ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the known or suspected role of other types of viruses in causing foodborne disease in humans; it summarizes the available information on the foodborne spread of prions. The global impact of foodborne disease is immense. Tick-borne encephalitis is one of the few well-documented examples of a nonenteric foodborne virus. A raw milk-associated outbreak of poliomyelitis in 1914 is believed to be the first recorded foodborne outbreak of a viral disease. Prions and their role in the spread of foodborne disease are being discussed here mainly because of their historical link with viruses. In addition to this, several animal viruses have demonstrated an ability to cross the species barrier and may become involved in human disease. Among enteric viruses, enteroviruses are worldwide agents of disease in humans as well as many species of warm-blooded animals, though no evidence exists of cross-species virus transfer. Coronaviruses are a major cause of disease in many types of animals of economic importance.
