Zoonotic Diseases & The Environment -The story from a Food Safety researcher Luxin Wang, Ph.D....
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Transcript of Zoonotic Diseases & The Environment -The story from a Food Safety researcher Luxin Wang, Ph.D....
Zoonotic Diseases & The Environment-The story from a Food Safety researcher
Luxin Wang, Ph.D.Assistant Professor
Food Microbiology and SafetyDepartment of Animal Sciences
November 12 2014
Zoonotic Diseases• Contagious diseases spread between animals
and humans• Caused by bacteria, viruses, parasites, and
fungi• Carried by animals originally with or without
symptoms• Severe infections in humans– Examples: • Escherichia coli O157:H7 infections
– Fever, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, kidney damage
Foodborne outbreaks/recalls
• Escherichia coli O157:H7– Multistate outbreak linked to ground beef (May
2014)• 12 people from 4 states• 1.8 million pounds of ground beef recalled
– Multistate outbreak linked to fresh spinach (October 2006)• 199 people from 26 states (three deaths confirmed, 2-
year-old child)• Farmers faced up to $74 million economic losses.
– Each acre lost amounts to roughly $3,500.
Survival and Transfer of Pathogens• Survive long period of time in water, soil, and animal feces
Environment
Control of Zoonotic Pathogens
FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA)- Signed by President Obama in January 2011- Ensures the U.S. food supply is safe by
shifting the focus from Responding to contamination to Preventing it.
- “From Farm to Fork”- Water, manure-based soil amendment,
temperature, rainfall, etc.
On-going Research• USDA-AFRI – On farm sampling (water, manure, pens, feed, bedding
materials, etc.)– Water stream (in and out of the farm)
• U.S. Geological Survey– Alabama Water Watch– Recreational water
• E. coli monitoring• Seasonal impacts (rainfall events, temperature, wild animals)• Development of more sensitive and accurate enumeration
methods for indicator microorganisms