Investigations by the Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire Méditerranée Infection of food and food-borne infections in the Mediterranean Basin and in sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

Food-borne infections are major causes of public health concern in developing and developed countries. During the past decade, the Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire Méditerranée Infection has conducted or been involved in multiple investigations that aimed at identifying the sources and strains responsible for food-borne diseases and therefore at improving the understanding, diagnosis, prevention and control of these infections. Investigations were conducted in the Mediterranean area and in sub-Saharan Africa on more than 15 food-borne agents, 17 food products and 14 antibiotic resistance-associated genes. Multiple sources, including unexpected ones, and pathogens, including emerging ones, were involved. Travelling in developing countries and zoonoses are major contributors to food-borne infections, while food-borne transmission of resistance-associated genes is increasingly reported. However, risk factors and pathogens associated with food-borne infections likely remain untapped and must be more extensively investigated, monitored and regularly reassessed. Diagnostic tests based on new technologies and real-time surveillance tools based on microbiology laboratory data are promising approaches to detect known food-borne infections and decipher new ones. Studies of the microbiota and its relationships with dietary patterns are also worth being conducted.

Traditional and Artisanal Beverages in Nigeria: Microbial Diversity and Safety Issues

“…A proposed primary prevention strategy in developing countries and for travelers to these regions is the continuous development of new vaccines [169]. Foodborne disease outbreaks due to the presence of E. coli toxins in food is common [170] and the aetiology of some shiga toxin E. coli strains has been reported to be up to 87 h [154], which may be helpful for medical interventions when it is suspected that it has been ingested. The implications of persistent foodborne diarrheagenic E. coli in the agricultural and food production environment for food safety and public health has been reviewed.…”

Food Safety Practices and Associated Factors in Food Operators: A Cross-Sectional Survey in the Students’ Cafeteria of Woldia University, North Eastern Ethiopia

“…However, food safety is vital for developing countries like Ethiopia due to the aggravating impact of the above concerns [1]. Foodborne infections are common on emerging continents, so widespread disease and premature death were common [2].…”

“…There is an increased incidence of diarrheal infections in African children of 3.3-4.1 cases per child per year. It is expected that 800,000 children in Africa die each year from diarrhea and dehydration [2]. People with malaria, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and other diseases in developing countries are more vulnerable to being weakened by unsafe foods because their immune systems are more likely to deteriorate [3].…”