Resulting from ingestion of inappropriately prepared or stored foods containing pathogenic viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites, foodborne infections have become a significant source of human morbidity and mortality worldwide in recent decades. This may be largely attributable to the remarkable popularity of convenient, ready-to-eat food products, the dramatic expansion of international food trades, and the continuing growth of immuno-suppressed population groups. Although anti-microbial treatments have played a crucial part in the control of foodborne infections in the past, the emergence and spread of anti-microbial resistance render the existing treatments ineffective. Additionally, our limited understanding of the molecular mechanisms of foodborne infections has thwarted our efforts in the development of efficacious vaccines for foodborne pathogens. Given the obvious benefits of laboratory models in foodborne disease research, a great number of experiments have been conducted toward the elucidation of host-pathogen interactions in and pathogenic mechanisms of foodborne infections. Forming part of the Food Microbiology series, Laboratory Models for Foodborne Infections presents a state-of-the-art review of laboratory models that have proven valuable in deciphering the life cycle, epidemiology, immunobiology, and other key aspects of foodborne pathogens. Written by scientists with respective expertise in foodborne pathogen research, each chapter includes a contemporary summary of a particular foodborne viral, bacterial, fungal, or parasitic infection in relation to its life cycle, epidemiology, clinical features, pathogenesis, host-pathogen interactions, and other related aspects. Besides providing a trustworthy source of information for undergraduates and postgraduates in food microbiology, Laboratory Models for Foodborne Infections offers an invaluable guide for scientists and food microbiologists with interest in exploiting laboratory models for detailed study of foodborne infections.

Clearly linked to consumption of foods, beverages, and drinking water that contain pathogenic microbes, toxins, or other toxic agents, foodborne diseases have undergone a remarkable change of fortune in recent decades, from once rare and insignificant malaises to headline-grabbing and deadly outbreaks. Unquestionably, several factors have combined to make this happen. These include a prevailing demand for the convenience of ready-to-eat or heat-and-eat manufactured food products that allow ready entry and survival of some robust, temperature-insensitive microorganisms; a drastic reduction in the costs of air, sea, and road transportation that has taken some pathogenic microorganisms to where they were absent previously; an expanding world population that has stretched the boundary of human activity; and an ageing population whose weakened immune functions provide a fertile ground for opportunistic pathogens to invade and thrive. Given the diversity of causative agents (ranging from viruses, bacteria, yeasts, filamentous fungi, protozoa, helminthes, toxins, to toxic agents), and the ingenuity of pathogenic microbes to evolve through genetic reassortment, horizontal gene transfer, and/or random genetic mutation, it has become an enormous challenge to understand how foodborne agents are able to evade host immune defenses and induce diseases, and also to develop and apply innovative approaches for improved diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of foodborne diseases. Handbook of Foodborne Diseases summarizes the latest findings on more than 100 foodborne diseases and their causative agents. With contributions from international experts on foodborne pathogens, toxins, and toxic agents research, this volume provides state-of-the-art overviews on foodborne diseases in relation to their etiology, biology, epidemiology, clinical presentation, pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. Apart from offering a comprehensive textbook for undergraduate and postgraduate students in food, medical, and veterinary microbiology, this volume constitutes a valuable reference on foodborne diseases for medical professionals and health authorities, and forms an informative educational resource for the general public.

Dietary Interventions in Gastrointestinal Diseases: Foods, Nutrients and Dietary Supplements provides valuable insights into the agents that affect metabolism and other health-related conditions in the gastrointestinal system. It provides nutritional treatment options for those suffering from gastrointestinal diseases including Crohn's Disease, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Ulcerative Colitis and Allergies, among others. Information is presented on a variety of foods, including herbs, fruits, soy and olive oil, thus showing that changes in intake can change antioxidant and disease preventing non-nutrients and affect gastrointestinal health and/or disease promotion. This book serves as a valuable resource for biomedical researchers who focus on identifying the causes of gastrointestinal diseases and food scientists targeting health-related product development. - Provides information on agents that affect metabolism and other health-related conditions in the gastrointestinal tract - Explores the impact of composition, including differences based on country of origin and processing techniques to highlight compositional differences and their effect on the gastrointestinal tract - Addresses the most positive results from dietary interventions using bioactive foods to impact gastrointestinal diseases, including reduction of inflammation and improved function of organs

This book provides up-to-date information on the characteristics of each species of intestinal fluke found in humans and on the management of infections caused by these trematodes. Biology, epidemiology, host-parasite relationships, pathogenicity, clinical aspects, diagnosis, and treatment are all reviewed in detail. The zoonotic intestinal flukes comprise 38 genera belonging to 16 families. They are morphologically diverse and each species has a characteristic life cycle and geographical distribution. Intestinal fluke infections are commonly considered as tropical endemic diseases in Asian countries, where 6 million people are infected, but the geographical limits and populations at risk are expanding and changing owing to a range of factors, including growing international markets, improved transportation systems, changes in eating habits, demographic trends, and climate change. While the pathogenicity of intestinal flukes is generally mild, the impact in immunocompromised individuals requires clarification and some diagnostic problems remain to be solved. In exploring all aspects of human intestinal fluke infections, this book will be invaluable for clinicians and researchers alike.

