Research Publications (Food Safety)

Abstract Background Campylobacter is the most common food‐borne pathogen in the European Union. In 2018, the crude incidence rate in Ireland was 63.6 per 100,000 population. Chicken is considered an important source of infection for humans. In 2015, the Campylobacter Stakeholders' Group (CSG) was established to reduce Campylobacter contamination levels in Irish broiler flocks.

Abstract Aims Enteric pathogens with a livestock reservoir pose a unique risk to people in occupations with regular contact with animals. However, public health surveillance of occupational exposures is inadequate, with surveillance for occupation typically focusing on the risk of transmission and the need for worker exclusion, rather than workplace exposures.

Abstract Background Consumption of pork and pork products is a major source of human infection with Salmonella. Salmonella is typically subclinical in pigs, making it difficult to identify infected pigs. Therefore, effective surveillance of Salmonella in pigs critically relies on good knowledge on how well the diagnostic tests used perform.

Abstract Aims Salmonella enterica is a leading cause of acute enteritis in people, and dairy cattle are an important reservoir of this pathogen. The objective of this study was to analyse serotype and anti‐microbial resistance trends of Salmonella isolated from dairy cattle in the United States between 2007 and 2021. Methods and Results We collected data for bovine Salmonella isolates obtained from samples submitted to Cornell University's Animal Health Diagnostic Center (AHDC).

Abstract Aims Within the One Health paradigm, infectious disease surveillance have been developed for domestic and wild animals, leaving the role of captive non‐domestic populations, especially felids in zoos and circuses, less explored. This study addresses the proximity of these captive animals to urban areas, necessitating focused monitoring for potential zoonotic enteropathogens.

Abstract Aims Toxoplasmosis is one of the most common food‐borne parasitic zoonosis, caused by Toxoplasma gondii, an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite. A cross‐sectional study was carried out to determine the seroprevalence of T. gondii and associated risk factors in pigs in Haryana, India. Methods and Results Serum samples were collected from 429 pigs from three agroclimatic zones (I–III) of Haryana and analysed for the presence of antibodies against T.

Abstract Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is the most common cause of acute viral hepatitis worldwide. In 2018–2022, we investigated the presence of HEV RNA in 1233 stool samples collected in the Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau, including humans (16), Tibetan pigs (624), yaks (312), sheep (267), and dogs (14). HEV RNA was only detected in Tibetan pig faecal samples (18.27%, 114/624).

Abstract Salmonellosis is one of the most important foodborne diseases worldwide, including the European Union. Despite the One Health approach measures for risk assessment and risk management implemented by the European Union, the occurrence of disease and disease outbreaks remains high (e.g. 694 outbreaks were reported in 2020), highlighting the need of new assessment methods.

Abstract On August 2019 a staphylococcal food poisoning outbreak occurred in an elderly home in Piedmont, Italy. The epidemiological investigation performed among the persons that consumed the meal identified chicken salad as the most likely source of the outbreak.

Abstract Rattus norvegicus and Rattus rattus are commensal pest rodents, considered reservoirs and vectors of zoonotic pathogens. In livestock farms, the wide use of antimicrobials and their release into the environment lead to high long‐term residual concentrations, which may in turn lead to the occurrence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Abstract The incidence of salmonellosis, and other enteric zoonotic diseases, has been associated with various food and environmental exposures and socioeconomic factors. Increasingly, there is interest in exploring differences among serotypes of Salmonella to better inform public health prevention efforts.

Zoonoses and Public Health, EarlyView. Campylobacter is a major cause of food poisoning and is typically the most common cause of gastroenteritis in the UK. Data collected at broiler farm and abattoir level, for slaughter batches that were sampled for UK-wide monitoring, were used to generate two epidemiological risk factor models.

Zoonoses and Public Health, EarlyView. Vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VRSA) is a zoonotic life-threatening pathogen. Vancomycin exhibits anti-bacterial activity by inhibiting peptidoglycan synthesis by binding to the D-ala-D-ala terminus of the peptidoglycan. But in VRSA, D-ala-D-ala is replaced by D-ala-D-lactate due to the presence of vanA, vanB or vanD genes.

Zoonoses and Public Health, EarlyView. As part of the measures to reduce the prevalence of Salmonella in poultry in the UK, National Control Programmes (NCPs) have been implemented.

Zoonoses and Public Health, EarlyView.

Zoonoses and Public Health, EarlyView. Surveillance of hepatitis E virus (HEV) in risk groups is an important strategy to monitor its circulation pattern and to timely detect changes thereof. The aims of this cross-sectional study were to estimate the prevalence of HEV infections in pigs and humans from different regions of the country, to identify risk factors for increasing anti-HEV IgG prevalence and to characterize HEV strains.

Zoonoses and Public Health, EarlyView. Enhanced Salmonella surveillance programmes in poultry were implemented in all European Member States, with minimum prevalence targets for a list of targeted serotypes to safeguard food and public health.

Zoonoses and Public Health, EarlyView. Campylobacter, a major cause of food-borne gastroenteritis worldwide, colonize the gastrointestinal tract of a wide range of animals, being birds the main reservoir. The mechanisms involved in the interaction of Campylobacter with the different hosts are poorly understood. The cytolethal distending toxin, encoded in the cdtABC operon, is considered a pivotal virulence factor during human infection.

Zoonoses and Public Health, EarlyView. Zoonotic salmonellosis can occur either through direct contact with an infected animal or through indirect contact, such as exposure to an infected animal's contaminated environment. Between May and August 2020, a multi-jurisdictional outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium (STm) infection due to zoonotic transmission was investigated in Australia. In total, 38 outbreak cases of STm with a median age of 5 years were reported.

Zoonoses and Public Health, EarlyView. Toxoplasmosis caused by Toxoplasma gondii affects both conservation and public health efforts. In the Taipei Zoo, toxoplasmosis was diagnosed in ring-tailed lemurs and a meerkat in 2019 while a freeze–thaw meat strategy had been applied to carnivores before the event.

Zoonoses and Public Health, EarlyView. In February 2019, five individuals with Salmonella Enteritidis infections matching by whole genome sequencing (WGS) were identified in the province of British Columbia (BC), Canada. Individuals with available exposure information all reported unique exposure to reptiles or rodents, prompting an outbreak investigation.

Zoonoses and Public Health, EarlyView. The gastrointestinal tract of poultry is a potential source of Campylobacter jejuni. Here, the prevalence, risk factors, antimicrobial susceptibility profile and genetic relationship of C. jejuni were studied in broilers from farms and meat from live bird markets (LBMs) and super shops (SS). Pooled cloacal samples were obtained from farms in six districts of Bangladesh between June 2019 and March 2020.

Zoonoses and Public Health, EarlyView. Anthropogenic environmental change can alter the susceptibility of wildlife hosts to pathogens and provide an opportunity for disease emergence. We explored Yersinia pestis prevalence in fleas from three rodent species inhabiting intensively managed forests in Oregon, USA. Y. pestis was not detected in the 145 fleas (3 families and 9 species) collected.

Zoonoses and Public Health, EarlyView. Antibiotic resistance is an ongoing threat to both human and animal health. Migratory birds are a potential vector for the spread of novel pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes. To date, there has been no comprehensive study investigating the presence of antibiotic resistance (AMR) in the bacteria of Australian shorebirds or terns.

Zoonoses and Public Health, EarlyView. It has been suggested that pets play a critical role in the maintenance of methicillin-resistant (MR) and multidrug-resistant (MDR) Staphylococcus spp. in the household.