Public health and research perspectives on the microbial contamination of foods.

Abstract

Scientific advances in methodology and epidemiology have resulted in a renewed awareness of foodborne disease, and increased contact among nations of the world has stimulated rapid global distribution of foods as well as foodborne pathogens. New food vehicles are being identified for old, familiar pathogens, and new pathogens are being discovered. Current research in food microbiology has spurred development of rapid and specific methods to identify these pathogens and to assess their virulence. Organisms of recent interest, such as Bacillus, Yersinia, Campylobacter, Listeria, Sporothrix, Giardia, Cryptosporidium, and Anisakis, are the foci of new investigations, as are the more familiar foodborne pathogens, Salmonella, Shigella, Clostridium, Staphylococcus, Entamoeba and Ascaris. Some foodborne organisms, such as parasitic protozoa, serve as hosts for unique bacterial and viral symbionts but also might become infected with mammalian viruses. The remote possibility of the transmission of human immunodeficiency viruses in foodborne protozoa is discussed.