Non-antibiotic Approaches to Control Food-Borne Pathogens

Dear Colleagues,

Foodborne illnesses have a major public health impact in the US and worldwide. They affect approximately one in six Americans annually, leading to approximately 128,000 hospitalizations and 3000 deaths. The estimated annual costs of foodborne illness alone are about USD 77.7 billion per year. Currently, treatment and control of these pathogens rely mainly on the use of antibiotics. Consequently, this has resulted in an increase in the development of antimicrobial-resistant zoonotic foodborne bacterial pathogens, which can be transmitted to humans through the food chain. However, infection with antibiotic-resistant bacteria negatively impacts public health due to an increased incidence of treatment failure and severity of infection. The number of antibiotic-resistant bacteria isolated from humans and animals has increased over the last two decades due to the misuse of antibiotics in both human and food-producing animals, leading to the global emergency of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. There is an urgent need to identify and develop novel strategies that can reduce the foodborne pathogens and antibiotic resistance. These approaches include but are not limited to probiotics, antivirulence and quorum sensing inhibitors, small molecules, peptides, essential oils, nanoparticles, and vaccines.

Dr. Yosra A. Helmy
Dr. Essa Saied
Guest Editors

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