Jasna Kovac

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

Jasna Kovac

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

Links

Publication Tags

Bacillus Cereus Genes Genome Phenotype Food Genotype Phylogeny Virulence Antibiotics Dairies Bacteriology Food Microbiology Antibiotic Resistance Dairy Products Gene Emetics Anthrax Cytotoxicity Anti Bacterial Agents Food Safety Animals Nucleotides Genomics Farms Milk

Most Recent Publications

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 on p. 8

Effect of processing on the anti-inflammatory efficacy of cocoa in a high fat diet-induced mouse model of obesity

Daphne K. Weikart, Vijaya V. Indukuri, Kathryn C. Racine, Kiana M. Coleman, Jasna Kovac, Darrell W. Cockburn, Helene Hopfer, Andrew P. Neilson, Joshua D. Lambert, 2022, Nutrition Reports International

Laboratory misidentifications resulting from taxonomic changes to Bacillus cereus group species, 2018-2022.

L Carroll, I Matle, Jasna Kovac, R Cheng, M Wiedmann, 2022, Emerging infectious diseases on p. 5

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

Regulation of Enterotoxins Associated with Bacillus cereus Sensu Lato Toxicoinfection

Cassidy Prince, Jasna Kovac, 2022, Applied and Environmental Microbiology

Editorial

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

DNA-based assays

Jasna Kovac, Maria Rolon, L Naum, K Lampel, 2022, on p. 12

Exploring the relationship between gender and food safety risks in the dairy value chain in Ethiopia

Ariel V. Garsow, Marie R. Biondi, Barbara B. Kowalcyk, Jessie L. Vipham, Jasna Kovac, Kebede Amenu, Ashagrie Zewdu, Kathleen E. Colverson, 2022, International Dairy Journal

Predators of soil bacteria in plant and human health

Samuel Martins, Stephen Taerum, Lindsay Triplett, Joanne Emerson, Inga Zasada, Beatriz de Toledo, Jasna Kovac, Kendall Martin, C Bull, 2022, Phytobiomes journal on p. 38

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

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

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

Virulence and antimicrobial resistance determinants of verotoxigenic Escherichia coli (VTEC) and of multidrug-resistant E. coli from foods of animal origin illegally imported to the EU by flight passengers

B. Nagy, A. Szmolka, S. Smole Možina, J. Kovač, A. Strauss, S. Schlager, J. Beutlich, B. Appel, M. Lušicky, P. Aprikian, J. Pászti, I. Tóth, R. Kugler, M. Wagner, 2015, International Journal of Food Microbiology on p. 52-59

News Articles Featuring Jasna Kovac

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

Apr 25, 2019

Food Scientist Kovac Receives Young Investigator Award

Jasna Kovac, assistant professor of food science in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, recently was named recipient of the Institut Merieux Young Investigator Award in Antimicrobial Resistance from the International Association for Food Protection.

Full Article