Mitigation of Foodborne Illnesses by Probiotics

Foodborne illness is a serious global health concern. There are over 200 known microbial, chemical, and physical agents that have the potential to cause foodborne illness. There have been several advances in foodborne pathogen control and prevention, which include antibiotics, antimicrobial molecules, ionizing particles, ultraviolet radiation, and heat; however, foodborne illness remains a critical problem to the world’s food supply. Probiotics have been used for over 200 years to promote, not only general, but also gastrointestinal health. These probiotics offer a unique strategy for control and prevention of foodborne illness, while conferring the same additional health benefits that probiotics have been known to confer for years. This chapter will highlight both wild-type and bioengineered probiotic strains in order to control foodborne illness. Further, proposed modes of action will also be expanded upon. While probiotics hold promise as strategies for foodborne pathogen control and treatment, challenges remain in the realm of characterization, administration and dosing, as well as disparities in host-strain specificities.