An epidemiological study on morbidity profile among food handlers in Panaji city, Goa.

Context: Access to safe and nutritious food is key to promoting good health. An estimated 600 million fall ill after eating contaminated food, for which food handlers may constitute a common source of contamination. In addition to unhealthy food handlers, disease carriers handling the food play an equally important role in transmitting these diseases and pose a significant threat to public health. This study, therefore, aimed to know the morbidity profile among the food handlers employed in various food establishments in Panaji city. Methods and Material: Using stratified sampling techniques, we conducted a cross-sectional study among 227 participants selected from 12 food establishments. We did three visits to each food establishment. We excluded food handlers who were unavailable despite three visits at fortnightly intervals and those who did not consent to the study. We administered a pre-designed and pre-structured questionnaire to each participant. A general examination and laboratory investigations, including stool and urine routine, were performed on all participants. We performed descriptive and analytical statistics by using SPSS version 14. Results: Out of the 227 study participants, 79 (34.8%) had at least one morbidity at the time of examination. None of the food handlers had received a single dose of typhoid, hepatitis A, or cholera vaccines. Most (74.4%) study participants did not administer deworming tablets. Conclusions: We found that the health status of the study participants was substandard. Food safety may be in peril among food handlers with lower education backgrounds with morbidities as they may have little understanding of the risk of microbial contamination of food. Therefore, it is essential to create awareness among them.

Analytical Determination of Aflatoxin in Ground Corn Check Samples Completed by Multiple Laboratories over Several Years.

Mycotoxins are toxic molecules produced by multiple fungal species, including Aspergillus and Fusarium. Fungal infection of crops can result in mycotoxins entering the animal and human food supply. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and other immunological assays have been developed to detect mycotoxins in foods. To calibrate the response of those methods, reference materials with known amounts of homogeneously dispersed mycotoxins are often utilized, where the mycotoxin concentrations have been determined using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with absorbance or fluorescence detection methods, or high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry detection methods. Therefore, it is important that the analytical methods provide accurate and precise quantitation of mycotoxins. The reference materials must also contain homogeneously dispersed known quantities of mycotoxin. To evaluate the accuracy and precision of mycotoxin reference materials and the analytical methods, quantitative results from multiple laboratories were completed each year for several years on ground corn check samples containing known levels of mycotoxins. Results for the quantitation of aflatoxin-containing corn reference samples are presented in this article.

Assessing the Health Risk and Trophic Transfer of Lead and Cadmium in Dairy Farming Systems in the Mantaro Catchment, Central Andes of Peru.

This study investigated lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) transfer in three dairy farming areas in the Mantaro river headwaters in the central Peruvian Andes and at varying distances from the mining complex at La Oroya. At each of these sites, the transfer of trace metals from the soil to raw milk was estimated, and a hazard assessment for lead and cadmium was carried out in scenarios of minimum, average, and maximum milk consumption in a Peruvian population aged 2-85. Pb and Cd were quantified by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. Significantly, the concentrations of lead and cadmium were found to exceed the maximum limits recommended by the World Health Organization, with a positive geospatial trend correlated with the distance from mining activity. Both Pb and Cd were found to be transferred through the soil-pasture-milk pathway, with the primary source of Cd being phosphate-based fertilizers used in pasture improvement. Pb was found to be the most significant contributor to the Hazard Index (HI) with those under 19 years of age and over 60 recording an HI of >1, with infants being the most vulnerable group due to their greater milk consumption in relation to their body weight. A marginal increase in contamination was observed in the dry season, indicating the need for studies to be expanded over several annual cycles.

