Microbial Risks
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Microorganisms come in varying shapes and sizes, from very small virus particles to larger yeasts and molds. Many can be beneficial, but some can spoil food, taint water systems and contaminate equipment resulting in inefficiencies.
Pathogens present a more serious microbial risk since they are hazardous microorganisms with the potential to cause disease in humans and/or animals, resulting in food safety and public health concerns. Valid preventive controls are needed to manage possible issues with pathogens. Ecolab brings you in-depth technical information about a number of pathogens to acquaint you with these risks, their transmission routes and how they can be controlled.
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- African Swine Fever
- B. Cereus
- BSE (Mad Cow Disease)
- Candida Auris
- C. botulinum
- Campylobacter
- Chikungunya
- Clostridioides difficile
- Clostridium Perfringens
- Coronavirus (COVID-19)
- Cronobacter sakazakii
- Cryptosporidium
- Cyclospora
- Dengue
- E. coli
- Ebola
- Foot and Mouth
- Giardia
- Hantavirus: Symptoms, Transmission & Prevention
- Hepatitis A
- Influenza
- Legionnaires' Disease
- Listeria
- Malaria
- Measles
- MERS
- Mpox
- Mumps
- Norovirus
- Pertussis
- Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)
- Salmonella
- SARS
- Shigella
- Staph Aureus Foodborne
- Staph aureus - MRSA
- Tuberculosis
- Vibrio
- West Nile Virus
- Zika Virus
Pathogen Fact Sheets
AFRICAN SWINE FEVER
AFRICAN SWINE FEVER
African Swine Fever (ASF) is a highly contagious and deadly viral disease that can impact domestic and wild pigs. In 2019, an increase in ASF outbreaks was reported in several African, Asian and European countries. The ASF virus is a large, enveloped, DNA virus. The genus is Asfivirus, a member of the Asfarviridae family.
BSE (MAD COW DISEASE)
BSE (Mad Cow Disease)
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) or Mad Cow Disease is a “transmissible, neurodegenerative, fatal brain disease of cattle.” First diagnosed in the United Kingdom in 1986, investigations suggest that bovine brain and spinal cord which was contaminated by the BSE agent (called a prion) may have been used as ingredients in cattle feed.
CLOSTRIDIUM BOTULINUM
CLOSTRIDIUM PERFRINGENS
CORONAVIRUS
Coronavirus
Coronaviruses are RNA enveloped viruses than can infect animals and humans. So far, there are six known human coronaviruses. Four of these coronaviruses are less pathogenic, generally causing only minor respiratory symptoms like the common cold. Two other coronaviruses—Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS CoV) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS CoV) —can cause serious respiratory diseases.
CHIKUNGUNYA
CHIKUNGUNYA
Chikungunya and Dengue are mosquito-borne virus infections commonly transmitted by the female mosquitoes of two particular species: Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. Dengue is found predominantly in tropical and sub-tropical areas of Asia and Latin America, with chikungunya occurring across Africa, Asia, the Americas and the Indian subcontinent.
CRONOBACTER SAKAZAKII
CRONOBACTER SAKAZAKII
Cronobacter sakazakii is a bacterium within the family Enterobacteriaceae. The organism was called "yellow-pigmented Enterobacter cloacae" until 1980, when it was renamed Enterobacter sakazakii. Recently, E. sakazakii has been re-classified as 6 species within the genus Cronobacter.
DENGUE
Dengue
Dengue and chikungunya are mosquito-borne virus infections commonly transmitted by the female mosquitoes of two particular species: Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. Dengue is found predominantly in tropical and sub-tropical areas of Asia and Latin America, with chikungunya occurring across Africa, Asia, the Americas and the Indian subcontinent.
FOOT-AND-MOUTH
Foot-And-Mouth
The foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) crisis of 2001 in the United Kingdom received a great deal of media attention and resulted in confusion regarding the differences between foot-and-mouth disease and Mad Cow disease, which is also of animal origin. As a result of the FMD outbreak, over 6 million animals were slaughtered.
GIARDIA
Giardia
Giardia duodenalis (or Giardia lamblia or Giardia intestinalis) is a single celled animal, i.e., a protozoan, that moves with the aid of several flagella. It is sometimes referred to as Lamblia intestinalis. It is the causative agent of giardiasis, an infection of the small intestine and the most frequent cause of nonbacterial diarrhea in North America.
