"Foodborne protozoans responsible for foodborne diseases - Epidemiological Data"

Abstract

There is a wide variety of foodborne protozoans responsible for foodborne diseases. Despite the fact that the percentages of both morbidity and mortality attributed to foodborne diseases have dropped significantly in the past fifty years, all the recent socioeconomic and political developments in Europe and the areas surrounding it, along with the modern change of nutritional patterns worldwide are causes for alert regarding the safety of Public Health in relation to foodborne diseases.

In 2010 it was estimated that around 375 million cases of foodborne diseases, resulting in 33,900 deaths were associated with only 3 protozoans: Entamoeba, Cryptosporidium and Giardia. In Europe according to the ECDC even though the awareness and cataloging of transmitted diseases in general is quite effective, there are still necessary steps to be taken to reduce their effect in Public Health and the society in general. The most significant protozoans responsible for the more frequent foodborne diseases are Cryptosporidium parvum, Cyclospora cayetanensis, Giardia lamblia, Entamoeba histolytica, and Toxoplasma gondii.

The lack of a working protective vaccine/inoculation against the diseases caused by these prtozoans along with their incidence and prevalence both locally and worldwide, should be more than adequate to draw the attention or the responsible institutions towards prevention, early diagnosis as well as treatment where available.

NIKOU Polixeni