1. Food borne animal
parasites, viruses and food
borne biohazards

2. Biohazards
(toxins)
Parasites
Food borne illnesses
Viruses
Bacteria
Chemicals

3. Parasites

4. Parasites..??
• Organisms that obtain their food from other living
creatures
• Smaller than their food source and this
distinguishes them from predators which also eat
other living things
• Common food borne animal parasites - worms
and protozoa
• Worms include tapeworms (cestodes), flukes
(trematodes) and roundworms (nematodes)

6. 1. Protozoan Parasites
• One-celled organisms but are larger and more
complex than bacteria
• Generally not susceptible to antibiotics that kill
bacteria but there are effective drugs to treat some
(not all) parasitic infections
• Most common types;
– Toxoplasma
– Cryptosporidium
– Cyclospora
– Entamoeba
– Giardia

7. Toxoplasma
• Toxoplasma gondii
• Obligate, intracellular, parasitic protozoan that
causes toxoplasmosis
• Infection in humans and other warm-blooded
animals can occur
– by consuming raw or undercooked meat containing T.
gondii tissue cysts
– by ingesting water, soil, vegetables, or anything
contaminated with oocysts shed in the feces of an
infected animal
– from a blood transfusion or organ transplant
– transplacental transmission from mother to fetus,
particularly when T. gondii is contracted
during pregnancy

8. Toxoplasma

9. Life cycle
•Sexually reproduce
only within the
intestines of members
of the cat family (felids)

10. Risk factors of toxoplasmosis and
preventive methods
• Diminished vision or blindness after birth of child,
more severe effects include hydrocephalus,
convulsions, and calcium deposits in the brain
• Responsible for the deaths of AIDS patients and
causes encephalitis in many immunosuppressed
• Pregnant women and immunocompromised patients
should avoid the following:
– Raw or undercooked meat or eggs
– Unpasteurized milk, particularly goat's milk
– Contact with cat feces, including changing of cat
litter trays

11. Cryptosporidium
• Mainly Cryptosporidium parvum
• Cause cryptosporidiosis, a parasitic disease of
the mammalian intestine tract
• Primary symptoms - acute, watery, and nonbloody diarrhoea
• Other symptoms -anorexia, nausea/ vomiting and
abdominal pain
• The diagnosis of C. parvum consists of serological
tests and microscopic evaluation of oocysts in
stools using Kinyoun acid-fast staining

12. Life cycle

13. • The following groups have an elevated risk of
being exposed to Cryptosporidium:
– People who swim regularly in pools with insufficient
sanitation
– Parents of infected children
– People who take care of other people with
cryptosporidiosis
– People who drink untreated water
– People, including swimmers, who swallow water from
contaminated sources
– People who handle infected cattle
– People who eat contaminated food; meat, fish, milk,
fruits and vegetables

14. Cyclospora
• Cyclospora cayetanensis
• Cause cyclosporiasis
• By consuming food or water contaminated with C.
cayetanensis oocysts (the infective stage of the
organism)
• By putting anything into mouth that has touched
the stool of a person or animal with cyclosporiasis

15. • Symptoms of cyclosporiasis; watery diarrhea
(sometimes explosive), loss of appetite, bloating,
stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, muscle aches,
low-grade fever, and fatigue
• Symptoms are more severe in persons with
weakened immune systems

16. Life cycle

17. Entamoeba
• Entamoeba histolytica
• An anaerobic, cause Amoebiasis
• Transmission of the parasite occurs when a person
ingests food/water that has been contaminated
with infected feces
• Cysts of the parasite are the viable form outside
the host. They can survive weeks in water, soils
and on foods under moist conditions.
• An active Entamoeba infection will cause diarrhea

18. Life cycle

19. • On occasion, Entamoeba is capable of traveling to
the liver

20. Giardia
• Giardia lamblia
• Single celled, flagellated, microscopic parasite
that can live in the intestines of animals and
people
• Cause giardiasis
• Giardiasis does not spread via the bloodstream,
nor does it spread to other parts of the
GI tract

21. How do people get giardiasis?
• Frequently associated with drinking
contaminated water, but some people might get
infected by consuming uncooked meat also
contaminated with G. lamblia cysts (the
infective stage of the organism)
• By putting anything into mouth that has
touched contaminated surfaces or the stool of a
person or animal with giardiasis
• Foodborne giardiasis can result from the use of
contaminated water for irrigating or washing
fruits and vegetables

