Learning objectives
Students will acquire knowledges on traditional and innovative methods applied in official controls for tracing backward from consumer to fork, principal bacterial pathogens found in food of animal origin and associated to foodborne illnesses.
Prerequisites
There are no compulsory prerequisites, but students are advised to attend the course of ‘Biological Hazards in Food’ (year of study 1).
Course unit content
• Taxonomic classification of bacteria: genus, species, subtype
• EU regulations related to surveillance of zoonotic bacterial pathogens, information management system and approved methods for official controls (IMSOC) for foodborne outbreaks
• Phenotypic methods for bacterial typing: serotyping, biotyping and matrix assisted laser desorption/ionisation – time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS)-based typing
• Genotypic methods for bacterial typing: pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE); Multilocus sequence typing (MLST); Multilocus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA), whole genome sequencing related typing (Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNPs) calling, core and whole genome MLST (cgMLST, wgMLST)
• Genotypic and phenotypic characterisation of antimicrobial resistance
• Molecular international databases available on the main foodborne pathogens: example of application for epidemiological studies
• Example of application of different techniques for epidemiological typing in the food industry.
Full programme
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Bibliography
lecture notes and scientific publications introduced during lectures
Teaching methods
Oral lectures, scientific seminaries, laboratory activities
Teaching tools: projector, computer, instruments of microbiological laboratory
Assessment methods and criteria
This course is part of the integrated subject "FARM BIOSECURITY AND FOODBORNE RISK” which also includes "FARM BIOSECURITY AND ZOONOTIC DISEASES PREVENTION". Final grading of the entire integrated course is calculated as an average of the scores obtained in the two courses of "FARM BIOSECURITY AND ZOONOTIC DISEASES PREVENTION" and "FOODBORNE RISK TRACEABILITY". The examination commission includes teachers of both courses.
The oral examination will verify the theoretical and applicative knowledges of the student. Particularly positive will be evaluated the ability to move within the different topics and the achievement of an organic knowledge of the topics.
Other information
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2030 agenda goals for sustainable development
2 "zero hunger", 3 "good health and well-being" , 4 "quality education"
