ABSTRACT

Introduction............................................................................................................303 Foods Involved in Bacterial Foodborne Outbreaks ..............................................304 Potential Reasons for Pathogen Emergence..........................................................306 Effects of Stress on Bacteria .................................................................................309 Effects of Food-Related Stresses on Bacteria.......................................................312 Research Needed to Control Stressed Pathogens in Foods ..................................317 Research Approaches for Control of Stressed Pathogens.....................................321 Novel Pathogen Control Strategies .......................................................................331 Practical Application of Pathogen Control Strategies...........................................334 Conclusions............................................................................................................336 References..............................................................................................................337

Despite the extensive scientific progress and technological developments achieved in recent years, food safety problems continue to exist and may actually increase in the future. It is estimated that foodborne diseases cause approximately 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths in the United States each year, most due to unknown causative agents (Mead et al., 1999). Among the known pathogens associated with foodborne illness, there is an increasing involvement of environmentally resistant and host-adapted species or strains, which may be difficult to inactivate or control with traditional food preservation methods (Alterkruse et al., 1997; Foster, 1997; Tauxe, 1997).