INOCUIDAD ALIMENTARIA Y ENFERMEDADES TRANSMITIDAS POR ALIMENTOS (ETAS); SUS EFECTOS EN LA SALUD HUMANA: UNA REVISIÓN / FOOD SAFETY AND FOODBORNE DISEASES; ITS EFFECTS ON HUMAN HEALTH: A REVIEW

INTRODUCCIÓN: En la actualidad la Organización de las Naciones Unidas (ONU) como una de sus metas proyectadas al 2030 es que los alimentos sean inocuos, con seguridad alimentaria, nutritiva y suficiente, debido a que en los últimos años se ha incrementado el número de casos de Enfermedades Transmitidas por Alimentos (ETAs). La inocuidad de los alimentos es un principio básico de salud y como característica intrínseca de un alimento es que el mismo no debe causar daño a la salud. OBJETIVO: describir la importancia de la inocuidad alimentaria y los microorganismos patógenos más frecuentes que se presentan en los alimentos. METODOLOGÍA: se realizó una revisión narrativa conformada de artículos científicos a partir del año 2019 al 2023. RESULTADOS: los microoganismos que frecuentemente son causantes de las ETAs son: Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, E. coli, Hepatitis A, Vibrio cholerae, Listeria monocytogenes, ocasionando a nivel mundial elevados casos de diarreas relacionadas directamente con alimentos y agua contaminada, y que actualmente van en incremento. CONCLUSIÓN: las principales causas de las ETAs son por el aumento del comercio internacional de los alimentos contaminados, así como el incremento en la migración de aquellas personas que estén infectadas favoreciendo la propagación, reemergencia y aparición de microorganismos patógenos en alimentos contaminados por las malas prácticas de higiene, con la capacidad de generar infecciones, intoxicaciones y brotes en la población. Por lo anterior los organismos gubernamentales a nivel mundial, nacional y local establecen estrategias para abatir esta problemática de salud pública, pero son insuficientes, debiendo reforzar las acciones concretas de prevención y promoción.

INTRODUCTION: Due to the number of cases of Foodborne Diseases (ETAs) in recent years, the United Nations (UN) currently establishes as one of its goals for 2030 that food be safe, secure, nutritious, and sufficient. Food safety is a basic requirement, and an intrinsic characteristic of a food is that it should not negatively impact health. OBJECTIVE: to describe the importance of food safety and identify the most common pathogenic microorganisms that occur in food. Methodology: a narrative review was carried, out consisting of scientific articles from 2019 to 2023. RESULTS: the microorganisms that frequently cause ETAs are: Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, E. coli, Hepatitis A, Vibrio cholerae, Listeria monocytogenes, which cause frequent cases of diarrhea worldwide due to contaminated food and water, and which are currently increasing. CONCLUSION: the main causes of ETAs are the increase in international trade in contaminated foods, and the increase in the migration of people who are infected. Poor hygiene in food handling practices favor the contamination, spread, re-emergence and appearance of pathogenic microorganisms in foods, with the capacity to generate infections, poisonings and outbreaks in the population. Government agencies at the global, national, and local levels establish strategies to combat this public health problem, but they are insufficient, and specific prevention and promotion actions must be reinforced.

Degradation of Bisphenol A by Bacillus subtilis P74 Isolated from Traditional Fermented Soybean Foods.

Bisphenol A (BPA), one of the most widely used plasticizers, is an endocrine-disrupting chemical that is released from plastic products. The aim of this study was to screen and characterize bacteria with excellent BPA-degrading abilities for application in foods. BPA degradation ability was confirmed in 127 of 129 bacterial strains that were isolated from fermented soybean foods. Among the strains, B. subtilis P74, which showed the highest BPA degradation performance, degraded 97.2% of 10 mg/L of BPA within 9 h. This strain not only showed a fairly stable degradation performance (min > 88.2%) over a wide range of temperatures (30-45 °C) and pH (5.0-9.0) but also exhibited a degradation of 63% against high concentrations of BPA (80 mg/L). The metabolites generated during the degradation were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, and predicted degradation pathways are tentatively proposed. Finally, the application of this strain to soybean fermentation was conducted to confirm its applicability in food.

Recurrent Neurobrucellosis in a Feral Swine Hunter.

