Nichols G L
Environmental Surveillance Unit, Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre, London, UK.
Br Med Bull. 2000;56(1):209-35. doi: 10.1258/0007142001902905.
Pathogenic protozoa are commonly transmitted to food in developing countries, but food-borne outbreaks of infection are relatively rare in developed countries. The main protozoa of concern in developed countries are Toxoplasma, Cryptosporidium and Giardia, and these can be a problem in immunocompromised people. Other protozoa such as Entamoeba histolytica, Cyclospora cayetanensis and Sarcocystis can be a food-borne problem in non-industrialised countries. C. cayetanensis has emerged as a food-borne pathogen in foods imported into North America from South America. Microsporidia may be food-borne, although evidence for this is not yet available. The measures needed to prevent food-borne protozoa causing disease require clear assessments of the risks of contamination and the effectiveness of processes to inactivate them. The globalisation of food production can allow new routes of transmission, and advances in diagnostic detection methods and surveillance systems have extended the range of protozoa that may be linked to food.
在发展中国家，致病性原生动物通常会传播到食物中，但在发达国家，食源性感染暴发相对较少。发达国家主要关注的原生动物是弓形虫、隐孢子虫和贾第虫，这些对免疫功能低下的人可能是个问题。其他原生动物，如溶组织内阿米巴、环孢子球虫和肉孢子虫，在非工业化国家可能是食源性问题。环孢子球虫已成为从南美洲进口到北美的食品中的食源性病原体。微孢子虫可能通过食物传播，尽管目前尚无相关证据。预防食源性原生动物致病所需的措施需要对污染风险和使它们失活的过程有效性进行明确评估。食品生产的全球化可能会开辟新的传播途径，诊断检测方法和监测系统的进步扩大了可能与食物有关的原生动物范围。