22. Life cycle

23. Symptoms of giardiasis
• Most common symptoms- Diarrhea, abdominal
cramps, gas, and nausea
• Chronic infection might lead to dehydration and
severe weight loss

24. 2. Parasitic Worms
• animals that typically have a long cylindrical tubelike body and no legs
• Various types of worm occupy a small variety
of parasitic niches, living inside the bodies of
other animals.
• There are three types of worms found which act
as parasites.
– Nematoda
– Trmatoda
– Cestoda

25. Anisakis and Pseudoterranova
(Sealworm,Codworm)
• Anisakiasis was first recognized as a human
disease about forty years ago.
• Found with fish
• chub mackerel and flying squid in Japan and
pickled anchovies, raw sardines,cold smoked
salmon, raw or pickled herring are some
vectors.

26. • Other fish, including
whiting, mackerel, pollack, and flounder,may
also contain these parasites with anisakid
larvae.
• varies by season and increases with fish size
Water temperatures and seal populations may
also affect the abundance of these parasites

27. The way of forming of Anisakis
• Adult worms in these marine mammals produce
eggs
• That pass out with the feces, hatch, and the
larvae are consumed by shrimp.
• When fish or squid eat the shrimp, the larvae are
released, bore through the stomach wall,
• and may remain in the abdominal cavity or
penetrate near by muscles.
• The life cycle is completed when infected fish or
squid are eaten by marine mammals

28. Life cycle of Anisakis

29. What’s happened when larvae are
ingested by human ???
• Humans are an accidental host and these
larvae cannot mature in the human gut.
Instead the worms burrow into the intestinal
or stomach wall and may wander to the liver,
lungs or other tissues, causing
• gastric disturbances and allergic reactions.
larvae found in herrings body cavity

30. Ascaris lumbricoides
• Ascaris lumbricoides is a common intestinal
roundworm parasite infecting an estimated
one-quarter of the world’s population.
• Lack of adequate hygiene could spread egg of
this nematode to people who ingest
contaminated foods and drink water.

31. Life cycle of ascaris
• Humans are the only known host for this roundworm.
• Eggs passed out with feces may be ingested by the
same or another person
• By drinks contaminated water, eats with dirty hands, or
eats uncooked vegetables that have been fertilized
with contaminated human wastes.
• Upon ingestion, the eggs hatch in the intestine
• The worms may migrate to the lungs or
• liver before returning to the intestine and maturing.

32. Life cycle of Ascaris

33. What are the main causes of Ascaris ??
• Infected babies become stunts growth and
contributes to diarrheal infections and early
childhood mortality.
• Infected adults do not exhibit symptoms
• these worms irritate the intestinal lining and
interfere absorption of fats and protein.
• Ascaris causes more severe infections in the
liver or lungs.

34. Clonorchis/Opisthorchis (Liver flukes)
• In eastern and southeastern Asia, several related
parasitic worms of the genera Clonorchis and
Opisthorchis lodge in the liver of infected humans
and other animals causing blockage and
hyperplasia of the bile passages.

35. The way of contamination occur
• Cats and several other animals are vectors
• Raw fish can spread this liver flukes
• Additionally this will be a issue to some other
countries like USA who are importing fresh
water fishes of Asian countries.

36. Life cycle
• Involve two intermediate hosts, snails and
fish.
• Humans and other fish-eating animals
complete the life cycle by
– eating raw, infected fish and digesting out the
cysts.
– Then the larvae migrate to the liver, mature, and
produce eggs.

38. What happened after infection ??
• Light infections cause mild symptoms like liver
dysfunction
• Heavier infections result in hepatitis and
digestive disorders.
• According to epidemiological reviews there is
significant association between
– chronic infection
– liver cancer,
– cholangiocarcinoma

39. Fasciolopsis buski (Fasciolopsiasis,
Intestinal fluke)
• F. buski is the largest trematode infecting
humans,
• Worms most commonly inhabit the intestines
of farm pigs and school age children in Asian
countries.

