FOOD SCIENCE: AN ECOLOGICAL APPROACH Special Topic: Food Safety & Bioterrorism Jill M. Merrigan

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1 FOOD SCIENCE: AN ECOLOGICAL APPROACH Special Topic: Food Safety & Bioterrorism Jill M. Merrigan The CDC, Center for Disease Control and Prevention states that food-related diseases affect tens of millions of people and kill thousands. According to their website, Tracking single cases of foodborne illness and investigating outbreaks are critical public health functions in which CDC is deeply involved. 1 The cause of foodborne illness and disease is seen as unintentional and intentional. Following the events of September 11, 2001 the United States was forced to recognize their vulnerability to bioterrorist attacks through their agriculture and food supply. According to the CDC, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, A bioterrorism attack is a deliberate release of viruses, bacteria, or other germs (agents) used to cause illness or death in people, animals or plants. 2 The CDC recognizes the importance of defending the U.S. population, agriculture, and food infrastructures from biological agents that lead to food contamination. According to CDC, About 48 million people (1 in 6 Americans) get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die each year from foodborne diseases, according to recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This is a significant public health burden that is largely preventable. 1 According to Henry Parker, a researcher at USDA s Agricultural Research Service there are five possible targets of agricultural bioterrorism including an attack on the field crops, farm animals, food items in the processing or distribution chain, market-ready foods at the whole or retail level, and agricultural facilities. Processing plants, storage facilities, wholesale and retail outlets, elements of the transportation infrastructure, and research laboratories are all vulnerable targets of agricultural bioterrorism. 3 For terrorists, agriculture is a logical target for several reasons. The US agriculture and food infrastructures are concentrated. For example, an average-sized US dairy farm has 1,500 10,000 lactating cows at any given time. The average hatchery has flocks as large as 350,000 hens or more. The size and scale of these operations increase the odds that a contagious disease would go undetected and spread quickly. 4 The animals in the United States have very little resistance to pathogens. The United States has not had a major foreign animal outbreak in livestock or poultry in over 20 years. The homogeneity of the livestock and poultry industry is another key explanation to why the US is vulnerable to bioterrorist attacks. 4 Overall, the physical security and surveillance systems on the farms could use improvement. The processing and pacing plants also have very little security. The vast size and openness of the agricultural and food infrastructures mean that there are several points where contamination can occur. 4 Biological Agents/Diseases

2 Biological agents, including pathogens are concerns for intentional food contamination in the US. Threatening bioterrorism agents and diseases are broken into three main categories. Category A are high priority agents that include organisms that pose a risk to a national security because they can be easily disseminated or transmitted from person to person, resulting in high mortality rates and have the potential for major public health impact, might cause public panic and social disruption, and require special action for public health preparedness. Examples include anthrax, botulism, and smallpox. 3 Category B agents and diseases are the second highest priority and include those that are moderately easy to disseminate, result in moderate morbidity rates and low mortality rates, and require specific enhancements of CDC s diagnostic capacity and enhances disease surveillance. Examples of category B agents include: glanders, brucellosis, and melliodosis. 3 Category C is the third highest priority agents including emerging pathogens that could be engineered for mass dissemination in the future because of availability, east of production and dissemination, and potential for high morbidity and mortality rates with a major health impact. 3 CDC explains that many biological agents spread through air, through water, or in food. Most biological agents are found in nature and through alteration their intensity and ability to cause and spread disease can be strengthened. It can be difficult to identify food contamination and biological agents. Illness and disease caused by these agents appear symptomatic several hour or days after infecting the individual or organism. 3 Food Contamination in the US Food contamination in the United States that results in foodborne illnesses can be broken down into two categories, intentional contamination and unintentional contamination. After an intentional release of a biological agent the immediate impact will not necessarily be evident. However, over time its impact will begin to be apparent within contaminated communities. Dr. Tamara Bushell, author of Unintentional and Intentional Contamination of the Food Supply, identifies four factors that indicate the intentional release of a biological agent, including: an unusual temporal or geographic clustering of illness, such as illness occurring in persons attending the same public event or gathering patients presenting with clinical signs and symptoms that suggest an infectious disease outbreak an unusual age distribution for common diseases, such as an increase in what appears to be a chickenpox-like illness in adults a large number of cases of acute flaccid paralysis The anthrax attack in 2001 is an example of the release of a biological age with an intention to cause illness and disease. This cause of illness in this situation was difficult