Molecular Medical Microbiology, Third Edition presents the latest release in what is considered to be the first book to synthesize new developments in both molecular and clinical research. The molecular age has brought about dramatic changes in medical microbiology, along with great leaps in our understanding of the mechanisms of infectious disease. This third edition is completely updated, reviewed and expanded, providing a timely and helpful update for microbiologists, students and clinicians in the era of increasing use of molecular techniques, changing epidemiology and prevalence, and increasing resistance of many pathogenic bacteria. Written by experts in the field, chapters include cutting-edge information and clinical overviews for each major bacterial group, along with the latest updates on vaccine development, molecular technology and diagnostic technology. - Completely updated and revised edition of this comprehensive and accessible reference on molecular medical microbiology - Includes full color presentations throughout - Delves into in-depth discussions on individual pathogenic bacteria in a system-oriented approach - Includes a clinical overview for each major bacterial group - Presents the latest information on vaccine development, molecular technology and diagnostic technology - Provides more than 100 chapters on all major groups of bacteria

Pathogenic microorganisms exploit a number of different routes for transmission and this book demonstrates how the spread of disease can be prevented through the practices of disinfection and controlling microbial growth. The book is organized into four sections.

Since its introduction in 1997, the purpose of Food Microbiology: Fundamentals and Frontiers has been to serve as an advanced reference that explores the breadth and depth of food microbiology. Thoroughly updated, the new Fifth Edition adds coverage of the ever-expanding tool chest of new and extraordinary molecular methods to address many of the roles that microorganisms play in the production, preservation, and safety of foods. Sections in this valuable reference cover material of special significance to food microbiology such as: stress response mechanisms, spores, and the use of microbiological criteria and indicator organisms commodity-oriented discussion of types of microbial food spoilage and approaches for their control the major foodborne pathogens, including diseases, virulence mechanisms, control measures, and up-to-date details on molecular biology techniques state-of-the-science information on food preservation approaches, including natural antimicrobials and the use of bacteriophages in controlling foodborne pathogens beneficial microbes used in food fermentations and to promote human and animal health updated chapters on current topics such as antimicrobial resistance, predictive microbiology, and risk assessment This respected reference provides up-to-the-minute scientific and technical insights into food production and safety, readily available in one convenient source.

The Encyclopedia of Food Security and Sustainability, Three Volume Set covers the hottest topics in the science of food sustainability, providing a synopsis of the path society is on to secure food for a growing population. It investigates the focal issue of sustainable food production in relation to the effects of global change on food resources, biodiversity and global food security. This collection of methodological approaches and knowledge derived from expert authors around the world offers the research community, food industry, scientists and students with the knowledge to relate to, and report on, the novel challenges of food production and sustainability. This comprehensive encyclopedia will act as a platform to show how an interdisciplinary approach and closer collaboration between the scientific and industrial communities is necessary to strengthen our existing capacity to generate and share research data. Offers readers a ‘one-stop’ resource on the topic of food security and sustainability Contains articles split into sections based on the various dimensions of Food Security and Food Sustainability Written by academics and practitioners from various fields and regions with a “farm to fork understanding Includes concise and accessible chapters, providing an authoritative introduction for non-specialists and readers from undergraduate level upwards, as well as up-to-date foundational content for those familiar with the field

In Memoriam of Alfred S. Evans This third edition of Bacterial Infections of Humans is dedicated to Alfred Spring Evans, who died on January 21, 1996, 2Yz years after a diagnosis of cancer. Al was the senior editor of this textbook, which he founded with Harry Feldman in 1982. Al was a clinician, epidemiologist, educator, catalyst for biomedical research, historian, author, speaker, seeker of the truth, sincere friend of students, sports enthusiast, traveler, and truly a man of all seasons. He was a devoted husband to Brigette Klug Evans, father of three children, and grandfather of four. Al was born in Buffalo, New York, on August 21,1917, to Ellen Spring and John H. Evans, M.D., one ofthe United States's first anesthesiologists and an early researcher in the field of oxygen therapy. He received his undergraduate training at the University of Michigan; was awarded an M.D. degree in 1943 from the University of Buffalo; interned in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and performed his medical residency at the Goldwater Hospital in New York City. He was in the United States Army from 1944 to 1946, assigned as a public health officer to a base in Okinawa, Japan. It was there that he met Drs.