Jasna Kovac
Lester Earl and Veronica Casida Career Development Professor of Food Safety; Assistant Professor of Food Science

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437 Rodney A. Erickson Food Science
University Park, PA - She/Her
- jzk303@psu.edu
- 814-865-2883
Research Summary
Integrating epidemiological, microbiological, molecular and omics methods to better understand microbial pathogenic potential, antimicrobial resistance, and epidemiology of foodborne pathogens.
Huck Graduate Students
Huck Affiliations
- One Health Microbiome Center
- Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Biosciences
- Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics
- Bioinformatics and Genomics
Links
Publication Tags
These publication tags are generated from the output of this researcher. Click any tag below to view other Huck researchers working on the same topic.
Bacillus Cereus Genes Genome Phenotype Food Genotype Phylogeny Gene Food Microbiology Dairies Ethiopia Bacteriology Anthrax Dairy Products Antibiotics Virulence Milk Cytotoxicity Enterotoxins Microbiota Emetics Nucleotides Anti Bacterial Agents Listeria Monocytogenes MicrobiomeMost Recent Publications
Prevalence of Campylobacter species and associated risk factors for contamination of dairy products collected in a dry season from major milk sheds in Ethiopia
Abera Admasie, Adane Eshetu, Tesfaye Sisay Tessema, Jessie Vipham, Jasna Kovac, Ashagrie Zewdu, 2023, Food Microbiology
Evaluation of microbial hygiene indicators in raw milk, pasteurised milk and cottage cheese collected across the dairy value chain in Ethiopia
Betelhem Mengstu, Alganesh Tola, Henok Nahusenay, Tesfaye Sisay, Jasna Kovac, Jessie Vipham, Ashagrie Zewdu, 2023, International Dairy Journal
Short-Term Tomato Consumption Alters the Pig Gut Microbiome toward a More Favorable Profile
Mallory L. Goggans, Emma A. Bilbrey, Cristian D. Quiroz-Moreno, David M. Francis, Sheila K. Jacobi, Jasna Kovac, Jessica L. Cooperstone, 2022, Microbiology spectrum
Laboratory Misidentifications Resulting from Taxonomic Changes to Bacillus cereus Group Species, 2018–2022
Laura M. Carroll, Itumeleng Matle, Jasna Kovac, Rachel A. Cheng, Martin Wiedmann, 2022, Emerging Infectious Diseases on p. 1877-1881
Recent paradigm shifts in the perception of the role of Bacillus thuringiensis in foodborne disease
Michael Biggel, Nadja Jessberger, Jasna Kovac, Sophia Johler, 2022, Food Microbiology
Strains Associated with Two 2020 Welder Anthrax Cases in the United States Belong to Separate Lineages within Bacillus cereus sensu lato
Laura M. Carroll, Chung K. Marston, Cari B. Kolton, Christopher A. Gulvik, Jay E. Gee, Zachary P. Weiner, Jasna Kovac, 2022, Pathogens
Ability of Two Strains of Lactic Acid Bacteria to Inhibit Listeria monocytogenes by Spot Inoculation and in an Environmental Microbiome Context
Priscilla Sinclair, M. Laura Rolon, Jingzhang Feng, A Padín-López, Adrian Lopez, Luke LaBorde, Jasna Kovac, 2022, Microbiology spectrum on p. 20
Regulation of Enterotoxins Associated with Bacillus cereus Sensu Lato Toxicoinfection
Cassidy Prince, Jasna Kovac, 2022, Applied and Environmental Microbiology
Editorial: Functional Diversity of Aquatic Microorganisms and Their Roles in Water Quality
Jingqiu Liao, Daniel L. Weller, Jasna Kovac, Yi Huang, 2022, Frontiers in Water
Comparative Analysis of Bacillus cereus Group Isolates' Resistance Using Disk Diffusion and Broth Microdilution and the Correlation between Antimicrobial Resistance Phenotypes and Genotypes
Emma Mills, Erin Sullivan, Jasna Kovac, 2022, Applied and Environmental Microbiology
Most-Cited Papers
Bacillus wiedmannii sp. nov., a psychrotolerant and cytotoxic bacillus cereus group species isolated from dairy foods and dairy environments
Rachel A. Miller, Sarah M. Beno, David J. Kent, Laura M. Carroll, Nicole H. Martin, Kathryn J. Boor, Jasna Kovac, 2016, International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology on p. 4744-4753
Antibiotic resistance modulation and modes of action of (-)-α-Pinene in Campylobacter jejuni
Jasna Kovač, Katarina Šimunović, Zuowei Wu, Anja Klančnik, Franz Bucar, Qijing Zhang, Sonja Smole Možina, 2015, PLoS One on p. e0122871
Proposal of a taxonomic nomenclature for the bacillus cereus group which reconciles genomic definitions of bacterial species with clinical and industrial phenotypes
Laura M. Carroll, Martin Wiedmann, Jasna Kovac, 2020, mBio
Characterization of egg laying hen and broiler fecal microbiota in poultry farms in Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovenia
Petra Videnska, Md Masudur Rahman, Marcela Faldynova, Vladimir Babak, Marta Elsheimer Matulova, Estella Prukner-Radovcic, Ivan Krizek, Sonja Smole-Mozina, Jasna Kovac, Ama Szmolka, Bela Nagy, Karel Sedlar, Darina Cejkova, Ivan Rychlik, 2014, PLoS One