Brucellosis is a zoonotic infectious disease caused by the bacterial genus Brucella and is most commonly transmitted to humans globally via the consumption of contaminated unpasteurized products. In a significant minority of cases, Brucella has been found to be transmitted by contact with infected swine bodily fluids such as blood. Only a small proportion of all cases of brucellosis affects the central nervous system, and of the four species of Brucella that are known to infect humans, Brucella suis is unusual. Neurologic involvement occurs in a limited proportion of cases and can vary in presentation, ranging from encephalitis to radiculitis or from brain abscess to neuritis. In this case report, we present a 20-year-old male with an eight-day history of headache and neck pain and a high fever that started two days after the onset of the headaches. Three weeks prior, he had hunted, killed, butchered, cooked, and eaten a wild boar in the field. A workup was performed, and blood cultures eventually grew Brucella suis. Although an intensive broad-spectrum antibiotic protocol was implemented, his post-therapy course was complicated. He eventually discontinued his antibiotics after one year.

Sex, Nutrition, and NAFLD: Relevance of Environmental Pollution.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common form of chronic liver disease and represents an increasing public health issue given the limited treatment options and its association with several other metabolic and inflammatory disorders. The epidemic, still growing prevalence of NAFLD worldwide cannot be merely explained by changes in diet and lifestyle that occurred in the last few decades, nor from their association with genetic and epigenetic risk factors. It is conceivable that environmental pollutants, which act as endocrine and metabolic disruptors, may contribute to the spreading of this pathology due to their ability to enter the food chain and be ingested through contaminated food and water. Given the strict interplay between nutrients and the regulation of hepatic metabolism and reproductive functions in females, pollutant-induced metabolic dysfunctions may be of particular relevance for the female liver, dampening sex differences in NAFLD prevalence. Dietary intake of environmental pollutants can be particularly detrimental during gestation, when endocrine-disrupting chemicals may interfere with the programming of liver metabolism, accounting for the developmental origin of NAFLD in offspring. This review summarizes cause-effect evidence between environmental pollutants and increased incidence of NAFLD and emphasizes the need for further studies in this field.

A SERS-signalled, CRISPR/Cas-powered bioassay for amplification-free and anti-interference detection of SARS-CoV-2 in foods and environmental samples using a single tube-in-tube vessel.

The pandemic of COVID-19 creates an imperative need for sensitive and portable detection of SARS-CoV-2. We devised a SERS-read, CRISPR/Cas-powered nanobioassay, termed as OVER-SARS-CoV-2 (One-Vessel Enhanced RNA test on SARS-CoV-2), which enabled supersensitive, ultrafast, accurate and portable detection of SARS-CoV-2 in a single vessel in an amplification-free and anti-interference manner. The SERS nanoprobes were constructed by conjugating gold nanoparticles with Raman reporting molecular and single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) probes, whose aggregation-to-dispersion changes can be finely tuned by target-activated Cas12a though trans-cleavage of linker ssDNA. As such, the nucleic acid signals could be dexterously converted and amplified to SERS signals. By customizing an ingenious vessel, the steps of RNA reverse transcription, Cas12a trans-cleavage and SERS nanoprobes crosslinking can be integrated into a single and disposal vessel. It was proved that our proposed nanobioassay was able to detect SARS-CoV-2 as low as 200 copies/mL without any pre-amplification within 45 min. In addition, the proposed nanobioassay was confirmed by clinical swab samples and challenged for SARS-CoV-2 detection in simulated complex environmental and food samples. This work enriches the arsenal of CRISPR-based diagnostics (CRISPR-Dx) and provides a novel and robust platform for SARS-CoV-2 decentralized detection, which can be put into practice in the near future.

Antibacterial Effect of Eugenol on Shigella flexneri and Its Mechanism.

