Foodborne bacteria

Each year in the United States, approximately 76 million food-borne illnesses occur, leading to 325,000 hospitalizations and over 5000 deaths.40 A number of bacterial and viral pathogens that have been discussed previously in this chapter (e.g., Salmonella, Shigella, Campylobacter, E. coli, and noroviruses) can cause food poisoning. Other bacteria that can cause foodborne illness include Staphylococcus aureus, C. perfringens, C. botu-linum, and Bacillus cereus (Table 73-5). Food poisoning should be suspected if at least two individuals present with similar symptoms after the ingestion of a common food in the prior 72 hours. 

To ensure the safety of food products, representative samples must be inspected so that foodborne bacteria can be identified.15,18,19 Bacteria producing heat-stable enterotoxins, such as Staphylococcus aureus, may be identified by biochemical and serological techniques.20,21 Molecular methods are now widely used for the identification of many pathogenic foodborne bacteria,15,22,23 In addition bacteria used as starter cultures for cheese, yogurt, other fermented foods and beverages, and probiotic dietary supplements may be identified for quality assurance.22,24,25... 

Bolton, F. J. (1990). An investigation of indirect conductimetry for detection of some foodborne bacteria. /. Appl. Bacterial. 69, 655-661. 

Foodborne microorganisms were analyzed directly on the food surface by means of FT-Raman spectroscopy [58]. These results indicate that FT-Raman has the ability to discriminate between pathogenic and non-pathogenic bacteria. 

Campylohacteriosis is a widespread infection. It is caused by certain species of Campylobacter bacteria and in some countries, the reported number of cases surpasses the incidence of salmonellosis. Foodborne cases are mainly caused by foods such as raw milk, raw or undercooked poultry, and drinking water. Acute health effects of campylohacteriosis include severe abdominal pain, fever, nausea, and diarrhea. In 2% to 10% of cases the infection may lead to chronic health problems, including reactive arthritis and neurological disorders. 

Most foodborne pathogenic bacteria are neutrophiles with their optimum growth pH ranging from pH 6-pH 7. These bacteria will only encounter acid-related stress in food systems as a result of the presence of lipid-permeable weak acids (Hill, O Driscoll, and Booth, 1995). 

There is another aspect of this entire debate relative to food safety that I have not yet addressed and, in fact, is one where biotechnology has great potential. There is consensus among food safety professionals that 98% of all real foodborne illnesses are related to bacterial food poisoning. There are numerous causes of such diseases that have proven very difficult to eliminate. These include meat and produce contamination with bacteria such as Staphylococcus, Salmonella, Eschericia coli and Clostridia botulinum. These organisms and the diseases they cause have killed more people in the United... 

Raw foods are always associated with microorganisms, which may lead to spoilage or cause foodborne illness in humans. Various processing and preservation techniques have indeed been applied to eliminate, reduce, or at least control microbial growth within the safe level in order to prevent or reduce instances of foodborne illness. The microorganisms of concern in food processing and preservation are fungi and bacteria. 

Keywords Bacteria Biosensor Food safety Foodborne pathogens Sensor ... 

Detection of foodborne diseases and food contaminants is an important application for biosensor technology development. More than 200 known diseases are transmitted through food, hi the United States alone, foodborne diseases cause an estimated 76 milhon illnesses and 325 000 hospitahzations a year [1]. Foodborne transmission accoimts for approximately 36% of the total number of reported foodborne illnesses. The majority of illnesses attributed to foodborne transmission are caused by viruses (67%). Bacteria... 

Most of the work that has been done with bacteria over the past several years has focused on improving the detection limits of the SPR sensors. This is an important focus of research, as most of the infective doses of foodborne bacteria are still below or very near the current lower detection thresholds of the... 

Toxic foodborne proteins are typically secreted from infectious bacteria. These proteins are typically toxic in extremely low doses. Because of the molecular weight of the proteins (ranging from 5 kDa to 150 kDa), diffusion to the surface is not problematic. Their mass allows for sensor responses from direct binding at higher concentrations. For lower analyte concentrations, a sandwich assay is typically used to improve the lower detection limits for various analytes. 

Goodridge L. and Griffiths M., Reporter bacteriophage assays as a means to detect foodborne pathogenic bacteria, Food Res. Int., 35, 863-870, 2002. 

JL Oblinger, ed. Bacteria associated with foodborne diseases. Food Technol April 181-200, 1988. 

More than 250 different foodborne diseases have been described. Most of these diseases are infections, caused by a variety of bacteria, viruses, and parasites that can be foodborne. Other diseases are poisonings, caused by harmful toxins or chemicals that have contaminated the food, for example, poisonous mushrooms. These different diseases have many different symptom.s. so there is no one "syndrome that is foodborne illness. However, the microbe or toxin enters the body through the ga.strointestinal tract, and often causes the first symptoms there, so nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps and diarrhea are common symptoms in many foodborne diseases. 

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