Dear Colleagues,

Foodborne pathogens add a significant cost to the public health system of a country. According to the WHO, at global scale, each year, the consumption of unsafe foods cause 600 million cases of foodborne diseases. In low- and middle-income countries, an estimated USD 110 billion is lost each year in productivity and medical expenses resulting from unsafe foods. Foodborne diseases negatively affect socioeconomic development by straining health care systems, and harm national economies, tourism, and trade. Foodborne diseases are usually infectious, but some can be toxic in nature and are caused by various bacteria, protozoans, viruses, or chemicals entering the body through the consumption of contaminated foods or water. Some foodborne pathogens are normally present in the gut of animals and the production environments and can infect humans if contaminated products are handled unsafely or consumed. To prevent or lower the incidence of these diseases, it is vital to understand their origin and triggering factors under the umbrella of One Health and Eco-Health approaches.

This Special Issue focuses on the epidemiological and host–environment interaction approaches for understanding the causes of host-pathogen relationships. An improved understanding of the area is important to combat the diseases, which will lower disease control burden on public health system. Topics in this Special Issue include origin and host specificity of foodborne pathogens, environmental effects, intensive and extensive farming systems, host immune response, and strategies for controlling the diseases.

Dr. Samiullah Khan
Guest Editor

• foodborne pathogens
• bacteria
• virus
• protozoans
• route of transmission
• disease management
• phytochemicals
• probiotics
• prebiotics
• synbiotics
• microbiome
• metabolome
• vaccine
• food hygiene
• food safety
• safer food production