BBSRC Institute Strategic Programme: Microbes and Food Safety

微生物和食品安全(MFS)ISP将提供对微生物威胁(如病原体和导致腐败的细菌)如何进化和相互作用以影响食品安全的了解，并制定战略以减少其对健康和经济的影响。我们理所当然地认为，我们在英国吃的大多数食物都没有微生物病原体的风险，但食品标准局(FSA)估计，每年大约有240万例微生物食源性疾病发生，花费超过90亿GB。还有一种通过变质造成的食物浪费的经济威胁，增加了零售成本；高达25%的食物变质是由于微生物的作用。我们的使命是通过改善食品安全来减少人类食源性疾病，并减少食品变质造成的浪费。为此，我们将在三个主题中解决关键的食品安全问题：1)食品中的微生物威胁是什么，在哪里？2)与微生物威胁的生存和成功相关的因素是什么？3)我们如何利用这些信息来改善食品安全和减少食品浪费？在整个计划中，我们将重点关注关键的生物和对食品安全具有战略重要性的问题，在这方面，我们将利用和进一步发展我们可证明的专业知识。它们是弯曲杆菌、沙门氏菌、李斯特菌、假单胞菌、抗菌素耐药性(AMR)以及通过使用元基因组测序来识别新出现的微生物威胁。由于微生物威胁，如病原体和导致腐败的细菌作为复杂的微生物群落存在于整个食物链中，我们不仅关注感兴趣的关键微生物，而且还将研究存在的其他可能支持它们生存或持续的微生物。在主题1，来自食品的微生物威胁在已建立和不断演变的食品系统中，我们将确定我们的食品中存在哪些微生物威胁--特别是较新的食品类型。我们的目标是通过研究食源性细菌种群中的遗传多样性和基因流动的动态，了解微生物威胁是如何传播并导致疾病或食品变质的。特别是，我们将评估与消费者偏好、贸易关系和气候变化相关的食品不断演变的微生物威胁。在主题2，微生物在已建立和不断演变的食品系统中的生存，我们将定义与微生物威胁的生存和成功相关的因素。我们的目标是通过了解细菌的生活方式，如生物膜、群落联系和/或没有生长的新陈代谢，更好地了解微生物的生存和适应。为此，我们将使用我们的专业核心服务，包括信息学、测序和显微镜，来调查从整个食物链和人类临床样本中提取的样本。在主题3，减少食品安全威胁和应对不断出现的国家需求的灵活能力中，我们将使用前两个主题中产生的数据来改善食品安全和减少食品浪费。我们将与QIB内部的利益相关者、学术界、政府和行业合作，应用从我们的基础研究中获得的科学证据，以改进对未来风险的评估，并为控制对食品安全和弹性的威胁提供信息。我们的能力将保持灵活性，以便我们能够根据需要迅速对国家出现的意外需求做出反应。我们与我们既定的利益攸关方合作，旨在通过传递科学知识和充当微生物食品安全的知识和培训中心，改进安全和营养食品的生产，减少食品变质造成的损失。

The Microbes and Food Safety (MFS) ISP will provide an understanding of how microbial threats, such as pathogens and spoilage-causing bacteria, evolve and interact to affect food safety and develop strategies to reduce their impact on health and the economy. We take for granted that most of the food we eat in the UK is free from the risk of microbial pathogens but the Food Standards Agency (FSA) estimates that around 2.4 million cases of microbial foodborne illness occur everyyear, costing in excess of £9 billion. There is also an economic threat of food waste through spoilage, increasing retail costs; up to 25% of food spoilage is due to the action of microbes. Our mission is to reduce human foodborne illness through improved food safety and to reduce waste due to food spoilage. To do so, we will address key food safety questions in three Themes: 1) what and where are the microbial threats in foods? 2) What are the factors associated with the survival and success of microbial threats? 3) How can we use this information to improve food safety and reduce foodwaste?Throughout this programme, we will focus on key organisms and issues of strategic importance for food safety, in which we will exploit and further develop our demonstrable expertise. These are Campylobacter, Salmonella, Listeria, Pseudomonas, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and the identification of emerging microbial threats through the use of metagenome sequencing. As microbial threats such as pathogens and spoilage-causing bacteria exist as complex microbial communitiesacross the food chain, we focus not only on the key organisms of interest, but we will also study the other microbes present which may support their survival or persistence.In Theme 1, MICROBIAL THREATS FROM FOODS IN ESTABLISHED AND EVOLVING FOOD SYSTEMS, we will identify what microbial threats are present in our food - particularly newer food types. Our aim is to understand how microbial threats spread and cause disease or food spoilage by studying the genetic diversity and dynamics of gene flow within populations of foodborne bacteria. In particular we will assess evolving microbial threats from foods associated with shifts in consumer preference, trading relationships and climate change. In Theme 2, MICROBIAL SURVIVAL IN ESTABLISHED AND EVOLVING FOOD SYSTEMS, we will define the factors associated with the survival and success of microbial threats. Our aim is to understand microbial survival and adaptation better by understanding the lifestyle of the bacteria present, e.g. biofilms, community associations and/or metabolism without growth. To do this we will use our specialised core services, including informatics, sequencing and microscopy to investigate samples taken from throughout the food chain and also from human clinical samples.In Theme 3, FLEXIBLE CAPABILITIES TO REDUCE FOOD SAFETY THREATS AND RESPOND TO EMERGING NATIONAL NEEDS, we will use the data generated in the first two themes to improve food safety and reduce food waste. We will work with our stakeholders within QIB, academia, government and industry to apply the scientific evidence derived from our fundamental research to improve the evaluation of future risk and to inform the control of threats to food safety and resilience. Our capability will remain flexible so that we can respond quickly to unexpected emerging national needs as required.Our aim with this programme of work is, with our established stakeholders, to improve the production of safe and nutritious foods and reduce loss of food from spoilage through the delivery of scientific knowledge and acting as a knowledge and training hub for microbial food safety.