Proceedings of the National Conference on Emerging Foodborne Pathogens: Implications and Control. Alexandria, Virginia, March 24-26, 1997.

Infectious diseases transmitted by foods have become a major public health concern in recent years. Response by both the food industry and public health and food safety regulatory agencies to new microbiologic health threats and reemerging pathogens in foods has been primarily reactive. The multiplicity of factors and complex interactions involved in the emergence and reemergence of microbial foodborne hazards and the need for a multifaceted and integrated approach to protecting the population prompted a national Conference on Emerging Foodborne Pathogens: Implications and Control (March 2426, 1997, Alexandria, Virginia). The conference, attended by more than 400 scientists in basic and applied research, epidemiology, and public health, was organized to elucidate programs and initiatives that could be used to identify and respond appropriately and proactively to emerging and reemerging foodborne disease threats. Representing the conference organizers were Dr. Alex Malaspina, president of the International Life Sciences Institute; Dr. David Satcher, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Mr. Thomas Billy, administrator of