Abstract

What’s New on Detection of Foodborne Parasites

Lucy Robertson, Professor, Norwegian University of Life Sciences

Among the pathogens that can be transmitted via food, parasites are often neglected. However, there are a wide diversity of parasites that can be transmitted by food, including roundworms (nematodes), tapeworms (cestodes), flukes (trematodes), and protozoa; depending on parasite, the potential transmission vehicles can include fish, meat, and fresh produce. Globally, millions of people are affected by foodborne parasites, and these pathogens are not just associated with, or transmitted in, developing countries. This presentation will focus on protozoa and their transmission via fresh produce; recent outbreaks have resulted in renewed attention being drawn towards these pathogens. However, due to the long incubation time between ingestion and symptoms, as well as diagnostic problems, foodborne transmission is often difficult to prove. Although the transmission stages of protozoan parasites cannot replicate on fresh produce, they are extremely hardy and are likely to survive conditions and treatments that will kill bacterial pathogens. This presentation will give an overview of protozoan parasites that may be transmitted via contaminated fresh produce, recorded outbreaks, and methodological considerations in the analysis of fresh produce for these pathogens.