February 2012 BSP FINAL.pub

The outbreak of enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli in Germany last year and recent reports about the emergence of Salmonella Kentucky as a “new superbug” have re-focused public attention on food-borne diseases. Salmonellosis is an important cause of food-borne disease with significant economic burden to the population and healthcare systems. In the last century, microbiologists have identified hundreds of different types of salmonella that can infect humans and warm-blooded animals and are wide-spread, especially in areas with substandard farming and supplies of drinking water. They can cause acute gastroenteritis following ingestion of contaminated water or undercooked food of animal origin. The human disease caused by these bacteria ranges from mild abdominal discomfort to vomiting and dehydration and can be life-threatening for children and the elderly. It has become a major public health problem internationally. The global human health impact of non-typhoidal Salmonella infection can be as high as 10 8 cases and 155,000 deaths each year. Many cases of salmonellosis would be prevented if common outbreak sources could be identified rapidly by enabling earlier public health interventions. However, changes in food-borne disease epidemiology have complicated recognition and investigation of outbreaks. The increased mobility of people, complex food production, processing and distribution systems and the plethora of retail fast food outlets necessitate more efficient and effective ways to identify sources of food-borne outbreaks. Salmonellarelated outbreaks are increasingly associated with a diverse range of food sources, yet the mechanisms of contamination often remain poorly understood and the true rates of infection are likely to be under-reported. In this issue, CIDM -PH collaborators share the results of their translational research on public health aspects of salmonella infection.