Hantavirus
Hantavirus
Hantavirus
Hantaviruses are rodent‑borne viruses that can cause severe illness in humans. Infection occurs when aerosolized virus from rodent urine, droppings, saliva, or nesting materials is inhaled, often during cleaning or disturbance of contaminated areas.
HEPATITIS A
Hepatitis A
There are several Hepatitis viruses (Hepatitis A, B, C, D and E) that cause human liver disease. Of the five virus types, only Hepatitis A can be transmitted by food through the fecal-oral route and is considered a major foodborne disease agent. Hepatitis E virus can be waterborne, and researchers have suggested that it could also be foodborne.
H1N1 PANDEMIC FLU
H1N1 Pandemic Flu
H1N1 Pandemic Flu is a respiratory disease caused by an influenza A virus. It primarily impacts pigs, which can also become infected by avian (bird) and human strains of influenza. If pigs are infected with multiple strains, the strains may combine to create a strain that is more easily transmitted among humans.
INFLUENZA
Influenza
Influenza, commonly referred to as “flu” or “seasonal flu,” is a virus that causes a common respiratory infection with fever and often respiratory complications that is easily passed from human to human. Most people have some immunity to the common seasonal influenza and a vaccine is typically available each year.
LEGIONNAIRES' DISEASE
LEGIONNAIRES' DISEASE
Legionella pneumophila is a bacterium that can cause a disease known as legionellosis or Legionnaires' disease (LD). LD was first recognized in the late 1970's following an outbreak of pneumonia (lung infection) in people attending an American Legion conference in Philadelphia, PA.
MALARIA
Malaria
Malaria is a disease, transmitted to humans through the bite of Anopheles mosquitoes, which causes infection of the liver and red blood cells by any one of four protozoan parasites from the genus Plasmodium. It is arguably one of the three most persistent, prevalent and devastating diseases to afflict humans (along with tuberculosis and AIDS) and is considered to be a risk for almost half of the world’s population.
MPOX
Mpox
Mpox is a viral zoonotic disease that has historically occurred in tropical rainforest areas of central and west Africa. Cases of mpox have also been reported in non-endemic regions including Europe, United States and Australia. The mpox virus is a double-stranded DNA enveloped virus and can be transmitted from animal-to-human, human-to-human and via contaminated surfaces.
NOROVIRUS
Norovirus
Norovirus is widely known for causing outbreaks of illness among large numbers of people on cruise ships. Since the original virus was identified in 1968, there has been increasing recognition of norovirus as an agent of viral gastroenteritis traced to restaurants and catered meals, nursing homes, schools and camps.
PANDEMIC FLU
Pandemic Flu
Pandemic influenza is a virulent strain of human flu that causes a global outbreak of serious illness, resulting from the emergence of a new virus strain to which the overall population possesses no immunity. Because of the lack of natural immunity, the disease can spread easily from person to person.
PERTUSSIS
Pertussis
(Whooping Cough)
Pertussis, also commonly called whooping cough, is a bacterial infection of the respiratory tract caused by Bordetella pertussis. Pertussis infections occur when Bordetella pertussis bacteria attach to cilia, small hair like structures on the surfaces of some cells, in the upper respiratory tract.
SALMONELLA
Salmonella
Salmonella are a group of bacteria that can cause diarrheal illness in people. This constitutes a major public health burden and represents a significant cost to society in many countries. One species, Salmonella enterica has more than 2,000 serovars. Salmonella enterica ser.Typhimurium and Salmonella Enteritidis most commonly encountered globally.
SARS
SARS
Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a viral respiratory illness caused by a coronavirus. It was first reported in Asia in February 2003, likely originating in China. Over the next few months, the illness spread to more than two dozen countries in North America, South America, Europe and Asia before the SARS global outbreak of 2003 was contained.
SHIGELLA
Shigella
Shigella are a group of bacteria that can cause shigellosis – a diarrheal illness in humans. The two types of Shigella most commonly associated with human illness in the developed world are Shigella sonnei and Shigella flexneri. In developing parts of the world, Shigella dysenteriae causes deadly epidemics of dysentery.
STAPH. AUREUS FOODBORNE
STAPH. AUREUS MRSA
STAPH. AUREUS MRSA
MRSA stands for Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus. It is a bacterium that has developed a resistance to most antibiotics such as Methicillin, commonly used for Staphylococcus infections. This results in infections that are more difficult to treat than ordinary Staph infections.
TUBERCULOSIS
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