Climate Change and Potential Impact on Microbial Food Safety

1. Climate Change and Potential Impact on Microbial Food Safety WarapaMahakarnchanakul, Ph.D CenterforAdvancedStudiesforAgricultureandFood(CASAF) Dept. of Food Science and Technology, KasetsartUniveristy warapa.m@ku.ac.th

2. Outline • Climate change implication to safety of primary food production • Climate change interact with • Foodborne illnesses • Bacterial Stress response • Mycotoxins formation • How to cope with climate change impact to human health through food

3. Natural phenomenon of the global changes: • heavy storm • forest fire • flashflood • slashing soil • long drought • warmer temperature • heavy rain

4. Mean Monthly Rainfall in Thailand (mm)30-year period:1971-2000

5. Chiang Mai 2005 Phrae 2004 23 death, 16 loss, 58 injuried 2006 Tak 2004 4 death > 10 loss Phetchabun 2001 147 death 2005 economic losses Hat Yai 2000 35 death 10,000 mil losses

7. 2011 - Provinces in Thailand • July  present : 320 death, 3 loss, 2,798,689 household

8. Diseases after flooding event in Thailand 2006 (47 provinces suffering) Foodborne disease illnesses count as 31.5% of these cases

9. Climate change and its impact on Agricultural sector : Primary Production • Crop production • direct  microbial population of soil, air and water • direct  population of pests and vector • indirect  the occurrence and diseases from fungi, bacteria, viruses and insects • indirect  increase of insecticide and herbicides application cause the chemical residue contaminated in produce

10. Value and Quantity of Imported Pesticides (Jan-June, 2009 and 2010)

11. Climate change and its impact on Agricultural sector : Primary Production • Animal production • direct  heat stress effect on health, growth and reproduction • indirect  availability of feeds, water productivity • indirect  zoonoses (new disease or reemerging diseases) transmission cycle of vectors, the prevalence of vectors and animal host

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13. Climate change and its impact on Agricultural sector : Fisheries production • migration • surface winds may alter the distribution of nutrients • high CO2 level will alter ocean acidity • variability in precipitation will affect sea level • productivity of aquaculture system • increase vulnerability of cultured fish to disease • flooding reduce the genetic diversity of wild stock • flooding causes the escape of farmed stock

14.  Implication for food safety from microbiological perspective Climate change and its impact on Agricultural sector : Fisheries production • promote the phytoplankton growth may increase the harmful algae blooms, therefore increase risk of consumption bivalve mollusc • promote growth of microorganisms e.g. V. vulnificus leading to increased risk from consumption

15. Climate change and impact on Food Handling, Processing and Trade • influence to the design of food safety management system due to the increase hygiene risks associated with storage and distribution of food commodities • food industries is required to ensure the efficiency of the good practices implementing in hygiene management programes • Need “test” to validate hygiene programe • reduced the availability and quality of water in food handling and processing operations will also challenge to hygiene management

16. animals human Faecal matter (animal/human) skin, nose, throat, healthy individuals sewage pest raw foods ubiquitous in nature air water infected food handlers food contact materials

17. Seasonality and temperature effects on foodborne disease • Seasonal differences in disease incidence are likely to be influenced by population susceptibility and behaviors • Environmental factors impact the abundance of pathogen, their survival and/or their virulence

18. Salmonellosis are preceded by weeks of elevated ambient temperature (Kovats et al, 2003)

19. Significantly Salmonellosis associated with outdoor temperature in the same month and in the previous month • this relationship was only observed at temperature greater than 7.5 oC (Bentham et al., 2001) • the study of salmonellosis in 5 cities in Australia found similar result (D’Souza et al., 2003) • the greater sensitivity to temperature effects in adults (15-64 yrs) and infection with Salmonella Enteritidis • suggest that the higher temperature around the time of consumption are important and reinforce the need for further education on food handling behavior

20. Increase in warmer weather may facilitate the transmission of infections intestinal disease • Infection of Salmonella peak in the summer months throughout Europe • over 46% of foodborne disease outbreaks arise from infection within the home, 32.5% outbreaks are a result of time-temperature abuse (such as inadequate refrigeration and insufficient cooking temperature and time)

