U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
November 4, 1998
FOOD SAFETY INITIATIVE:
EXTRAMURAL RESEARCH/RISK ASSESSMENT
GRANTS AWARDED BY FDA IN FISCAL YEAR 1998
Dear Colleague,
This letter is to apprise members of the food safety
community of eight new research and risk-assessment
grants totaling $2 million that FDA has funded under the
President's Food Safety Initiative. We believe these
projects help lay the groundwork for a safer U.S.
food supply.
The funding applications for these projects were
submitted to FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied
Nutrition, in response to the Center's published request
earlier this year for proposals on microbial risk assessment
and food safety research projects.
The projects include studies on methods to prevent
E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella and Listeria
contamination of fruits and vegetables; antimicrobial treatments
for sprouts and sprout seeds; dose-response models for foodborne
Cryptosporidum parvuum, Listeria, and Vibrio;
the pathogen-related DNA structure of E. coli O157:H7; and
how consumer food preparation practices can be enhanced to reduce
the risk of foodborne illness.
We hope you agree that these projects funded by FDA under the
Food Safety Initiative target some of the most troubling problems
facing the food supply today, and that they promise real and
practical results, including, hopefully, fewer foodborne illnesses
in the future. The selection of these projects is not only
consistent with the Initiative's primary goal, but is a big step
toward achieving it: a re-energized and more effective national food
safety system based on the best science available.
|
Sincerely yours,
Joseph A. Levitt
Director
Center for Food Safety
and Applied Nutrition
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Attachment
FOOD SAFETY INITIATIVE: EXTRAMURAL RESEARCH/RISK ASSESSMENT
GRANTS AWARDED BY FDA IN FISCAL YEAR 1998
- $399,122 to Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine
for establishing a dose-response animal model for human
Cryptosporidiosis. The research will test three different
Cryptosporidium parvuum isolates in mice and compare the
response in the test animals to those in human volunteers challenged
with the same isolates. Development of this model is necessary for
making accurate assessments of the risk
of infection to humans exposed to foodborne and waterborne
C. parvuum. The principal investigator is Saul Tzipori of
Tufts University. The research will be performed at Tufts and at
the University of Texas.
- $483,077 to the University of Georgia to establish an animal
dose-response model for foodborne Listeriosis. The research will
test Listeria monocytogenes in pregnant rhesus monkeys.
Data from this study will be used for estimating human dose
response to L. monocytogenes, one of the most common causes
of foodborne infections in the United States. The principle
investigator is Mary Alice Smith of the University of Georgia Center
for Food Safety and Quality Enhancement. The research will be
performed at the University of Georgia, the Yerkes Regional Primate
Research Center at Emory University, and the Centers of Disease
Control and Prevention.
- $264,179 to the University of Maryland at Baltimore to establish
a dose-response model for Vibrio species. Vibrio infections
remain the primary cause of serious foodborne illnesses and deaths
associated with consumption of raw shellfish in the United States.
The research is expected to produce data that will allow development
of a quantitative risk assessment for shellfish-associated
Vibrio infections in humans. The principal investigator is J.
Glenn Morris, Jr., M.D.; co-principal investigator is Carol O.
Tacket, M.D. The study will be performed at the University of Maryland
Medical School's Center for Vaccine Development and at the university's
Center for Marine Biotechnology, both in Baltimore.
- $78,645 to the University of Georgia to determine effectiveness of
several potential antimicrobial treatments for killing Salmonella
and E. coli O157:H7 on alfalfa seeds and sprouts. The research
will test both aqueous and vaporized solutions of food-grade chemicals
at various concentrations and exposure times. Several recent outbreaks
of E. coli 0157:H7 and Salmonella infections have been associated
sprout consumption. The study goal is develop data useful for
developing antimicrobial treatments for seeds or sprouts that will reduce
the risk of illness from their consumption. The principal investigator
is Larry R. Beuchat of the University of Georgia's Center for Food Safety
and Quality Enhancement. The research will be conducted at that
center.
- $291,738 to the University of Wisconsin for genetic studies of
E. coli O157:H7 and other pathogenic E. coli species.
The university's genetics department already has nearly finished DNA
sequencing of the complete genome of one E. coli O157:H7
strain. Through this work, the laboratory has identified areas of
DNA differences between pathogenic and nonpathogenic E. coli.
The funding will allow further study of these genetic areas through
the collection of additional DNA sequencing data from
each of ten strains of E. coli O157:H7. Data from the study
could aid in the development of new molecular markers for the
detection of O157:H7 in clinical settings and food samples; aid in
the development of new drugs and vaccines; provide insights into the
mechanisms of gastrointestinal disease; and illuminate the mode and
rate of evolutionary events involved with the emergence of O157:H7
as a pathogen. The principal investigator is Frederick R. Blattner
of the University of Wisconsin's Genetics Department in Madison,
which is where the research will be conducted.
- $160,458 to the University of Georgia to develop cost-effective
methods for reducing or inactivating pathogenic microoganisms on
fresh fruits and vegetables. The project will test combinations of
GRAS chemicals as surface dip treatments on apples, oranges, lettuce
and sprouts. Treatments include lactic acid with hydrogen peroxide,
lactic acid with sodium benzoate, and lactic acid with glycerol
monolaurate. Tested produce items will be inoculated with
E. coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes and
Salmonella species. In addition, the sensory effects of these
treatments on produce will be evaluated using untrained panelists
who are regular consumers of the fruit or vegetable. The principal
investigator is Michael P. Doyle of the University of Georgia's Center
for Food Safety and Quality Enhancement. The research will be
conducted at the center.
- $185,958 to the University of Georgia to study the antimicrobial
effect of using High Oxidation Potential (HOP) water to wash fruits
and vegetables under conditions that exist in home kitchens and food
service facilities. The study will measure the efficacy of HOP water
on pure cultures of Salmonella typhimurium, Listeria monocytogenes
and E. coli O157:H7, and, of HOP water washes of apples,
alfalfa sprouts, raspberries, strawberries, lettuce, carrots, tomatoes
and broccoli inoculated with these pathogens. The study also will
assess the effect of HOV water on the quality of treated produce.
The principle investigator is Yen-Con Hung; the co-principal
investigators are Marilyn C. Erickson and Yun-Yun Hao; all of the
University of Georgia's Center for Food Safety and Quality Enhancement.
The research will be conducted at the center.
- $146,267 to the University of California at Davis for a study
on consumer handling practices for fresh fruits and vegetables. The
projects will identify consumer handling practices regarding storage
temperature, general sanitation and washing of fresh fruits and
vegetables, and evaluate effectiveness of washing methods commonly
used by consumers for selected fruits and vegetables consumed raw.
In addition the project will evaluate effectiveness of fruit and
vegetable washing procedures using antmicrobial agents such as
chlorine and organic acids on Salmonella, Listeria
monocytogenes and E. coli O157:H7. The project's goal
is to develop science-based recommendations for consumer washing
and handling of fresh produce, as well as to evaluate consumer
knowledge and the likelihood of following recommended washing
procedures. The principal investigator for the microbiological
aspects of the research is UC-Davis' Linda J. Harris.
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