Food Borne Diseases

Microbes in Food and
Immunity
Dr. Muhammad Ibrahim
Associate Professor
Department of Biosciences
COMSATS University Islamabad
Sahiwal Campus
Food borne diseases
• Food borne diseases (FBD) are acute illnesses
associated with the recent consumption of
food
• The food involved is usually contaminated
with a disease pathogen or toxicant.
• Such food contains enough pathogens or
toxicant necessary to make a person sick.
Classification of food borne
diseases
Food borne diseases are classified
into:
1. Food borne infections and
2. Food borne intoxications
Food borne infections
• Food borne infections are caused by the
entrance of pathogenic microorganisms
contaminating food into the body, and the
reaction of the body tissues to their presence.
• These can either be fungal, bacterial, viral or
parasitic
• Food borne infections tend to have long
incubation periods and are usually
characterized by fever
Food Borne Infections cont..
Bacterial food borne infections include
Cholera, salmonellosis, typhoid fever, shigellosis,
Yersiniosis Escherichia coli infection
Campylobacteriosis, Vibrio parahemolyticus and
Listeriosis
Mycotic food borne infections include Candida
spp., Sporothrix spp., Wangiella spp. etc),
Viral food borne infections include hepatitis A ,
Norwak virus and poliomyelitis virus
Difference B/W Serotype and
Strain
• A serotype or serovar is a distinct variation within
a species of bacteria or virus or among immune cells of different
individuals.
• These microorganisms, viruses, or cells are classified together
based on their surface antigens, allowing the epidemiologic
classification of organisms to the subspecies level.
• A group of serovars with common antigens is called
a serogroup or sometimes sero complex. Serotyping often plays
an essential role in determining species and subspecies.
• Vibrio cholerae, the species of bacteria that causes cholera, has
over 200 serotypes, based on cell antigens.
• Only two of them have been observed to produce the
potent enterotoxin that results in cholera: O1 and O139
Salmonellosis
• The salmonellae constitute a group of
organisms with over 2000 different
serotypes
• These organisms are capable of causing
disease in animals and man when taken
into the body in sufficient numbers
• Many salmonella species have a wide host
range. These are the organisms which
commonly cause food poisoning.
Salmonellosis
• However, some are restricted to a single host
species e.g. Salmonella abortus ovis causing
abortion in ewes, and Salmonella gallinarum the
cause of fowl typhoid.
• Conversely, some salmonella serotypes are
associated with human disease and are not known
to affect animals e.g. S. typhi and Salmonella
paratyphi.
• Salmonellae are ubiquitous in the gut of human
and animals and act as sources of food
contamination.
Salmonellosis cont..
• People who are carriers of the salmonellae
contaminate the food.
• A heavy dose up to 10,000 -1,000,000
organisms per gram of food is required to
cause infection
• Salmonellae grow well on food and can
exist for a considerable period in feces, and
on pastures.
Foods involved
• Any food contaminated with salmonellae
may be involved.
• However, foods commonly involved are
animal derived foods such as:
a. meat and meat products,
b. milk and milk products,
c. egg and egg products
Typhoid and Paratyphoid fever
(Enteric fevers)
• Enteric fevers include typhoid and paratyphoid
fevers caused by Salmonella typhi and Salmonella
paratyphi A, B and C respectively.
• The serotypes are similar to other salmonella
bacteria, but unlike them, they are essentially
parasites of man.
• S. typhi possesses capsular (vi). antigen in
addition to the usual O and H antigens found in
other serotypes.
Disease symptoms
• The incubation period is usually 2 weeks, but
might vary between 3 and 28 days for typhoid
fever and between 1 and 15 days for the
paratyphoid fevers.
• The enteric fevers are generalized septicaemic
infections with a frequent, if not constant
bacteraemia during the first two weeks of the
disease.
• The abdominal symptoms are severe, while fever
and illness may continue for 4-6 weeks.
Transmission
• The typhoid and paratyphoid bacilli are
essentially human parasites and are acquired
mostly from human sources, namely, patients
and carriers.
• The bacteria can be transmitted by the
contamination of water, milk or food by flies.
• Only a few organisms are needed to cause
disease.
Control measures
• Hygienic control of food and water
supplies
• Detection and treatment of chronic
carriers
• Vaccination using TAB-vaccine. The
vaccine contains a mixed culture of S.
typhi, and S. paratyphi. The vaccine
protects for 5-7 yrs.

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Microbes in Food and

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