B. gladioli pv. cocovenenans from non-pathogenic B. gladioli strains, has been identified in 15% of documented B. gladioli genomes worldwide. This finding suggests that BKA poisoning has the potential to evolve into a more prevalent threat. Although limited, previous research has proved that B. gladioli pv. cocovenenans is capable of producing BKA in diverse environments, emphasizing the possible food safety hazards associated with BKA poisoning. Also, advancements in detection methods of both BKA and B. gladioli pv. cocovenenans hold great promise for mitigating the impact of this foodborne disease. Future studies focusing on reducing the threat raised by this vicious foe is of paramount importance to public health.

The Influence of Technological Shifts in the Food Chain on the Emergence of Foodborne Pathogens: An Overview

“…Several emerging foodborne pathogens have emerged in the past few decades. These include bacteria such as Aeromonas spp., Arcobacter butzleri, Burkholderia gladioli pathovar cocovenenans, Bacillus cereus, Campylobacter spp., Cronobacter spp., Clostridium botulinum, Clostridium difficile, Clostridium perfringens, Helicobacter pylori, Helicobacter pullorum, Helicobacter canadensis, Klebsiella pneumonia, Listeria monocytogenes, Mycobacterium paratuberculosis, Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, Salmonella spp., Shigella spp., Staphylococccus aureus, Streptococcus spp., V. cholera, Vibrio vulnificus, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, and Yersinia enterocolitica; viruses such as adenovirus, astrovirus, hepatitis A, hepatitis E, norovirus, rotavirus and sapovirus; and parasites such as Cryptosporidium, Cyclospora cayetanensis, Taenia spp., Toxoplasma gondii, Trichinella spiralis [1,14,[22][23][24][25][26].…”