Salmonella - foodborne pathogen and antimicrobial resistance

Abstract

Foodborne diseases encompass a wide spectrum of illnesses and are a growing public health problem worldwide. They are caused by consumption of food or water contaminated by pathogenic (disease-causing) microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses and parasites. The contamination of food can occur at any stage in the process from food production to consumption (“farm to fork”) and can result from environmental contamination (water, soil or air). They enter the body through the gastrointestinal tract where the first symptoms often occur like nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, and diarrhoea. However, symptoms differ among the different types of foodborne diseases and the patient’s immune status. Symptoms can sometimes be severe and some foodborne illnesses can even be fatal. Commonly recognized foodborne infections are: campylobacteriosis, Escherichia coli O157:H7 infection and haemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), salmonellosis, cryptosporidiosis, listeriosis, giardiasis. norovirus infection, scombroid fish poisoning, shigellosis, toxoplasmosis, Vibrio infection and yersiniosis. One of the top three germs that cause illnesses from food eaten in EU is Salmonella.