Food safety has always been the focus of people's attention. There are 4.8 million people get sick each year in United States because of eating food contaminated by pathogens. In order to identify harmful bacteria in food before eating, it is necessary to develop a reliable and rapid method to detect the presence of pathogen in food. Creative Biolabs has the comprehensive and robust expertise in foodborne pathogen detection and have established a reliable phage-based pathogen detection platform. Leveraging this platform, we provide foodborne pathogen detection service for worldwide clients.
Foodborne pathogens are the major threat of public health problems worldwide. Most foodborne diseases are caused through eating food or drinking water contaminated by pathogens. Common types of foodborne pathogens include bacteria, viruses, parasites. Bacteria are small, one-celled microbes which are the largest group of problematic foodborne pathogens. Salmonella, Clostridium perfringens, Campylobacter, Staphylococcus aureus, E. coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes are well known species of foodborne bacteria. Salmonella is the major agent of diarrhea and is the most common cause of foodborne deaths. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that approximate 1.2 million Americans get sick, 23,000 are hospitalized and 450 die each year due to eating food contaminated by Salmonella. Campylobacter is the second most common bacteria cause of diarrhea in United States and infects about 1.3 million Americans annually. According to these official government statistics, we should pay great attention to the prevention and control of foodborne pathogen contamination. Thus, it is very important to develope a rapid and reliable method for foodborne pathogenic bacteria detection.
| Pathogens | Typical Symptoms | Food Vehicles |
| Salmonella | Headache, fever, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, vomiting and nausea | Undercooked poultry, raw egg desserts and mayonnaise, sprouts, tahini |
| Clostridium perfringens | Abdominal cramps, watery diarrhea and nausea | Meats, poultry, gravy, dried or precooked foods |
| Campylobacter | Fever, nausea, abdominal cramps and diarrhea (sometimes bloody) | Raw or undercooked poultry, unpasteurized (raw) milk and contaminated water |
| Staphylococcus aureus | Sudden onset of vomiting and abdominal cramps | Cream desserts and pastries, potato salad |
| E. coli O157:H7 | Hemolytic uremic syndrome | Fecally contaminated undercooked ground beef, unpasteurized milk and juices, and inadequately washed fruits and vegetables |
| Listeria monocytogenes | Meningitis, sepsis, fever | Soft cheeses, unpasteurised milk, ready-to-eat deli meats |
Creative Biolabs is skilled in detecting pathogens in food sources. We have established a powerful and innovative phage-based pathogen detection platform including engineered reporter bacteriophage and nonengineered bacteriophage methods, which are reliable for detecting foodborne pathogens. Reporter bacteriophages infect their specific host bacteria, resulting in light emission which can be easily detected by luminometers. Nonengineered bacteriophages methods include phage typing, phage amplification, phage-mediated electrochemical-based methods, surface plasmon resonance-based sensing, phage adenylate kinase assay, which are also viable alternative methods for foodborne pathogen detection. Based on these methods, we are confident in customizing an optimal solution for foodborne pathogen detection.
If you are interested in phage-based foodborne pathogen detection, please feel free to contact us for more details.
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