Characterization of emetic and diarrheal Bacillus cereus strains from a 2016 foodborne outbreak using whole-genome sequencing: Addressing the microbiological, epidemiological, and bioinformatic challenges
Laura M. Carroll, Martin Wiedmann, Manjari Mukherjee, David C. Nicholas, Lisa A. Mingle, Nellie B. Dumas, Jocelyn A. Cole, Jasna Kovac, 2019, Frontiers in Microbiology
Rapid, high-throughput identification of anthrax-causing and emetic Bacillus cereus group genome assemblies via BTyper, a computational tool for virulencebased classification of Bacillus cereus group isolates by using nucleotide sequencing data
Laura M. Carroll, Jasna Kovac, Rachel A. Miller, Martin Wiedmann, 2017, Applied and Environmental Microbiology
Precision food safety: A systems approach to food safety facilitated by genomics tools
Jasna Kovac, Henk den Bakker, Laura M. Carroll, Martin Wiedmann, 2017, TrAC - Trends in Analytical Chemistry on p. 52-61
Intraclade variability in toxin production and cytotoxicity of Bacillus cereus group type strains and dairy-associated isolates
Rachel A. Miller, Jiahui Jian, Sarah M. Beno, Martin Wiedmann, Jasna Kovac, 2018, Applied and Environmental Microbiology
Production of hemolysin BL by Bacillus cereus group isolates of dairy origin is associated with whole-genome phylogenetic clade
Jasna Kovac, Rachel A. Miller, Laura M. Carroll, David J. Kent, Jiahui Jian, Sarah M. Beno, Martin Wiedmann, 2016, BMC Genomics
The occurrence of Listeria monocytogenes is associated with built environment microbiota in three tree fruit processing facilities
Xiaoqing Tan, Taejung Chung, Yi Chen, Dumitru Macarisin, Luke LaBorde, Jasna Kovac, 2019, Microbiome on p. 115
News Articles Featuring Jasna Kovac
May 15, 2023
Penn State's renamed One Health Microbiome Center affirms broad expertise
The Microbiome Center in the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences at Penn State has announced its renaming to the One Health Microbiome Center (OHMC), the first center in the world to integrate "One Health" with the microbiome sciences.
Full Article
Apr 07, 2023
Penn State Global announces 2022-23 faculty, staff, student awards
Penn State Global has announced the 2022-23 recipients of its annual awards that recognize the outstanding contributions of individuals and academic programs at Penn State who have helped to advance the University’s global engagement goals.
Full Article
Feb 24, 2023
Processing, like fermentation and roasting, doesn’t cut cocoa’s health benefits
It is widely believed that when foods undergo processing, their health benefits are reduced. But that is not true for cocoa, according to a Penn State-led team of researchers, who conducted a new study using a mouse model.
Full Article
Dec 22, 2022
2022 Top 10 Most Popular Microbiome Center News Articles
The stories that made the year in 2022 for the Penn State Microbiome Center
Full Article
Nov 08, 2022
Faculty in College of Ag Sciences recognized for research achievements
Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences lauded outstanding accomplishments in research during the college’s inaugural Research Awards Ceremony, held Oct. 25 at the Hintz Family Alumni Center on the University Park campus.
Full Article
Apr 29, 2022
Microbiologists get grant to study biofilms guarding foodborne pathogen Listeria
Microbiologists in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences have received a $605,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to study how microbial biofilms protect Listeria monocytogenes, the bacterium that causes the deadly foodborne illness listeriosis.
Full Article
Sep 24, 2020
Penn State Microbiome Center elects new executive committee
The Penn State Microbiome Center in the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences recently elected six new members to join its executive committee. The new members, along with 11 others who remained on the committee, started their two-year term in July.
Full Article
Jun 03, 2020
Huck graduate students among NSF award recipients
Five graduate students in Huck programs or involved with Huck centers, advised by faculty members in the College of Agricultural Sciences, were recipients or honorable mentions of National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships.
Full Article
Aug 21, 2019
Foodborne pathogen sheltered by harmless bacteria that support biofilm formation
Pathogenic bacteria that stubbornly lurk in some apple-packing facilities may be sheltered and protected by harmless bacteria that are known for their ability to form biofilms, according to Penn State researchers, who suggest the discovery could lead to development of alternative foodborne-pathogen-control strategies.
Full Article
May 07, 2019
Institutes of Energy and the Environment announces seed grant recipients
Several Huck researchers are among the recipients of 2018-19 IEE seed grants.
Full Article