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This course focuses on identifying the biological agents (including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites) responsible for foodborne illness and the factors associated with their survival, growth, and control.

Course Learning Objectives

By the end of this course, you should be able to do the following:

• Identify the major biological agents associated with foodborne illness and intoxication.
• Identify the characteristics of and conditions necessary for the growth of biological agents and effective methods of prevention.
• Describe the similarities and differences among the different types of pathogens associated with foodborne disease.

Course Overview and Introduction (2:44 minutes)

This brief PowerPoint provides a basic overview of the course structure and content.  

Overview of Foodborne Microorganisms and Allergens (24:46 minutes)

This 2014 video from the National Restaurant Association (NRA) Educational Foundation provides an overview of foodborne illness and its causes. 

Water Activity Controls Microbial Growth/Water Activity 102: Microbial Growth (39:00 minutes)

This video from the METER Group explore water activity (A_w) and its relationship to factors affecting microbial growth.

Websites and Web Articles: Food Microbiology

Bacteria and Viruses

This FoodSafety.gov webpage from US DHHS describes the bacteria and viruses that cause the most foodborne illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths in the United States, and details their sources, incubation period, symptoms, duration of illness, treatment, and prevention. Includes downloadable pdf tables for each microorganism.

Food Poisoning (Foodborne Illness)

This website from the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UN-L, 2021) describes the critical growth factors for microorganism that cause foodborne illness.

Pathogenic Organisms

This website from the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska lists the characteristics (microbial type, sources, associated foods, growth conditions, disease caused with symptoms, infective dose, and control measures) of several common bacterial, viral, protozoan and parasitic foodborne pathogens and include PDF fact sheets for download.

Bad Bug Book

The Bad Bug Book 2nd Edition, published by the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and released in 2012, provides current information about the major known agents that cause foodborne illness. Each chapter in this book is about a pathogen a bacterium, virus, or parasite or a natural toxin that can contaminate food and cause illness. The book contains scientific and technical information about the major pathogens that cause these kinds of illnesses.

• Read the following passages:
  • Appendix 1, Infective Dose Information, page 258
  • Appendix 2, From the CDC: Summaries of Selected Estimates, pages 259-260
  • Appendix 3, Factors that Affect Microbial Growth in Food, pages 261-264

WHO Food Safety Fact Sheet

This WHO (2021) webpage presents a number of key facts about food safety.

This blog post from a for-profit company offering access control integration services and products, provides a nicely detailed summary of the seven major FSMA rules established by the 2011 FSMA: safe standards for fruits and vegetables, mitigation strategies against international adulteration,v preventive controls and best practices, sanitary transportation, accredited third-party certifications, foreign supplier verification program, and voluntary qualified importer program.

Check Your Knowledge Quiz

This 10-item multiple choice quiz samples content from the assigned readings.  A passing score of 7/10 and completion of the brief three-item survey will generate a personalized confirmatory email from the С»ÆƬÊÓƵ College of Public Health. Multiple quiz attempts are permitted.