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Occurrence of Giardia Cysts in Different Food Matrices: Results of Surveys

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Giardia as a Foodborne Pathogen

Part of the book series: SpringerBriefs in Food, Health, and Nutrition ((BRIEFSFOOD))

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Abstract

The results of surveys for Giardia duodenalis contamination of food stuffs provide a “snapshot” of what is found on a particular sample, under particular conditions, using a particular method, in a particular laboratory, by a particular analyst. Even method standardisation does not mean that results from different labs or surveys are entirely comparable, and data acquisition is also hampered by the relatively small sample size that can be analysed. Nevertheless, the results from such surveys provide data that are important as a scientific handle and can be used for risk assessment and risk management, as well as identifying potential high-risk vehicles and providing background information. In this chapter the results from surveys conducted on fresh produce (fruits and vegetables), shellfish, meat, beverages and water used in the food industry are considered separately, and for fresh produce and shellfish, the results of different surveys are summarised in a table format. In general, widespread, low-level contamination has been documented. Although such surveys can provide information on the number of samples that are contaminated and the extent of contamination (how many cysts per gram of food matrix), the viability of the Giardia cysts is not usually determined, nor their infectivity. Water used in the food industry that has been analysed for contamination with Giardia cysts includes irrigation water and wash water. For some steps in the food industry, water used is of potable quality, but for other processes this may not be the case. For example, wastewater may be used for irrigation, particularly in areas where water resources are scarce, and is an obvious potential source of contamination of crops.

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  1. Institute for Food Safety & Infection Biology, Norwegian School of Veterinary Science, Oslo, Norway

    Lucy J. Robertson

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© 2013 Lucy J. Robertson

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Robertson, L.J. (2013). Occurrence of Giardia Cysts in Different Food Matrices: Results of Surveys. In: Giardia as a Foodborne Pathogen. SpringerBriefs in Food, Health, and Nutrition. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7756-3_5

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