40. Life cycle of Fasciolopsis buski
• This parasite requires a single intermediate host.
• Eggs are deposited in feces, hatch in water, and
the larvae penetrate snails and undergo
development.
• After 4–6 weeks the parasites emerge from the
• snails and encyst in water or on aquatic plants.
• Consumption of contaminated water or of raw
aquatic vegetables allows for completion of the
life cycle

42. How is it infected..???
• Consumption of
– contaminated water
– raw aquatic vegetables

43. Causes due to infection
• Mild infection
– Anemia,
– headache, and gastric distress
• Heavier infections
– severe abdominal pain, malnutrition, edema
– sometimes intestinal blockage.

44. cestoda

45. Taenia spp.
• Most familiar worm found in intestine of
human when they re infected.
• there are number of species which used
several animals as human, dog, even beares as
there hosts.

46. • T. solium, in particular, may be present in as
many as 20% of hogs
• causes debilitating human disease that is
difficult and expensive to treat

48. • Taenia life cycles involve two mammalian hosts.
• Adults in the human intestine may live for more
than twenty years, producing several thousand
eggs daily
• That pass out with the feces.
• If these are consumed by an intermediate host,
they develop into larvae (cysticerci) which
migrate to the muscles.
• Consumption of raw or inadequately cooked,
infected beef or

50. How is it infected ??
•
•
•
•
Via dirty hands or
Fecally contaminated vegetables
Contaminated water
Or foods

51. Symptoms of infection
•
•
•
•
Altered appetite
Abdominal pain
Diarrhea
Constipation

52. Problems related with infection
• Cysticercosis
• The most serious consequences occur when
the larvae reach the brain, causing
neurocysticercosis
• often triggers
– headaches, seizures, and other neurological
symptoms

53. Food borne
Biohazards

54. Biotoxins
• Biotoxin is a poisonous substance that is a specific
product of the metabolic activities of a living
organism (Plant, animal, bacteria, fungus)
• Cause food intoxications
• Toxicity depends on dose

55. Food Intoxication
• Microbes grow in foods produce toxins
• Toxins are ingested with the food and cause health
problems
• Most heat treatments are effective to kill
microbes, but toxins remain

56. Toxin classification
Organism
Toxin
Bacteria
Botulinum toxin, Staphylococcus
toxin
Fungi
Afalatoxin, Mycotoxin,
Ochratoxin, Patulin
Toxic algae
Okadaic acid
Natural toxins
Histamine, Glycoalcoloids

57. Toxin characteristics
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Non replicative (Most are proteinaceous)
Non transmittable (human to human)
Nonvolatile
Colorless
Odorless
Tasteless
Most are stable at standard conditions

58. 1. Botulism toxin
• Agent: Chlostridium botulinum
• Toxicity: 1ng/kg
– 500g is enough to kill the human race
• Disturb the acetylecholine mechanism at
neuromuscular junctions
• Symptoms
– Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, lethargy,
double vision, respiratory stress, death

59. Food sources
•
•
•
•
Improperly canned foods (>pH 4.6)
Smoked salmon, trout
Fermented foods (Saeurkraut, pickled vegetables)
Foods preserved in oil (Fish)
Saeurkraut
Canned foods

60. 2.Staphylococcus toxin
• Agent: Staphylococcus aureus
• Toxicity: 1μg cause illness
• Disturbs the regulation of intestinal fluid
regulation system
• Symptoms:
– Sudden nausea, vomiting, excessive salivation,
abdominal cramps, diarrhea, dehydration
• Toxin is heat stable

61. Food sources
•
•
•
•
Cooked ham, meat products, poultry
Home made sausages
Milk, cheese
Cream filled pastries
Cooked ham

62. 3. Afalatoxin
•
•
•
•
Agent: Aspergillus flarus
Afalatoxin B1, B2, G1, G2 (B1 is the most common)
Toxicity: 0.5-10 mg/kg
Liver cancer, chronic hepatitis, jaundice, cirrhosis
(Low levels long time)
• Cause acute toxicity, and potentially death (High
exposure)

63. Food Sources
•
•
•
•
•
Peanuts and peanut butter
Tree nuts such as pecans
Corn
Wheat
Oil seeds such as cottonseed
peanut butter

