Contamination of the food chain with pathogens derived from ruminant production systems

摘要

Food safety is a global issue for the livestock industries. Customers in both the export and domestic markets are increasingly demanding safe food. Food safety breaches have major economic impacts due to exclusion of product from export markets and an erosion of consumer confidence. As public concern about food safety mounts, industries involved in the food supply chain will increasingly need to establish that they have addressed potential food safety risks/hazards in producing the product they supply. Processed and fresh food industries are adopting Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) systems off-farm and increasingly HACCP systems will be applied on-farm. The food-borne pathogens (diseases) of major concern for humans arising from herbivorous livestock are Escherichia coll, Campylobacter spp., Listens monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., Mycobacterium avium complex and bovine spongiform encephalitis. Research on microbial pathogens needs to focus on the epidemiology of these zoonoses which encompasses ecology of the microorganisms concerned, livestock management practices which lead to the proliferation of the pathogens, ecology of virulence factors (including antibiotic resistance), and risk analysis. Genomics, proteomics and new diagnostics for pathogens will underpin research into intervention strategies for the future.