Shigella flexneri (Sh. flexneri), which can be found in food and the environment, is a widespread food-borne pathogen that causes human diarrhea termed "shigellosis". In this study, eugenol, a natural active substance, was investigated for its antibacterial activity against Sh. flexneri. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of eugenol against Sh. flexneri ATCC 12022 was 0.5 and 0.8 mg/mL. The growth curves and inhibitory effect in LB broth, PBS, vegetable juice, and minced pork showed that eugenol had a good activity against Sh. flexneri. Research findings indicated the superoxide dismutase activity of Sh. flexneri was inhibited after eugenol treatment, resulting in concentrations of intracellular reactive oxygen species and an increase in malondialdehyde. The flow cytometry analysis and field emission scanning electron microscopy results revealed obvious damage to cell membrane integrity and changes in the morphology of Sh. flexneri. In addition, the intracellular ATP concentration leaked from 0.5 µM to below 0.05 µM and the membrane potential showed a concentration-dependent depolarization after eugenol treatment. In summary, eugenol exerted strong antibacterial activity and has the potential to control Sh. flexneri in the food industry.

Potentially pathogenic Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria spp. in Brazilian unpasteurized cheese production / Staphylococcus aureus e Listeria spp. potencialmente patogênicos na produção de queijos não pasteurizados

This study aimed to identify potentially pathogenic microorganisms (Listeria innocua, L. seeligeri, L. ivanovii, L. monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, and several virulence genes) in unpasteurized cheese production in the northeastern region of the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Listeria species were detected in 68 (64.14%) out of 106 samples of bovine feces, swabs from milkers' and cheese handlers' hands, milking buckets, raw milk, whey, water, cheese processing surface,s and utensils. All the samples collected at one farm were contaminated with Listeria spp. L. innocua, L. seeligeri, L. ivanovii, or L. monocytogenes were not detected in the samples collected in this study. A set of 391 Staphylococcus spp. isolates were obtained in these samples, from which 60 (15.31%) were identified as S. aureus using PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction). S. aureus carrying virulence genes (eta, hlg, seg, seh, sei) were detected in milk, in swabs from cheese handler's hands, whey, milk, sieves, buckets, and cheese. The hlg gene (encodes gamma hemolysin) was detected in all the S. aureus isolates. These findings show that poor hygienic practice is associated with a higher risk of pathogenic bacteria in milk or cheese, providing useful information for public health authorities to increase food safety surveillance and prevent the dissemination of pathogens.

O objetivo desse estudo foi identificar microrganismos potencialmente patogênicos (Listeria innocua, L. seeligeri, L. ivanovii, L. monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus e diversos genes de virulência) na produção de queijos de leite cru na região noroeste do Estado de São Paulo, Brasil. Listeria foram detectadas em 68 (64,14%) das 106 amostras obtidas de fezes bovinas, suabes das mãos de ordenhadores e queijeiros, baldes, leite cru, soro, água, superfícies e utensílios da produção de queijos. Todas as amostras coletadas em uma fazenda estavam contaminadas com Listeria spp. L. innocua, L. seeligeri, L. ivanovii, e L. monocytogenes não foram detectadas nas amostras coletadas nesse estudo. Um conjunto de 391 isolados de Staphylococcus spp. foram obtidos das amostras, e desses 60 (15,31%) foram identificados como S. aureus pela PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction). S. aureus contendo genes de virulência (eta, hlg, seg, seh, sei) foram detectados em leite, mãos dos ordenhadores, soro, utensílios e queijos. O gene hlg (gama-hemolisina)foi detectado em todos os isolados de S. aureus.Esses resultados demonstram que práticas inadequadas de higiene estão associadas com um maior risco da presença de bactérias patogênicas no leite e queijos crus, fornecendo informações para as autoridades de saúde pública para incrementarem a vigilância e prevenirem a disseminação de patógenos.

Use of metagenomic microbial source tracking to investigate the source of a foodborne outbreak of cryptosporidiosis.

