T he food safety community is eagerly awaiting the first results of pilot studies from the World Health Organization's (WHO) Initiative to Estimate the Global Burden of Foodborne Diseases, which are due later this year. These studies were conducted in recognition of the growing threat posed by foodborne diseases worldwide to provide precise and comprehensive information on the magnitude of food...

Campylobacter jejuni is the most commonly reported bacterial cause of foodborne infection in the United States. Adding to the human and economic costs are chronic sequelae associated with C. jejuni infection--Guillian-Barré syndrome and reactive arthritis. In addition, an increasing proportion of human infections caused by C. jejuni are resistant to antimicrobial therapy. Mishandling of raw pou...

Cattle are the main reservoir for human infection by pathogenic Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica. To prevent entry of these foodborne pathogens into the human food chain, management factors at the farm level must be identifi ed and controlled. External sources of contamination, such as birds, should be considered as potential sources of transmission over long distances. In this review, ...

In October 2011, two primary cases of hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection with identical HAV genotype IB strains to those seen in other outbreaks associated with semi-dried tomatoes were reported in England. Both cases had consumed semi-dried tomatoes. Epidemiological investigations revealed two additional cases of genotype IB strains with different sequences who also reported having consumed sem...

Foodborne illnesses comprise a broad spectrum of diseases and are responsible for substantial morbidity and mortality worldwide. It is a growing public health problem in developing as well as developed countries. It is difficult to determine the exact mortality associated with foodborne illnesses (Helms et al., 2003). However, worldwide an estimated 2 million deaths occurred due to gastrointest...

In recent times, several foodborne pathogens have become important and a threat to public health. Surveillance studies have provided data and a better understanding into the existence and spread of foodborne pathogens. The application of molecular techniques for detecting and typing of foodborne pathogens in surveillance studies provide reliable epidemiological data for tracing the source of hu...

A variety of foods have been implicated as vehicles for the causal agent of cholera, Vibrio cholerae. Depending on the type of food, contamination can occur prior to harvesting or during handling and preparation. The viability of the organisms in food is influenced by environmental conditions and handling, and these factors, along with the varying likelihood of contamination, determine the exte...

Invasive group A streptococcus (iGAS) is the most common cause of monomicrobial necrotising fasciitis. Necrotising infections of the extremities may present directly to orthopaedic surgeons or by reference from another admitting specialty. Recent epidemiological data from the Health Protection Agency suggest an increasing incidence of iGAS infection in England. Almost 40% of those affected had ...

The Ministry of Health in China has been releasing statistical bulletins of foodborne illness outbreaks quarterly and annually on its website to keep foodborne illnesses under constant surveillance. In this study, we summarized reports concerning all foodborne illness outbreaks in China announced by the Ministry of Health during 2000-2014. Published reports from 2000 to 2014 were also included ...

Listeria monocytogenes (commonly called Listeria) named for Joseph Lister. Listeria monocytogenes, is the bacterium that causes the infection listeriosis. It is a facultative anaerobic bacterium, capable of graving and reproducing inside the host’s cells, and is one of the most virulent food-borne pathogens of clinical infections resulting in death. Listeriosis is the leading cause of death amo...