Foodborne microbial pathogens: mechanisms and pathogenesis

Abstract

In addition, diseases caused by viruses, parasites, mycotoxins, and seafood toxins have been included.In Chap.3, a comprehensive review on the digestive system, mucosal immunity, and the host immune system have been described.This chapter provides the basic foundation for the understanding of the complexity of disease production by foodborne pathogens.First of all, foodborne pathogens' primary site of action is the digestive tract; therefore one must have adequate knowledge to understand the interaction of pathogens with host gastrointestinal tract and second, host innate and adaptive immune responses dictate the progression of a disease.Moreover, some pathogens exploit host immune system as part of their disease producing mechanism.Therefore, it is essential to have some basic understanding of immune system in order to understand the disease process.As it is often said -"It takes two to tango"; or "One need two hands to clap," thus I believe, the knowledge of biology of a pathogen, and the corresponding host immune response go hand in hand to comprehend the full picture of pathogenesis process.In Chap.4, general mechanism of foodborne pathogens have been included to provide the overall big picture of mechanism of infection and intoxication.In Chap.5, a brief review on the animal and cell culture models as necessary tools to study pathogenesis is discussed.In Chaps.6-15, sources, biology, pathogenic mechanism, prevention and control, and detection or diagnosis strategies for individual foodborne bacterial pathogens are described.In addition to traditional foodborne pathogens, descriptions of some of the key pathogens with bioterrorism implications such as Bacillus anthracis, and Yersinia pestis have been included to provide unique perspective.In this book, I am pleased to generate both digital and hand-drawn artworks to illustrate the pathogenic process, and I hope these illustrations will aid in better understanding of the mechanism of pathogenesis with greater enthusiasm.I also hope this textbook would be a valuable resource not only for food microbiology graduate or undergraduate students but also for the medical microbiologists, microbiology professionals, and academicians involved in food microbiology and food safety-related research or teaching.