Cryptosporidium is a protozoan parasite of global public health importance that causes gastroenteritis in a variety of vertebrate hosts, with many human outbreaks reported yearly, often from ingestion of contaminated water or food. Despite the major public health implications, little is typically known about sources of contamination of disease outbreaks caused by Cryptosporidium. Here, we study a national foodborne outbreak resulted from infection with Cryptosporidium parvum via romaine lettuce, with the main goal to trace the source of the parasite. To do so, we combined traditional outbreak investigation methods with molecular detection and characterization methods (i.e. PCR based typing, amplicon and shotgun sequencing) of romaine lettuce samples collected at the same farm from which the contaminated food was produced. Using 18S rRNA typing, we detected C. parvum in two out of three lettuce samples, which was supported by detections in the metagenome analysis. Microbial source tracking analysis of the lettuce samples suggested sewage water as a likely source of the contamination, albeit with some uncertainty. In addition, the high degree of overlap in bacterial species content with a public human gut microbial database corroborated the source tracking results. The combination of traditional and molecular based methods applied here is a promising tool for future source tracking investigations of food- and waterborne outbreaks of Cryptosporidium spp. and can help to control and mitigate contamination risks.

Acute Hepatitis A Virus Infection in Tobruk, Eastern Libya: Increasing Trends After 2017.

Acute hepatitis A is a self-limited liver inflammation caused by hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection. The infection is transmitted by direct contact from person to person via fecal-oral routes, or through consuming contaminated food and water. This study aims to estimate the frequency of HAV infection from medical records of Tobruk Medical Center, eastern Libya and its distribution during 6 years. The medical records department of Tobruk Medical Center follows guidelines of the international classification of diseases-10 for coding the diseases. The research estimates the frequency and distribution of HAV infection based on age and sex during the period from January 2015 to December 2020. HAV screening assay was performed using commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays HAV IgM microwell. 245 cases were recorded, 53.5% of cases were males. HAV infection was the most prevalent (92.6%) in age groups of < 5-20 years. A significant rise in the occurrence of HAV infection in the last three years was reported (p < 0.05). More than half of the cases (68%) were reported in 2019 and 2020. No case fatality rate was reported in the present study. There is an increase in the frequency of HAV infection in the last 3 years and the younger age groups (under 20 years old) are more vulnerable to HAV infection. More prevention and control efforts towards this age group should be a top public health priority to avoid the possibility of HAV outbreaks in the future.

Recent advances in the highly sensitive determination of zearalenone residues in water and environmental resources with electrochemical biosensors.

Zearalenone (ZEN), a significant class of mycotoxin which is considered as a xenoestrogen, permits, similar to natural estrogens, it's binding to the receptors of estrogen resulting in various reproductive diseases especially, hormonal misbalance. ZEN has toxic effects on human and animal health as a result of its teratogenicity, carcinogenicity, mutagenicity, nephrotoxicity, genotoxicity, and immunotoxicity. To ensure water and environmental resources safety, precise, rapid, sensitive, and reliable analytical and conventional methods can be progressed for the determination of toxins such as ZEN. Different selective nanomaterial-based compounds are used in conjunction with different analytical detection approaches to achieve this goal. The current review demonstrates the state-of-the-art advances of nanomaterial-based electrochemical sensing assays including various sensing, apta-sensing and, immunosensing studies to the highly sensitive determination of various ZEN families. At first, a concise study of the occurrence, structure, toxicity, legislations, and distribution of ZEN in monitoring has been performed. Then, different conventional and clinical techniques and procedures to sensitive and selective sensing techniques have been reviewed and the efficient comparison of them has been thoroughly discussed. This study has also summarized the salient features and the requirements for applying various sensing and biosensing platforms and diverse immobilization techniques in ZEN detection. Finally, we have defined the performance of several electrochemical sensors applying diverse recognition elements couples with nanomaterials fabricated using various recognition elements coupled with nanomaterials (metal NPs, metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs), graphene, and CNT) the issues limiting development, and the forthcoming tasks in successful construction with the applied nanomaterials.

Emerging electrochemical sensing and biosensing approaches for detection of Fumonisins in food samples.

