Foodborne infections in the Middle East

Foodborne infections caused by bacterial pathogens are a common cause of human illness in the Middle East, with a substantial burden resulting in economic loss and public health consequences. This chapter aims at elucidating recent literature on the prevalence of Non-Typhoidal Salmonella (NTS), Campylobacter, Listeria monocytogens, and Brucella in the food chain across the Middle East; and to consolidate available evidence on public health burden and the status of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) among the concerned four pathogens. The reviewed evidence points to a scarcity of understanding of the magnitude of NTS in the food chain in the Middle East. Additionally, not much work has been done at the molecular characterization level to address the source-attribution of NTS in the region. Very few surveys have been done on Campylobacter in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries in the food chain. There is a gap in quantitative (counts/numbers) surveillance efforts for Campylobacter in the chicken meat supply across all Middle East countries, despite the availability of some qualitative (presence/absence) surveillance data. While there are several reports on L. monocytogenes in animal-sourced foods, notably in North African countries, fewer are published on L. monocytogenes in plant-sourced foods. Information on the L. monocytogenes serotypes and strains diversity circulating in the Middle East region is widely lacking. There are few studies attempted to isolate and screening AMR of Brucella in dairy products in the Middle East, despite the availability of several surveys looking at seroprevalence of Brucella in food animals. Antibiotic resistance in the four pathogens is not fully understood across the Middle East, despite some reports indicating varying trends at the human-food interface. The literature evidence presented in this chapter stresses that Salmonella, Campylobacter, L. monocytogenes, and Brucella continue to challenge food safety and public health in the Middle East.