21. Warmer Temperature in Thailand • In 2010 the average temperature of each month has higher than previous particularly Jan-Feb higher 1-2 oC • the lowest temperature at Tak was 10.1 oC and upper hill at Angkhang, Chiang Mai was 8 oC • The highest temperature was recorded at Mae Hong Son about 44 oC in May. • at the end of 2010 the lowest recorded at Nakornpranom (27 Dec) about 9 oC

22. Thailand National Master Plan on Climate Change 2010-2019 • Forecast the average temperature per year will continually increase as 1 oC from 2010-1019 • the hot day (>35 oC) increasing from 38% (per year) to 47% • the cool day (<15 oC) decreasing from 3% (per year) to 1% • the raining day decreasing, but the amount of rain increase per year (more heavy rain) • higher ocean temperature promote the monsoon (more severe) during Oct-Feb Ref : Ministry of Natural Resource and Environment (Nov 2009)

23. Incidence of outbreaks occurred at different events in Thailand year 2005

24. Improving Food Hygiene Practices, Improving Food Safety Daily News 6 August 2005 นักเรียน ร.ร.ชื่อดัง ’ท้องเสีย’ ระนาว ! ครูผู้ปกครองวุ่น “คาด“ข้าวมันไก่ทำพิษ นักเรียนประถมโรงเรียนดังเมืองกรุงกว่า 200 คน ท้องเสียจู๊ดจ๊าด ครูอาจารย์วิ่งวุ่นต้องใช้รถบัสหามส่งโรงพยาบาล พ่อแม่ผู้ปกครองรู้ข่าวหัวหมุน วิ่งวุ่นแห่เยี่ยมบุตรหลานชุลมุน ส่วนใหญ่ปวดท้องอาเจียน แต่พวกอาการหนักต้องให้น้ำเกลือ สงสัยต้นตอท้องเสียกันแบบยกโขยง น่าจะมาจากหม่ำ ข้าวมันไก่มื้อกลางวัน ล่าสุดประสานไปทางเจ้าหน้าที่กรมควบคุมโรค เร่งเข้ามาตรวจสอบหาสาเหตุทันควัน แพทย์ยืนยันไม่เกี่ยวไข้หวัดนก

26. Food Poisoning cases in Thailand during 1996-2006 Cases Year

27. Interaction of ecological factors on the proliferation of Vibrio • Elevated environmental pH cause the proliferation of photosynthetic phytoplankton • alkaline pH gives V. cholera advantage over other marine bacteria • promote attachment of V. cholera cells to zooplankton which protects V. cholera cells from external stresses • when phytoplankton disintegrate, additional nutrient sources are available to stimulate the growth of the organism

28. Human is another important factor • while V. cholera is predominantly a waterborne diseases • foodborne transmission can occur through the use of contaminated water for food preparation irrigation, or from consumption of mollusc and shellfish

29. Other Potential Impacts of Climate Change on Food Safety • impacts on microbial evolution and stress response • many bacterial agents have developed mechanisms that allow them to survive and even grow under unfavorable or “stressful” condition • Stress response are encoded genetically, initial exposure to a sub-lethal dose of a stressor will increase the resistance in bacterial cell • these bacteria will survive even harsher conditions provided by the stressors • e.g. E.coli O157:H7 is able to survive an acid shock as low as pH 2 after previous exposure to pH 5 • cells acquire the increased tolerance after pre-exposure to a sub-lethal stress, they frequently develop enhanced resistance to other types of stress which referred as “cross-protection”

30. Stress response in Bacteria Survival of acid-stressed cell and non acid-stressed cell of Listeria monocytogenes after expose to lethal acid (pH3.5) Mahakarnchanakul, W and Ponggunpai, V. ( in progress)

31. D- and Z-value of acid-stressed cell and non acid-stressed cell of Listeria monocytogenes after exposure to different temperature Mahakarnchanakul, W and Ponggunpai, V. ( in progress)

