About this Research Topic

Background

Foodborne illnesses have a major impact on food safety and public health worldwide. In the USA alone, foodborne illnesses are leading to approximately 128,000 hospitalizations and around 3,000 deaths yearly, based on CDC estimates. They cost billions of dollars in healthcare-related and industry per year. Currently, the control of foodborne pathogens depends mainly on preventing the introduction and spread of infectious agents and on using antibiotics. The number of the antibiotic-resistant bacteria isolated from humans and animals has increased over the last two decades due to the misuse of antibiotics in both human and food-producing animals, leading to the global pandemic of antibiotic resistant bacteria. In addition, infection of humans with antibiotic-resistant bacteria leads to an increased incidence of treatment failure and disease severity which negatively affects public health. Therefore, there is a critical need to proactively devise alternative approaches to control foodborne pathogens that can help in reducing the burden of foodborne bacterial pathogens and antimicrobial resistance on public health and the economy.

We aim to provide an update on the efforts to control and mitigate foodborne pathogens in humans, animals, food, and the environment through improved surveillance of food-borne pathogens and antimicrobial resistance in food supply chain, development of antibiotic-independent and cost-effective approaches to reduce the burden of foodborne bacterial pathogens and antimicrobial resistance on public health and the economy. In this Research Topic, we welcome comprehensive, reliable, and updated information on discoveries and developments in the form of Original Articles, Review Articles, Short Communications, Methods, Opinion, Hypothesis, and Theory, which cover all aspects of food safety and public health.

This Research Topic provides a platform for the researchers to share their knowledge in studies with a particular focus on emerging and re-emerging food safety threats and their effect on public health. The scope of the Research Topic includes:
• Infectious pathogens that affect food safety and public health.
• Impact of antibiotic resistance of foodborne pathogens on public health.
• Antibiotic-alternatives to control foodborne pathogens.
• Using omics approaches to study host-pathogen interactions and drug-microbiome interaction.
• One Health approach to tackle foodborne pathogens and antimicrobial resistance at the animal–human–environment interface.

Keywords: Public Health, antibiotic- alternatives, Food Safety, antibiotic resistance, omics approach

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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