Colorado State University Extension
SafeFood Rapid Response Network
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IN THE NEWS
Edited by: Stephanie Wallner, M.S., Mary Schroeder, M.S., R.D, Pat Kendall, Ph.D., R.D., Colorado State - Fall 2005
CSU Team Receives Listeria Grant
This September, researchers in the departments of Animal Sciences and Food Science and Human Nutrition at Colorado State University, along with a team of collaborators from Cornell University, University of Nebraska, Ohio State University, and 
Kansas State University, received a $2 million grant from USDA's National Integrated Food Safety Initiative to study an important foodborne bacterium. The team, which is lead by Dr. John Sofos, includes Dr. Pat Kendall and Dr. John Scanga from CSU, Martin Wiedmann from Cornell University, Harshavardhan Thippareddi from the University of Nebraska, Lydia Medeiros from The Ohio State University and Liz Boyle from Kansas State University.
The team will study and find better ways to control Listeria monocytogenes, a bacterium that causes an estimated 2,500 cases of foodborne illness each year in the United States. Listeria is associated with ready-to-eat meats, hot dogs, cold smoked fish, soft cheeses and unpasteurized milk, and can cause serious illnesses in pregnant women, the elderly, and other immune-compromised individuals. Nearly one-third of all cases of listeriosis are pregnant women, and once infected, they can easily pass the infection to the unborn fetus.
The research group will study how to control the transmission of Listeria in facilities where food is processed as well as at the food service, retail and consumer level. Work will include communication components to disseminate information on the most effective risk reduction and control strategies. Training will be developed for food processors, retail managers, health inspectors, dietary managers, health care providers and high-risk consumers through online programs. Funding for the project began in September and continues through 2009.