Fumonisins (FBs) can be found extensively in feedstuffs, foodstuffs, and crops. The consumption of the fumonisin-contaminated corn can result in esophageal cancer. In addition, the secondary metabolites of fungi termed mycotoxins may have some adverse effects on animals and humans such as estrogenicity, immunotoxicity, teratogenicity, mutagenicity, and carcinogenicity. Hence, developing sensitivity techniques for mycotoxins determination is of great importance. This paper reports the latest developments of nanomaterial-based electrochemical biosensing, apta-sensing, sensing, and immunosensing analyses to detect fumonisins. A concise study of the occurrence, legislations, toxicity, and distribution of FBs in levels monitoring was done. The techniques, different detection matrices, and approaches to highly selective and sensitive sensing methods were reviewed. The review also summarizes the salient features and the necessity of biosensing assessments in FBs detection, and diverse immobilization techniques. Furthermore, this review defined the performance of various electrochemical sensors using different detection elements couples with nanomaterials fabricated applying different detection elements coupled with nanomaterials (metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs), metal NPs, CNT, and graphene), the factors limiting progress, and the upcoming tasks in successful aptasensor fabrication with the functionalized nanomaterials.

Patulin and Trichothecene: characteristics, occurrence, toxic effects and detection capabilities via clinical, analytical and nanostructured electrochemical sensing/biosensing assays in foodstuffs.

Patulin and Trichothecene as the main groups of mycotoxins in significant quantities can cause health risks from allergic reactions to death on both humans and animals. Accordingly, rapid and highly sensitive determination of these toxics agents is of great importance. This review starts with a comprehensive outlook regarding the characteristics, occurrence and toxic effects of Patulin and Trichothecene. In the following, numerous clinical and analytical approaches have been extensively discussed. The main emphasis of this review is placed on the utilization of novel nanomaterial based electrochemical sensing/biosensing tools for highly sensitive determination of Patulin and Trichothecene. Furthermore, a detailed and comprehensive comparison has been performed between clinical, analytical and sensing methods. Subsequently, the nanomaterial based electrochemical sensing platforms have been approved as reliable tools for on-site analysis of Patulin and Trichothecene in food processing and manufacturing industries. Different nanomaterials in improving the performance of detecting assays were investigated and have various benefits toward clinical and analytical methods. This paper would address the limitations in the current developments as well as the future challenges involved in the successful construction of sensing approaches with the functionalized nanomaterials and also allow exploring into core-research works regarding this area.[Formula: see text].

Development of a Direct and Rapid Detection Method for Viable but Non-culturable State of Pediococcus acidilactici.

Pediococcus acidilactici may significantly reduce the pH-value, and thus has different influence, including serving as a probiotic in human microbiota but a spoilage in human food as it could change the flavor. Pediococcus acidilactici is also capable of entering into the viable but non-culturable (VBNC) state causing false negative results of standard culture-based detection method. Thus, development of detection method for VBNC state P. acidilactici is of great significance. In this study, propidium monoazide (PMA) combined with cross priming amplification (CPA) was developed to detect the VBNC cells of P. acidilactici and applied on the detection in different systems. With detection limit of 104 cells/ml, high sensitivity, and 100% specificity, PMA-CPA can successfully detect VBNC cells of P. acidilactici and be applied in with high robustness.

HERisk: An improved spatio-temporal human health risks assessment software.

Risk assessment is considered an essential tool to assist in the management and mitigation of polluted areas, especially those associated with economic activities that significantly degrade the environment, such as mining. However, most of the methodologies of risk assessment adopt the deterministic approach of using a fixed value for ascertaining the hazards derived from exposure to chemical pollutants. However, this is not the case of the Human, Ecological and Radiological Risk (HERisk) code, which allows space-time assessments of ecological, radiological, and human health risks. Indeed, this work aims to describe this new software (enhanced version of HHRISK), which not only improves the performance of the code but also increases its applicability and versatility. To showcase its usefulness in evaluating ecological pollution and human health risk were studied the contents of potentially toxic elements (Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in soils and surface waters from the nickel mining area in the municipality of Itagibá (Bahia, Brazil). The obtained results showed that metals are non-homogeneous distributed, suggesting the presence of local enrichment sources, mainly related to human activities. The statistical analyses carried out revealed that mining and agricultural activities are possibly responsible for the contents of these pollutants in both soils and surface waters. The calculated ecological indices of pollution confirmed anthropogenic pollution around the mining area, especially in the locations closest to sterile waste piles. The results of the human health risk assessment revealed that the ingestion of meat and contaminated water are the main routes for entering the potentially toxic elements to the human body and that Co is the chemical specie that poses the highest risk in the entire region. The hazard index (HI) values indicated that the whole area around the mine should be considered as a high risk for human health.

