Foodborne pathogens refer to pathogens introduced during the processing and circulation of food. These pathogens survive, grow, and metabolize in food, causing food spoilage and destruction. At the same time, some pathogens secrete toxic substances, directly or indirectly causing human illness.
Types of common foodborne pathogens
The common pathogenic microorganisms of bacterial food poisoning include pathogenic Escherichia coli (especially hemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157: H7)、 Salmonella, Shigella, pathogenic Vibrio (including Vibrio cholerae and Vibrio parahaemolyticus), Staphylococcus aureus, and their enterotoxins. In recent years, an increasing number of microorganisms have been found to cause bacterial food poisoning, including Listeria monocytogenes and Campylobacter jejuni.
The hazards of foodborne pathogens
In general, it often causes acute poisoning, and mild cases often present with symptoms of acute gastroenteritis; But in severe cases, respiratory, circulatory, neurological and other systemic symptoms may occur. Some spoiled foods have low levels of toxic substances, or due to their inherent toxic effects, they do not cause acute poisoning. However, long-term consumption can often lead to chronic poisoning, and even exhibit carcinogenic, teratogenic, and mutagenic effects. Eating spoiled and moldy food not only causes acute poisoning, but also has extremely serious potential hazards.
Food safety issues caused by foodborne pathogens
Foodborne diseases do not decrease or disappear with economic development and technological progress. Food safety incidents continue to occur worldwide, and foodborne diseases have not been effectively controlled. In recent years, the global incidence rate of foodborne diseases is on the rise.
In 1996, Japan experienced the world’s largest 3-month outbreak of E. coli O157 food poisoning, affecting over 40 prefectures and tens of thousands of people.
In the 2000 Japanese Snow Milk Staphylococcus aureus poisoning incident, over 10000 people were poisoned.
The avian influenza that spread throughout Southeast Asia in 2005 sounded the alarm for food safety departments in various countries.
In 2011, a Salmonella outbreak caused by live poultry broke out in 23 states of the United States, resulting in nearly 100 infections. Multiple food poisoning incidents in France caused by the consumption of cooked meat products infected with Listeria monocytogenes.
According to WHO statistics, there are approximately 1.5 billion cases of diarrhea worldwide each year, resulting in approximately 3 million deaths in children under the age of 5, of which about 70% are caused by food contamination from biological sources. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that foodborne pathogens cause approximately 76 million illnesses, 32.15 million hospitalizations, and 5200 deaths annually in the United States; Among them, there are approximately 14 million cases of foodborne diseases caused by known pathogenic bacteria, 60000 hospitalizations, and 1800 deaths. The annual economic losses caused by foodborne illnesses in Australia can reach AUD 2.6 billion. There are approximately 2366000 patients in England and Wales each year, with medical expenses and losses of around £ 300-700 million per year.
Therefore, establishing a scientific, comprehensive, and accurate detection system for foodborne pathogens is not only the main means to promote food safety, but also an important measure to effectively prevent and control microbial food poisoning.
Detection technology for foodborne pathogenic bacteria
At present, the detection techniques for foodborne pathogens mainly include conventional culture detection methods; Rapid detection methods based on DNA testing; Hybrid based detection methods; Detection methods based on immune technology, etc. Molecular biology detection technology plays an important role in the identification and detection of foodborne pathogens due to its high sensitivity, specificity, speed, simplicity, and time-saving advantages.
The methods for detecting foodborne pathogens using molecular biology techniques include multiplex PCR, real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR, loop mediated isothermal amplification technology, gene chips, liquid phase chips, and gene probe technology, among others. Today we are going to share with you the application of Loop mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) technology combined with bioluminescence technology in the detection of foodborne pathogens. Compared with conventional PCR, LAMP is a novel nucleic acid amplification method with the characteristics of simplicity, speed, and strong specificity. This technology can rival or even outperform PCR technology in terms of sensitivity, specificity, and detection range.
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