Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in food pathogen detection

Abstract

Food borne diseases (FBDs) are of foremost public health concern in the world. Those are accountable for millions of deaths worldwide and placing a tremendous burden on the socioeconomic status of developing countries. Currently, reliable statistical estimates for the global influence of FBDs are not available. However, diarrhoeal diseases alone, which form a generous percentage of FBDs, kill 1.9 million children globally every year.1 The majority of FBDs are generated by the consumption of foods contaminated with pathogenic bacteria, viruses or parasites. Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella enterica, Bacillus cereus, Vibrio spp., Campylobacter jejuni, Clostridium perfringens, Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli and norovirus are some common examples of such microorganisms.2 Mass scale food processors are generally implementing food quality management systems (e.g. ISO 9001) and food safety management systems (e.g. ISO 22000) throughout their entire food chain which restricting the access of food borne pathogens (FBPs) into particular food products. However, increasing demand for street foods and minimally processed foods yet has the risk. Therefore, detection, identification, characterization, and quantification of FBPs in foodstuffs with greater accuracy, sensitivity and rapidity are an utmost important proactive approach to eliminate FBDs.