Travelers' Diarrhea: A Clinical Review.

BACKGROUND: Travelers' diarrhea is the most common travel-related malady. It affects millions of international travelers to developing countries annually and can significantly disrupt travel plans. OBJECTIVE: To provide an update on the evaluation, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of traveler's diarrhea. METHODS: A PubMed search was completed in Clinical Queries using the key term "traveler's diarrhea". The search strategy included meta-analyses, randomized controlled trials, clinical trials, observational studies, and reviews. The search was restricted to English literature. Patents were searched using the key term "traveler's diarrhea" from www.freepatentsonline.com. RESULTS: Between 10% and 40% of travelers develop diarrhea. The attack rate is highest for travelers from a developed country who visit a developing country. Children are at particular risk. Travelers' diarrhea is usually acquired through ingestion of food and water contaminated by feces. Most cases are due to a bacterial pathogen, commonly, Escherichia coli, and occur within the first few days after arrival in a foreign country. Dehydration is the most common complication. Pretravel education on hygiene and on the safe selection of food items is important in minimizing episodes. For mild travelers' diarrhea, the use of antibiotic is not recommended. The use of bismuth subsalicylate or loperamide may be considered. For moderate travelers' diarrhea, antibiotics such as fluoroquinolones, azithromycin, and rifaximin may be used. Loperamide may be considered as monotherapy or adjunctive therapy. For severe travelers' diarrhea, antibiotics such as azithromycin, fluoroquinolones, and rifaximin should be used. Azithromycin can be used even for the treatment of dysentery whereas fluoroquinolones and rifaximin cannot be used for such purpose. Recent patents related to the management of travelers' diarrhea are discussed. CONCLUSION: Although travelers' diarrhea is usually self-limited, many travelers prefer expedient relief of diarrhea, especially when they are traveling for extended periods by air or ground. Judicious use of an antimotility agent and antimicrobial therapy reduces the duration and severity of diarrhea.

Mercury accumulation from food decreases collembolans' growth.

In the terrestrial environment, mercury (Hg) contamination can be originated from different inorganic and metal-organic sources, redistributed and transformed in soils. In the present study, the effects of contaminated food with environmentally relevant concentrations of Hg were evaluated in the soil-dwelling invertebrate Folsomia candida. Changes in growth rate and Hg bioaccumulation levels were observed at different concentrations of Hg in food, which can be complementary for data already available for reproduction and survival from standardized protocols. Collembolan growth was recorded every two days, and their growth rate along with a Von Bertalanffy's growth curve were derived showing that growth was dependent on Hg food concentration. Also, the final length of animals reflected the Hg concentration in food, with differences in all treatments comparing to non-exposed organisms. Toxicokinetic patterns from different Hg concentrations in food were not significantly different during the uptake phase, but differences were found in the depuration phase. Combining the two approaches, collembolans seem to invest their energy for depuration processes, neglecting other vital processes, such as growth. Also, contaminated food avoidance possibly occurred, thus decreasing their feeding and contaminant intake. Therefore, growth tests in collembolans can act as complementary tools to bioaccumulation and reproductive assays, towards a mechanistic understanding of how organisms use their energy upon contamination. Changes in growth rate, even at low and environmentally relevant concentrations, could be a warning signal when occurring in species with key roles in ecosystems. Also, this study highlights the importance of these complementary tests for a better and complete approach to risk assessment studies.