Description
Taylor & Francis Laboratory Models For Foodborne Infections by Dongyou Liu
Resulting from ingestion of inappropriately prepared or stored foods containing pathogenic viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites, foodborne infections have become a significant source of human morbidity and mortality worldwide in recent decades. This may be largely attributable to the remarkable popularity of convenient, ready-to-eat food products, the dramatic expansion of international food trades, and the continuing growth of immuno-suppressed population groups. Although anti-microbial treatments have played a crucial part in the control of foodborne infections in the past, the emergence and spread of anti-microbial resistance render the existing treatments ineffective. Additionally, our limited understanding of the molecular mechanisms of foodborne infections has thwarted our efforts in the development of efficacious vaccines for foodborne pathogens.
Given the obvious benefits of laboratory models in foodborne disease research, a great number of experiments have been conducted toward the elucidation of host-pathogen interactions in and pathogenic mechanisms of foodborne infe