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ARS Home » Plains Area » College Station, Texas » Southern Plains Agricultural Research Center » Food and Feed Safety Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #131488
Title: PREHARVEST INTERVENTION STRATEGIES TO REDUCE FOOD BORNE PATHOGENS IN FOOD ANIMAL

Author
item Callaway, Todd
item Anderson, Robin
item Edrington, Thomas
item Elder, Robert
item Genovese, Kenneth - Ken
item Bischoff, Kenneth
item Poole, Toni
item Nisbet, David

Submitted to: Journal of Animal Science
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/22/2002
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Annually, food borne pathogenic bacteria sicken more than 76 million Americans. Many of these illnesses are caused by consumption of foodstuffs produced from animals. Although post harvest intervention strategies are targeted at reducing bacterial contamination from the abattoir to the table, food borne illnesses and deaths still occur, suggesting that pre- harvest intervention strategies are needed to effectively reduce human foodborne illness. Several preharvest intervention strategies have been contemplated and are currently under investigation. Potential strategies to be discussed include; vaccination, competitive exclusion, substrate- adapted competitive exclusion, and the use of probiotics and prebiotics (e.g., fructooligosaccharides). Other strategies such as the use of bacteriophage to specifically target certain pathogenic bacteria, the exploitation of the physiology of specific pathogens, the use of antibiotics to reduce specific pathogens, as well as the effects of management strategies (dietary changes, transportation, and stress) will also be discussed. The use of these pre-harvest intervention strategies at multiple critical control points can potentially reduce the incidence of food borne illness due to human food pathogens.