3 to identify because the apparent symptoms represented other illnesses. Itwas not directly linked to a foodborne illness making it difficult to pinpoint its routes. Unintentional Food Contamination While the U.S. needs to be aware of intentional food contamination, they also need to be prepared to handle food supplies that become contaminated without intent. Foodborne diseases are becoming more prevalent and a growing concern for the government and food industry. The number of reported foodborne illnesses are increasing because of the ease of worldwide shipment of fresh and frozen foods, the increasing demand for traditional foods by immigrant populations, a growing demand for a variety of food, and the developing new food industries, explains Bushell. 4 Prevention and Protection During the past century, the impact of foodborne illnesses has intensified, forcing the government and food industry to change how they monitor the quality of the US food supply. The government and food industry are developing strategies to prevent and limit the occurrence of intentional and unintentional food contamination. According to Bushell, The goal behind these new collaborative programs is to increase inspection capacity, improve surveillance, enhance response, and minimize the damage caused by a foodborne disease outbreak and other natural or manmade catastrophes. 4 Several bills have been passed to handle food safety in the US. In 2002, the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act (Bioterrorism Act) was signed by President Bush. This act aims to have he US Department of Health and Human Services to establish standards for agricultural security and inspection, surveillance of ports of entry, and enhance the methods of protecting against bioterrorism. 4 Additionally, the USDA is focused on efforts to implement programs to expand education and the necessary skills involved with defending against bioterrorism and food contamination. Their goal is to inform producers and affiliated industries of the surveillance goals and to encourage the reporting of suspect or targeted cattle on farms or elsewhere. 4 Academic institutions are also taking responsibility in improving food safety in the U.S. Academic institutions in the US are striving to increase the number of adequately trained personnel who are trained to handle a catastrophic event like bioterrorism on the U.S. food supply. It is important to improve the education of and increase the numbers of trained personnel in state and local public and animal health departments and laboratories. With a stronger, more knowledgeable team working to defend the food supply it might be possible reduce the numbers and impact of foodborne disease outbreaks. Many academic institutions are designing programs to educate and increase the awareness among their consumers. Washington State University has developed a website

4 that teaches and shares information on food safety including topics of personal hygiene to food handling procedures. 4 There are many ways in which Americans can protect themselves from foodborne illnesses and disease. The CDC recommends a few simple precautions can reduce the risk of foodborne disease, and stresses the importance of keeping food clean, separating uncooked meat from utensils and cutting boards, cooking meat poultry and eggs thoroughly, refrigerating leftovers as soon as possible to prevent bacteria from growing at room temperature, and finally reporting any suspected foodborne illness to local health departments. 1 1 Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Estimates of Foodborne Illness in United States. Retrieved February 8, 2011, from 2 Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Emergency Preparedness & Response: Bioterrorism Overview. Retrieved February 2, 2011, from 3 Peters, K.M.(2003). Officials fear terrorist attack on US food supply. Retrieved February 1, 2011, from 4 Edelstein Sari, Gerald B., Bushell, T.C., Gunderson C. Food and Nutrition At Risk in America: Food Insecurity, Biotechonology, Food Safety, and Bioterrorism. Sudbury, Massachusetts: Jones and Bartlett; 2009.

The Threat of Agroterrorism and Zoonotic Diseases in the United States

The Threat of Agroterrorism and Zoonotic Diseases in the United States Gary Alan Flory Gary.Flory@deq.virginia.gov http://garyflory.com Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, VA 22801, USA Written