FOOD-BORNE

DISEASES
Dr.Kedar Karki
 Introduction
• Causes of food-borne
diseases/illnesses:
2.Chemical toxins (‘residues’)
3.Biotoxins – endotoxins & exotoxins
4.Infectious agents – exogenous &
endogenous (‘zoonoses’)
 Introduction contd
endotoxins & exotoxins

lipopolysaccharide (LPS) : protein

part of bacterium : extracellular
no toxoid : toxoid
low potency : high potency
low specificity : high specificity
 Mode of action of some
bacterial toxins
S. aureus – A
(alpha-toxin)

E. coli – B
(shiga toxin)

C. botulinum – C
(exo-enzyme)
 Introduction contd
• Food hygiene vs food safety
food hygiene – microbiological safety of
food
food safety – abscence of
chemicals/residues
• Not necessary to have ‘sterile’ food
 Prevention of food-borne
diseases
• Organisms - characteristics
 where from
 types & strains
 behaviour in food
 survive or are killed by measures to
inactivate
 Prevention of food-borne
diseases, contd
• Food – characteristics

Water activity (aw), pH and temperature

 What influences occurrence
of food-borne
diseases/illnesses?
• Food source
• Food storage
• Food preparation
• Food handlers
 What influences occurrence
of food-borne
diseases/illnesses?
• Time-temperature abuse
• Infected food handlers or inadequate
hygiene during handling of food
• Consumption/use of unsafe food sources
 Types of illnesses/diseases
• Upper GIT – nausea & vomiting

• Lower GIT – cramps & diarrhoea

• Neurological signs

• General symptoms
 Types of illnesses/diseases
Upper GIT signs
Nausea, retching, vomiting, abdominal
pain, diarrhoea & prostration
• S. aureus and its toxins
• B. cereus and its toxin
 Types of illnesses/diseases
Lower GIT signs
Lower abdominal cramps & diarrhoea

• Clostridium perfringens, Bacillus cereus

• Salmonella, Shigella, ET E. coli, Yersinia
enterocolitica, Campylobacter jejuni,
Vibrio cholera
 Types of illnesses/diseases
Lower GIT signs, continued
Lower abdominal cramps & diarrhoea

• Giardia intestinalis
• Cryptosporidium parvum
 Types of illnesses/diseases
Neurological signs
Visual disturbances, vertigo, tingling
sensation & paralysis

• Clostridium botulinum
 Types of illnesses/diseases
General symptoms
Fever, chills, malaise, prostration, aches, swollen
lymph nodes

• S. typhi, L. monocytogenes, C. jejuni

• Hepatitis A
 Risks of contracting food-
borne disease depend on:
• Host susceptibility
Age
General health
 Infective dose
• Frequently exptrapolated
• Feeding studies (healthy, young adult
volunteers)
• Estimates (data from outbreaks)
• ‘Worst case’ estimates
 Risk assessment –
variable infective doses
• Interaction – food substrate &
environment
• pH susceptibility
• Type and strain
Control of food contamination
• Micro-organisms in food & water

shellfish
fruits & nuts
beans
watermelons
spices & herbs
vegetables
Control of food contamination
• Infection of animals – milk, eggs or
meat
• Contaminated skins and guts -
slaughter & dressing
 Pathogenic Bacteria
• Salmonella spp. - GIT / Hide
• E. coli O157:H7 - GIT
• Campylobacter spp. - GIT (esp. poultry)
• Yersinia enterocolitica - GIT
• Staphylococcus aureus toxin - Human (nostrils and hands)
• Listeria monocytogenes - Soil, hide, faecal material
• C. botulinum, C. perfringens - Soil, hide, faecal material
•

•
Control of food contamination
• Ideal = growing & harvesting stages
• But – ‘world is not sterile’
• Prevent, reduce or limit by:
Not allowing products from clinically ill
animals to enter food chain
Classical meat inspection - gross
HACCP - microscopic
 ‘farm to fork’ of food from
animals

• Production • Farm, Feedlot,

• Fishing site
Processing • Slaughter Plant,
Cannery, Packer,
Food Factory
Final preparation • Final Kitchen:
and cooking
commercial,
• institutional or
domestic
 prevention can occur at each
step

•
• Production Feed, water, manure
treatment, biosecurity,
probiotics, vaccines
• HACCP, slaughter hygiene,
Processing pathogen reduction and
elimination (pasteurization,
irradiation)

Final preparation • Cooking, preventing

and cooking
• Cross-
contamination,
• worker education
and hand washing
Prevention of Food Poisoning
‘ten golden rules
Food processed for safety
Thoroughly cook
Eat immediately
Store carefully
Reheat thoroughly
 Prevention of Food Poisoning
‘ten golden rules
• No contact between raw & cooked
• Wash hands
• Keep food preparation surfaces clean
• Protect from pests
• Use potable water
Food-borne disease outbreaks
& food spoilage
• Contamination with undesirable micro-
organisms
• Unacceptable levels of micro-organisms
• Treatment did not result in inactivation
Food-borne disease outbreaks
& food spoilage
• Preventing/limiting contamination
• Preventing/limiting spread
• Preventing growth
• Preventing survival of organisms &
persistence of metabolites
 Microbiological/chemical
hazards
• Micro-organisms – part of nature
Chemicals – many are man-made
• Micro-organisms change numbers
• Uneven distribution in food
• Clinical symptoms – acute
• Variable consumer susceptibility