64. 4. Ochratoxin
•
•
•
•
•
Agent: Aspergillus ochraceus
Toxicity: No documented acute toxicity in humans
Tolerable weekly intake 120ng/kg (EFSA)
Has genotoxic and teratogenic effects
Relatively heat stable

65. Food Sources
•
•
•
•
•
Soy beans
Coffee beans
Grapes
Peanuts
Cereals
Coffee beans
Grapes

66. 5. Patulin
• Agent: Aspergillus clavatus. Penicillium expansum
• Toxicity: No documented acute toxicity
• Provisional maximum tolerable daily intake
0.4μg/kg
• Relatively heat stable and not destroyed by
pasteurization

67. Food Sources
• Apple and apple juice
• Pears, grapes, bilberries may affect
• Sweet cider
Apple and apple juice

69. How to control
• Good agricultural practices to avoid insect
damages and mold infection
• Good storage practices (Store below 100C, control
moisture, control RH)
• Separation of contaminated foods before
processing

70. How to control
• Follow proper food handling and canning
methods
• Maintain good hygienic practices
• Rules and Regulations

71. Food Born
Viruses

72. Characteristics
– Small microorganism
– Parasites that replicate/ propagate themselves
within suitable living host cells
– Do not reproduce in food
– Spread usually result of poor hygiene
– Relatively stable and acid resistant outside host
cells

73. Major 3 types
Hepatitis
A
Rotavirus
Food born
viruses
Norwalk
Virus

74. 1. Hepatitis A virus
• Infection
• Incubation: 10-50 days
• Deceases called as Hepatitis A
Infection in humans occur
– Eat or drink food or water that has been contaminated by
feces containing the hepatitis A virus (fruits, vegetables,
shellfish, ice, and water)
– Contact with the feces or blood of a person who currently
has the disease
– A person with hepatitis A does not wash his or her hands
properly after going to the bathroom and touches other
objects or food
– Participate in sexual practices that involve oral-anal contact

75. Hepatitis A cont.…
• Virulence Mechanisms:
– Ingest virus through food/water/fomite
– Possibly infects intestinal cells
– Moves to liver
– Does not kill liver cells
– Immune response - T-cell destruction of infected
cells
– Virus excreted in bile, then faces

76. Hepatitis A cont.…
• Symptoms: 2 - 6 weeks after being exposed to
the hepatitis A virus
– systemic infection characterized by
gastrointestinal manifestations and liver injury.
•
•
•
•
•
Sudden fever
Vomiting
Jaundice
abdominal discomfort and bile in urine (Dark urine)
Fatigue

77. 2. Rotavirus
• Infection
• Incubation: 1-3 days
• Inflammation of the stomach and intestines
Infection in humans occur
– Ingestion of contaminated food or water
– Direct contact with contaminated surfaces and
then putting the hands in the mouth

78. Virulence Mechanisms:
• Infects cells that line the small intestine cells
• Produces enterotoxin
• Induces gastroenteritis
• Severe diarrhea and sometimes death through
gastroenteritis
Symptoms:
–
–
–
–
Fever
Stomach cramps
vomiting, and diarrhea
Dehydration

79. 3. Norwalk Virus
• Infection
• Incubation: 12 to 48 hours
• infection of the stomach and intestines
Transitions:
– ready to eat foods, molluscs and uncooked
– eating food or drinking liquids that are contaminated
with norovirus,
– touching surfaces or objects contaminated with
norovirus then putting your fingers in your mouth, or
– touched infected workers or any other foods
contaminated with vomit or feces from an infected
person
•

80. • Symptoms :
– Nausea
– Vomiting (more often children)
– Diarrhea (more often adults)
– Anorexia
– Low grade fever, aches, chills, malaise
• Recovery: 12 to 60 hours usually
• Shedding up to 1 week! (feces, vomit)

81. Virulence Mechanisms:
– Eat or drink food or water that has been
contaminated by feces containing the hepatitis A
virus (fruits, vegetables, shellfish, ice, and water)
– Contact with the feces or blood of a person who
currently has the disease
– A person with hepatitis A does not wash his or her
hands properly after going to the bathroom and
touches other objects or food
– Participate in sexual practices that involve oralanal contact

82. Referenes
• http://www.foodsafetywatch.org/category/fac
tsheets/biotoxins/