32. Total bacteria count Listeria count (a) (b) Effect of washing shrimp with various concentrations of lactic acid on Listeria count (a) and total bacteria count (b) Mahakarnchanakul, W and Ponggunpai, V. ( in progress)

33. Extreme weather events • flooding, drought, monsoon, heavy storm can impact on the transmission of disease • the availability and quality of water have been linked to the transmission of water and foodborned disease • the extreme weather events force evacuation of refugees into closed quarters • extreme stress, malnutrition and limited access to medical care contribute to increased susceptibility and severity of disease

35. Commodities found to be contaminated with mycotoxins

36. Particular mycotoxin possess carcinogenic, immunosuppressive, neurotoxic, estrogenic and teratogenic activity

37. Optimal temperature ( degree C) for mycotoxin production andgrowth

38. Climate change and its influence on mould and mycotoxin contamination • Increasing average temperature could lead to change in latitudes at which certain fungi are able to compete • 2003, hot and dry summer in Italy have resulted in increases occurrence of A. flavus, with consequent the serious outbreak of aflatoxin contamination, uncommon in Europe • similar report in the US • general moist, humid conditions favor mold growth would be expected to favor mould growth • conditions adverse to the plants (drought stress, pest attack, poor nutrient) encourages the fungal partner to develop the greater production of mycotoxins

39. Fusarium toxins in Maize • The most important species among genus Fusarium are F. verticillioides, F. proliferatum, F. sporotrichoicides, F. poae, F. graminearum, F. culmorum, F. crookwellense • F. verticillioides is invariable present in maize, after accompanied by F. culmorum or F. graminearum • F. graminearum was considered to be more virulent plant pathogen, tends to predominate in the warmer temperature region (25-28 oC) with F. culmorum more common in the cooler regions • Strains of F. graminearum produce either deoxynivalenol (DON) or nivalenol (NIV) and Zearalenone (ZEA) while F. culmorum produce only DON and ZEA

40. Fusarium toxins in Maize • As a series of warm European summers the occurrence of F. culmorum is replace by F. graminearum, the species that is more virulent plant pathogen and perhaps a shift to NIV/ZEA pattern from DON/ZEA pattern in Europe and Asia. • FM in maize occurrence in Southern and east Africa is correlated to drought stress and dry season • Because F. verticillioides is favored at high temperature, warming trend will cause this fungus predominate the other maize-borne Fusarium species shifting to higher latitudes • We expect to find more FM and MON in drought stress maize

41. Aflatoxins • Semi-arid to arid and drought conditions in tropical countries are associated with contamination • Normally developing crops are very resistant to infection by A. flavus and subsequent aflatoxin contamination, unless environmental conditions favour fungal growth and crop susceptibility • which are wounding by insects, birds, mechanical process or the stress of hot dry condition • climate directly influences host susceptibility • pistachios develop hull cracking “early split” • maize kernel integrity • Peanut exposed to high temperature during pod maturation and rain on windrows • changing weather patterns can influence irrigation requirements, crop rotations, optimal crop timing

42. Ochratoxin A and Grapes • wine samples from 11 vineyards from winemaking regions in North and South of the Portugal during 2001-2003 were assessed for ochratoxin A and fungi • significant differences were observed in ochratoxin A content of grapes between 2002-3 which may relate to temperature • Temperature and relative humidity had significant influences on infection and mycotoxin concentration • The amount of ochratoxin A detected at 30 oC was higher than at 20 oC, the highest relative humidity (100%) lead to maximum amounts of ochratoxins

43. Climate change effects on water and food supplies declining crop productivity, animal and fisheries productivity which increase world food insecurity drought could reduce crop yields, mycotoxin production and water supplier , thus increased risks of food-borne illnesses Warmer temperature promote the risk of cholera which could be increased as coastal and estuarine water warm heavy rainfall are associated with increased risks of protozoa and bacterial outbreaks Warmer temperature and heavy rainfall are associated with increased risks of mycotoxins contamination in food and feed 43

44. Thank you