Zoonotic infections infections in livestock and the risk to public health - Abstract

Introduction

J Scudamore

Since first being identified as a cause of disease in humans in 1982, verocytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli O157 (VTEC O157) has emerged as a significant public health problem. Clinical manifestation of infection in humans ranges from mild diarrhoea to life threatening haemorrhagic colitis, with haemolytic uraemic syndrome developing in a small percentage of infections.

In 1992 the Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food (ACMSF) concerned at the increasing number of reports of this emerging pathogen, set up a working group to assess the significance of VTEC O157 as a foodborne pathogen and the committee reported with recommendations in 1995. A year later in November 1996 a very serious outbreak of food poisoning occurred in Central Scotland in which 496 confirmed cases and 21 deaths in elderly patients followed the consumption of meat products contaminated with VTEC O157. Further recommendations were issued in a report from a group headed by Professor Hugh Pennington which was set up after this incident.

Much of the work to be reported originates from studies that were commissioned as a result of these two reports and it is welcome and appropriate that Professor Doug Georgala Chairman of ACMSF and Professor Hugh Pennington are contributing to the Meeting .

In the past few years it has been established that animals, particularly ruminants, are a source of VTEC O157 for the human population. The organism rarely causes disease in animals. It is carried as an inapparent infection. The results of the on farm and abattoir studies that will be reported will begin to fill in some of the gaps in our knowledge of the condition in animals. The abattoir surveillance study is an example of active surveillance and covers not only VTEC O157 but also other foodborne pathogens the results of which will be reported at the meeting later in the year. It is intended that this study will be repeated at intervals to allow for an assessment of changes in prevalence of these infections with time.

The decision to hold a meeting at this time was made because of the number of studies that had been completed or were coming to fruition. It was thought that it would be useful to have an opportunity to consider all the information together. For some of the studies, however, it does mean that information is provisional, but the results that are to be reported are not expected to be substantially different from those that will be released when full data has been analysed. An early release date also means that much of the data is being put into the public domain before the studies have been peer reviewed. It was decided that it was more important that information was made public now rather than wait for publications to appear in peer reviewed journals. It can be assured, however, that peer review will follow.

The programme has been designed with the intention that the data in livestock, where possible, can be put into appropriate context. Other contributions will look at the routes of infection for humans, significant risk factors associated with human infection and the overall importance of the condition. The final session will provide an overview of aims of current research and current recommendations to protect public health.

It is hoped that contributions to the meeting will not just be from the speakers on the programme, but at the end of each paper the views of the audience both on the work carried out and future direction of new studies will be welcomed.

Back to index of abstracts